Italian Art and Architecture

Italian art and architecture have made profound statements on the world. Through the periods of Ancient Rome and Renaissance Italy especially, art and architecture flourished, creating and building masterpieces that would become standards for the rest of the world to follow. It was during the renaissance that many Italian artists like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Botticelli, and Raphael emerged. The Mona Lisa, the painted ceiling and walls of the Sistine Chapel, the Last Supper, and the Birth of Venus are just a few of the priceless art works created by these men. Architecturally, the Vatican is an outstanding example of the wealth of the papacy, a mark that has remained for centuries. Italy is strewn with medieval and renaissance towns full of magnificent cathedrals, palaces, and town halls. Many towns, like Perugia and Assisi of the Umbrian region of Italy, are extremely well preserved, still boasting the architecture of their elegant medieval beginnings. Of course, the ancient city of Pompeii, the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the many preserved aqueducts throughout the country, and many more monuments are testament to the architectural grandeur of the Ancient Romans. 

Italian Religion

Religion is central to Italian culture. Since the beginning of Rome, ancient heathen gods were of great importance to the people. With the Emperor Constantine, who converted to Christianity in 312 AD, Rome began to change until soon after it became the Christian center of the world. The pope resides in the Vatican (its own city-state, but located in the center of Rome) and the Christian Democratic party is the majority political party. For many Christians, Rome has become a type of Mecca.

Italian Food

Italy: the land of endless pizza and spaghetti- one of the many common misconceptions about Italian food. Tomatoes aren’t even native to the country! The Italian food culture is a lot more complicated then some might think. The country is actually divided between north, central, and south Italy (in more ways than one, but especially regarding food).  Those that reside in the north eat more meat and dairy, while those in the south eat more fish and heavy cream. Central Italy is pretty much a mixture of the two.

A lot of the “traditional” Italian cuisine comes from the Contadina (or peasants) of old. This includes many types of pasta like puttanesca and a fried corn dish called polenta. Pizza and gelato may seem to be traditional Italian foods, but neither was even invented until the 19^th century.

Italian Politics

The Italian political system has changed a lot since the country's unification in 1861. From that time until the fall of the monarchy in 1946, Italy was ruled mainly by a king and prime minister. With the formation of the Republic of Italy in 1946, the system changed to become a more democratic government. Due to the change, Italian politics are now run on a parliamentary, democratic republic with a multi-party system. Today, Italy's head of state is President Giorgio Napolitano, though in affect the country is truly run by the Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, who is appointed President of the Council of Ministers. The Council of Ministers run the executive branch of the government as well as, along with the two house of parliament, the legislative branch. There are also 20 regions in Italy with a "president" over each.

Italian History

Italy has a long and tumultuous past. The country was officially unified in 1861, but history began forming long before. Inhabitants of the peninsula are known to have existed as early as the 9^th century BC. Rome began its ascent to a world-wide super power with the creation of the republic in 509 BC. By 14 AD, Augustus had already created an empire, an empire which survived the split of west and east in 395, but finally fell in 476. 1000 years later, the Italian Renaissance of the 14^th-16^th centuries had a lasting impression on the world as it was then and has helped create the world that we know now. With its unification in 1861, Italy became known as the Kingdom of Italy until 1946 when the monarchy was abolished. World War II gave way to the rise of Mussolini, a dictator similar to Hitler. Italy was named a republic in 1946 and has stayed such ever since.