Farjana Hridy
Italy is home to more than 62 million individuals as of 2017 and is ranked 23rd in population size when compared with other countries throughout the world. Italian culture is steeped in the arts, family architecture, music and food. Home of the Roman Empire, the Italian peninsula has flourished for centuries. Here is a brief overview of Italian customs and traditions.
Its proper name is Republica Italian (Italian Republic), nicknamed as “Bel Paese” which means ‘beautiful country’. Italy is famous for its huge contributions to the world of art, architecture, fashion, opera, literature, design and film - the list goes on, and we haven’t even mentioned the food yet. Italy has only been a country since 1871. Before that, the boot-shaped peninsula was made up of separate territories such as the Papal States, the kingdom of Sardinia and the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. Despite its young age and its relative size, Italy has made a big impression internationally.
Italy is considered the birthplace of Western civilization and a cultural superpower. Italy has been the starting point of phenomenon of international impact such as the Southern Italian Magna Graecia, the Roman Empire, the Roman Catholic Curch, the Romanesque, the Renaissance, the Scientific revolution, the Baroque, the Neo-classicism, the Risorgimento, the Fascism and the European integration. During its history, the nation has given birth to an enormous number of notable people.
Both the internal and external faces of Western culture were born on the Italian peninsula, whether one looks at the history of the Christian faith, civil institutions (such as the Senate), philosophy, law, art, science or social customs and culture.
Italy was home to many well-known and influential civilizations, including the Etruscans, Samnites and the Romans, while also hosting colonies from important foreign civilization like the Phoenicians and Greeks, whose influential culture had a large impact through the peninsula.
Etruscan and Samnite cultures flourished in Italy before the emergence of the Roman Republic, which conquered and incorporated them. Phoenicians and Greeks established settlements in Italy beginning several centuries before the birth of Christ, and the Greek settlements in particular developed into thriving classical civilizations. The Greek ruins in southern Italy are perhaps the most spectacular and best preserved anywhere.
For more than 2,000 years Italy experienced migration and invasions and was divided into numerous independent states until 1861 when it became a nation-state. Due to this comparatively late unification and the historical autonomy of the regions that comprise the Italian peninsula, many traditions and customs that are now recognized as distinctly Italian can be identified by their regions of origin.
Despite the political and social isolation in these regions, Italy’s contributions to the cultural and historical heritage of Europe and the world remain immense. The famous elements of Italian culture are its art, music, style and iconic food. Italy was the birth place of opera and for generations the language of opera was Italian, irrespective of the nationality of the composer. Popular tastes in drama in Italy have long favoured comedy; the improvisational style known as the Commedia dell’arte began in Italy in the mid-16th century and is still performed today.
Before being exported to France, the famous Ballet dance genre also originated in Italy. The country boasts several world-famous cities. Rome was the ancient capital of the Roman Empire, seat of the Pope of the Catholic Church, capital of reunified Italy and cultural and cinematographic centre of world relevance. Florence was the heart of the Renaissance, a period of great achievements in the arts at the end of the Middle Ages.
Other important cities include Turin, which used to be the capital of Italy, and now one of the world’s great centers of automobile engineering. Milan is industrial, financial and fashion capital of Italy. Venice, ancient capital of a great Mediterranean sea faring power, with its intricate canal system attracts tourists from all over the world especially during the Venetian Carnival and the Biennial. Bologna is the main transport hub of the country, as well as the home of oldest university in the world and of a worldwide famous cuisine.
Italy is home to the greatest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites (55) to date and according to one estimate the country is home to half the world’s great art treasures. Overall, the nation has an estimated 100,000 monuments. The civilization began as an Italic settlement in the Italian Peninsula, traditionally dated to 753 BC, that grew into the city of Rome and which subsequently gave its name to the empire over which it ruled and to the widespread civilization the empire developed. The Roman Empire expanded to become one of the largest empires in the ancient world.
Italian art has influenced several major movements throughout the centuries and has produced several great artists, including painters, architects and sculptors. Today, Italy has an important place in the international art scene, with several major art galleries, museums and exhibitions; major artistic centers in the country include Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan, Turin, Genoa, Naples, Palermo, Lecce and other cities. Moreover, Italian culture is very precious and pure. There are lots of customs and traditions.
Population of Italy
About 96 percent of the population of Italy is Italian, though there are many other ethnicities that live in this country. North African Arab, Itali-Albanian, Albanian, German, Austrian and some other European groups fill out the remainder of the population. Bordering countries of France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia to the north have influenced Italian culture, as have the Mediterranean islands of Sardina, Sicily and Sardinia.
Languages of Italy
The official language of the country is Italian. About 93% of Italian population speaks Italian as native language, according to the BBC. There are a number of dialects of the language spoken in the country, including Sardinian, Friulian, Neapolitan, Sicilian, Ligurian, Piedmontese, Venetian, Calabrian. Milanese is also spoken in Milan. Other languages spoken by native Italians include Albanian, Bavarian, Catalan, Cimbrian, Corsican, Croatian, French German, Greek, Slovenian and Walser.
Family life in Italy
“Family is an extremely important value within the Italian culture”, Talia Wagner, a Los Angeles-based marriage and family therapist, told Live Science. Their family solidarity is focused on extended family rather than the West’s idea of “the nuclear family” of just a mom, dad and kids, Wanger explained. Italians have frequent family gatherings and enjoy spending time with those in their future family. “Children are reared to remain close to the family upon adulthood and incorporate their future family into the larger network,” said Wanger.
Religion in Italy
The major religion in Italy is Roman Catholicism. This is not surprising, as Vatican City, located in the heart of Rome, is the hub of Roman Catholicism and where the Pope resides. Roman Catholics and other Christians make up 80% of population, through only one third of those practicing Catholics. The country also has a growing Muslim immigrant community, according to the University of Michigan. Muslim agnostic and atheist make up the other 20% of the population, according to the Central Intelligence Agency.
Art and architecture in Italy
Italy has given rise to a number of architectural styles, including classical Roman, Renaissance, Barque and Neoclassical. Italy is home to some of the most famous structures in the world, including the Colosseum and the leaning Tower of Pisa. The concept of a basilica - which was originally used to describe an open public court building and evolved to mean a Carholic pilgrimage site - was born in Italy. The word, according to the Oxford Dictionary, is derived from Latin and meant “royal palace.” The word is also from the Greek basilike, which is the feminine of basilikos which means “royal” or basileus, which means “king.” Italy also is home to many castles, such as the Valle d’Aosta Fort Bard, the Ussel Castle. Florence, Venice and Rome are home to many museums, but art can be viewed in churches and public buildings. Most notable is the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican, painted by Michelangelo sometime between 1508 and 1512. Opera has its roots in Italy and many famous operas -including “Aida” and “La Traviata,” both by Giuseppe Verdi, and “Pagliacci” by Ruggero Leoncavallo- were written in Italian and are still performed in the native language. More recently, Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti made opera more accessible to the masses as a soloist and as a soloist and as part of the Three Tenors. Italy is home to a number of world-renowned fashion houses, including Armani, Gucci, Benetton, Versace and Prada.
Art
Italy’s contribution to the art world is immeasurable. Works by Giotto, Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci, Titian, Caravaggio and Bernini are among the most recognisable and most celebrated in the world. Not just limited to paintings and sculptures in museums, artistic wonders can be found everywhere in Italy - in churches, castles, historical residence and in the architecture of the country itself.
Fashion
Italy’s first internationally recognised fashion show took place in Florence in 1951. These days though, Milan is considered Italy’s main sartorial hub and the city’s high-end shopping district, known as the Quadrilatero d’Oro, is home to some of the world’s biggest luxury brands. Prada, Gucci, Versace, Armani, Dolce & Gabbana and Valentino are all headquartered there.
Hand gestures
Italians like to let their hands do the talking and according to one study, there are around 250 gestures used in everyday conversation. Swipe the fingers outwards from under the chin to say ‘I couldn’t care less’ or pinch the fingers together and move the hand up and down to say ‘what are you talking about?’
Cars
Italy is the birthplace of some of the world’s most famous car brands, including Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Lamborghini and Maserati. Italian automotive design is coveted by petrolheads around the world for its beauty, exclusively and performance. Take Ferrari, for example - the company began as a race car manufacture in 1939 and is now the gold standard for autos. In 2012, they sold just 8,000 cars but made record net profits of 537 million.
Gelato
Yes, ‘gelato’ is the Italian word for ice cream but no, the two are not the same thing. Gelato is lower in fat, has less air in it and is served at a slightly higher temperature. As a result, the Italian treat is slikier, softer and more flavorsome. Italian gelato is literally the best in the world and you can even study it at university.
Football
Football, or il calcio, is taken very seriously in Italy. Teams from the top league, Serie A, attract some of the world’s best (and most well-paid) players, while the national team, known as the Azzurri, have won the World Cup four times. Their 2018 defeat against Sweden was met with disbelief and marked the first time in 40 years they failed to qualify for the tournament.
Italian holidays
Italians celebrate most Christian holidays. The celebration of the Epiphany, celebrated on January 6, is much like Chrismas. Belfana, an old lady who flies on her broomstick, delivers presents and goodies to good children, according to legend. Pasquetta, on the Monday after Easter, typically involves family picnics to mark the beginning of springtime. November 1 commemorates Saints Day, a religious fest during which Italians typically decorate the graves of deceased relatives with flowers. Many Italian towns and villages celebrate the feast day of their patron saint of Napoli. April 25 is the Liberation Day, marking the 1945 liberation ending World War II in Italy in 1945.
Doing business in Italy
Italy’s official currency is euro. Italians are known for their family-centric culture and there are a number of small and mid-sized businesses. Even many of the larger companies such as Fiat and Benetton are still primarily controlled by single families. “Many families that immigrated from Italy are traditionalists by nature, with the parents holding traditional gender roles. This has become challenging for the younger generations, as gender roles have morphed in the American culture and today stand at odds with the father being the primary breadwinner and the undisputed head of the household and the mother being the primary caretaker of the home and children,” said Wagner.
