There are over 200 canals in Venice, the Grand Canal is the largest S shaped. 400 bridges cross these canals which are like our roads and streets. Gondolas the narrow black boats are used by tourists to experience the view of the city from these canals.

It can be flooded in the winter months. Venice, the city built on water is beautiful, magical and everyone should visit in their lifetime.

Rome

The Tiber River is the 3rd longest in Italy and flows through the city of Rome.

There is no city in the world which has more fountains, 11 acqueducts supply water to the city. The most famous is the Trevi fountain built 1732-1762. You just don’t expect to come across this down the small italian streets and alleyways, then you hear the roar of the water and this fountain just dominates the small area. You must however follow the tradition and throw a coin into the fountain which means you will someday return again.

Piazza Navona has the Fountain of Neptune struggling with an octopus. Built on this site of the ‘games’.

Lake Garda

This is the largest lake in Italy.

Lake Maggiore

This is the second largest lake in Italy.

Lake Como

This is the third largest lake in Italy and the deepest in Europe. Lots of famous people own villas on the edge of this lake like George Clooney, the film Ocean’s Twelve was filmed on this lake, Donatella Versace also has a home here. The name ‘Como’ is derived from a roman town.

Verona

In the centre of the Piazza delle Erbe is a 14 century fountain of a roman statue. A beautiful circular fountain is outside the grounds of the ampitheatre.

Many causes factor into the longer Italian life expectancy, including genetics and the healthcare differences between the two countries. One major probable factor in Italians living longer than their American counterparts is a hearty-healthy Mediterranean diet.

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When one considers the Italian diet superficially, it doesn’t seem particularly healthy, being loaded with pasta, meat, and fatty cheeses. One thing that Italians consume a lot of is red wine, which is known to be good for the heart in moderation. Red wine contains antioxidants, such as flavonoids and polyphenols. One polyphenol called resveratrol may help prevent damage to blood vessels, reduce bad cholesterol, and prevent blood clots.

Italy is famous for olive oil production. Olive oil is a healthy fat and can be consumed immediately after being pressed from the fruit. Like red wine, olive oil contains antioxidants that help protect against heart disease. Extra virgin olive oil, from the first pressing of the fruits, contains more antioxidants because it’s less processed. Olive oil may also aid in preventing colon cancer.

When thinking of the typical Italian pasta sauce, one immediately thinks of spices such as basil, oregano, and garlic. Italians use spices for flavoring more than salt. Americans typically consume 9 to 12 grams of salt a day, twice what the American Heart Association recommends. Too much salt leads to high blood pressure, heart disease, and strokes. Cooking with spices, like the Italians do, and cutting back on salt is another element of the Mediterranean diet that leads to improved heart health.

Other healthy components of the Mediterranean diet include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, and legumes. Basing meals around these ingredients, rather than meat, is healthier than the typical American diet.

While there are other factors involved in the long lives of the residents of Sardinia, such as genetics, it’s undeniable that a glass or two of red wine a day and cooking with olive oil and spices rather than salt shows a marked improvement in heart health and contributes to a longer life, and healthier golden years for many Italians.

Durum wheat was introduced to Sicilly by the invading Arabs in late 7th Century. 2nd Century writings show a receipe for lasagna deep fried. 5th Century writings show a recipe for layered meat lasagna. The word spaghetti means ‘strings.’  By 1785 Naples had 280 pasta shops. In 1800s street vendors were selling pasta via a charcol fire to the public.

Some of the best pasta, raviolli, lasagna I have ever tasted was in Italy of course! The raviolli in Limone on Lake Garda homemade with spinach and ricotta cheese. The lasagna from a trip to Florence, this just fell apart with a fork – fantastico!

What makes Italian pasta so special and tastier than other countries is the length of time taken over it, the drying process is much slower. This is what gives the pasta its yellow colour.

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Alot of visual, sound and smells make an Italian garden complete. Visual due to the statues and usually symetrical design mirror images. The sound of water in the form of still or running.  The smell of the herbs, plants, flowers like lavender and rosemary. The sweet smell of the white flowered jasmine remind me of Italy.

In medival times the garden was surrounded by walls and it was used as a kitchen to grow herbs and vegetables for the owner.

Describing garden design in the renaissance period stated “a villa or a house should be placed above the garden so it can be viewed from a high level.”

The renaissance period also saw a rise in botanical gardens with plants brought in from all over the world never seen before.

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Fabulous renaissance gardens are:-

Villa d’Este at Tivol, near Rome (1550-1572) [above].

Sacro Bosco (sacred wood) at Bomarzo, Lazio, Central Italy (1552-1584) full of interesting huge statues with mouths you can walk through, figures and creatures carved from volcanic rock.

Fountains

One of the most famous fountain is the Trevi fountain in Rome.  You just don’t expect to come across this down the small italian street and alleyways, then you hear the roar of the water.

This is the view of Italian scenes and the tall thin upright trees shooting up into the sky make a fabulous backdrop to the lakes and all over Italy.

Lemon Tree

The bright yellow fruit filling the lemon trees look so appealing in the Italian sunshine. You can marvel at just how the trees can grow fruit outside even in Northern Italy.

Jasmine

The distinct smell of jasmine flowering is one smell you will never forget. It surrounds you in Italy, usually a climbing bush variety with small white flowers.

Olive Tree

The olives are usually grown in orchards, the grey leaf colour are a common site especially in the country.

Bizzy Lizzie Bedding

Coming in a range of brightly coloured flowers these type of bedding plants are used alot in pots and for multiple larger areas for colour in ranges of pinks, reds and whites.

Geranium

These colourful bright flowers are used in Italian terracotta pots and window boxes coming in reds through to pinks. They really look great outside houses on window ledges.

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Grape Vines

Grown in orchards in rows needing alot of space, these vines look organised, neat and green.

Herb Basil

Perfect on spaghetti, raviolli, lasagna, the taste epitomizes Italian food.

Herb Rosemary

Very aromatic bushy herb used for flavour, has small blue flowers, protect from frost.

Lavender

Used in cooking for meat dishes this plant is a perfect mediterranean species with silver grey foilage and purple flowers the smell is devine. The aroma is very relaxing and helps promote sleep.

Fresh vegetables and ingredients go into making Italian food. Lots of herbs and spices are used to flavour dishes.

Olive Oil

Researchers have discovered olive oil has the ability to switch off genes that inflame e.g. arthritis and heart disease.  One of the best olive oils in the world comes from Tuscany it is a  deep green colour called ‘Laudemio’ an extra-virgin oil and comes boxed so light doesn’t cause any damage. The land and weather here is perfect for olive trees.  To register as extra-virgin it must have proof of no defects, no contamination to the product. The best known brands are Bertolli, Filippo Berio.

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Health benefits – olive oil has a mild laxative effect, stimulates the gallbladder preventing gallstones, protects mucus membranes, helps absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, it decreases risk of cancer e.g. colon and breast. Contains good fats and doesn’t contain any cholesterol. Natural antioxidants helps slow down the ageing process.

Tomatoes – Vine tomatoes are used alot, these type of variety have so much flavour. Rich in vitamins C, A and K, reduce heart disease, antioxidents, protect cells, may prevent certain forms of cancer, when cooked the antioxident effect is increased not decreased as in most cases.

Oregano – antioxident, antibacterial.

Garlic – Lowers blood pressure and bad cholestrol, reduces heart attacks, strokes, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, flights cancers, antioxident, antibiotic, helps side effects of diabetes.

Artichokes – vitamin C, magnesium, folic acid, fiber.

Basil – anti-bacterial, vitamin C, calcium, iron, anti-inflammatory, protects cells from radiation.

Honey – Sardinia makes an unusual light bitter honey which is very tasty. Antiseptic to the urinary system, helps a sore throat, bronchitis, anti-asthma.

Introduction to Italian Food

Originally pizza, pasta, macaroni are from Italy. Pizza originally came from Naples (Napoli) near Rome in approx 1860. Parmesan cheese came from Parma.

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Italian food is one of the oldest in the world. Dishes are copies of ones given to Roman Soldiers. Olive oil and wine are mediterranean.

Bologna is famous for minced meat sauce known as bolognese. Rice is common in Northern Italy due to the wet valleys.  Sardinia and Sicily are known well for fish dishes.

Pasta should be cooked ‘al dente’ which means ‘to the teeth’.  A little hard in the centre.

There are lots of different pasta shapes and types for use with meals e.g. ravioli, tortellini, spirali, farfalle, penne. Some hold the meat and sauce better than others.

Desserts

Grapes, apricots, peaches, lemons, oranges are grown.  Amaretti (almond flavoured meringues) are popular, Panforte is sweetbread. Pannettone (Tony’s bread) eaten at Christmas time is rich bread cake.

Children helping make their own dishes

Most children love to help out in the kitchen especially as once they’ve made their food they can eat it.

A good idea is to make your own pizza topping. Kids can put on anything they fancy e.g. ham, cheese, pineapple, and its so quick to cook.

Pasta is another easy, cheap food to make with kids they could help mix the sauce and put it altogether into the pasta at the end.

Florence is a cultural city of Art and many students come here to study art.

Frescoes are paintings on fresh plaster which helps it survive so well in time as it becomes part of the wall or ceiling. Colours were made from mixing stones and minerals with a medium. Fine brushes made from usually ox hair were used.

Famous Italian Artists

The most famous artists were Leonardo da Vinci who painted the ‘Mona Lisa’ in 1505 and ‘ The Last Supper’  in 1498. Michaelangelo painted the breathtaking Sistine Chapel in Rome. Boticelli and Raphael sculptured David in Florence, Raphael painted the  ’Madonna and Child’, and Boticelli painted ‘Venus’.

Leonardo was much more than an artist and sculptor he was also a  musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, geologist, anatomist, writer, inventor. He drew a design for a flying machine in 1488.

The school academic year runs from mid September – end June.

Schools in Italy are free to all children and must attend school from ages 6-16.  Text books are free until you reach secondary school.

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Primary School

At primary age children only attend school from 8.00 a.m. – 1.00 p.m. 6 days a week, this does vary on different schools. If your child can speak Italian fairly well they could attend an Italian school, if not there are international schools but these can be expensive.

The standard curriculum – Italian, English, Music, Art, PE, IT, History, Maths, Science, Catholicism, Geography.

Lower Secondary School

At lower secondary school ages 11-14, students attend approx 30 hours of classes a week. An exam must be passed to reach high school age 14-18.

Upper Secondary School

Ages 14-16/18 students must now choose the type of courses to study and think about university.  The curriculum – Italian language and literature, maths, science, RE, PE, Geography, History, Foreign Language, Specilalised course (year 3).

In order to get into University students must pass the ‘School Diploma’ a written and oral exam and have completed 5 years of upper secondary school.

Documents required to enrol in school

• Family status certificate from local registry office
• Birth certificate translated
• Passport photos
• ID
• Resident permit
• Immunization proof
• Translation of school curriculum from homeland