by Sarah and Claire
Italy has a surface of 302 000 kmē with 2 independent states enclosed the Vatican and San Marin. Its capital is Rome. Its population is 58.6 million inhabitants. The lira was replaced by the Euro on January 1st 2002. The official language is Italian, this is a very easy language to understand for the French beause the roots of the words are the same
Food :
Long live spaghettis, pizza pies, tomatoes, olive oil, espresso coffee and cappuccino! Is that all the Italian food there is? No of course. Italy has a thousand different dishes, hundreds of gastronomical specialities, an infinity of tasty typical products because it has a modern and advanced agroindustrial system but which preserves old savours and traditional values. The three meals in Italy are:
-breakfast (collazione): a very strong coffee accompanied by bread or buns.
-lunch (pranzo):a typical meal which contains three dishes (1. pasta or soup, 2. meat or fish, 3. fruit or cake and of course espresso.)
-diner ( cena ): pasta in noodle shape or minestrone (soup of vegetables with pasta or rice).Antipasti and elaborate desserts are reserved for the days of parties.During meals one drinks water or wine.
Typical products:
1. pasta: pasta in brodo, pasta al forno, pasta asciutta.
2. beautiful cheeses: paese, gorgonzola, mozzarela, parmesan, pecorino, provolone, ricotta, stracchino.
The Coliseum and the Tower of Pisa :
The Coliseum was built in Rome in the 1st century of our era. This Roman amphitheatre welcomed gladiator fights and nautical tournaments.
The Tower of Pisa was built between 1170 and 1350; it is a bell-tower of 55 meter in height. With the achievement of the third floor, the building begun to sag under its weight and to lean. Work of consolidation of the ground has stabilized the slope, which is 4.50 meters.
