Fun facts about Italy

1. Topolino is the name for Mickey Mouse Italy
2. The name Italy comes from the word italia, meaning calf land, perhaps because the bull was a symbol of the Southern Italian tribes
3. Did you know that Italians eat spaghetti only with a fork not using a spoon?
4. Gelato: ice-cream is an Italian invention
5. Mozzarella: Italian cheese balls, originally made from buffalo milk
6. Pizza: probably the most famous Italian dish, it was invented in Napoli/Naples around 1860
7. In Italy pizzas are usually baked in a wood-fired oven and very thin, but loaded with fresh vegetables or thinly sliced ham, salami, artichokes or olives.
8. Italians are famous for their inventions and discoveries.
9. Family is very important for Italians, where there are still many big families including grandparents, parents and children in the household.
10. Italian is a language which is coming from Latin and you still can recognize the roots.
11. Italy has three active volcanoes: Vesuvius, Etna, and Stromboli.
12. The highest mountain of Italy can be found in the Alps. It is the Monte Bianco, better known as Mont Blanc, which is 4,807m.
13. Italy is often called the Bel Paese, which mean beautiful country.
14. Italy is home to the largest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites _ more than 40.
15. Italy has 20 regions and 6 islands.
16. Italy speaks a national language, which was based on the Tuscan dialect, but each region still speaks its own dialect.
17. The Vatican is a separate sovereign nation, its own country.
18. The thermometer is an Italian invention.
19. The piano hails from Italy.
20. The typewriter is an Italian invention.
21. The Italian Wolf is considered the national animal of Italy.
22. Italy has over 3,000 museums.
23. The national sport of Italy is soccer (known as football outside of America).
24. Italy's national dish is pasta.
25. The vespa scooter was invented in Italy in 1946.
26. Italy has the most hotel rooms of any European nation.
27. Everyday 3,000 euro gets tossed into the Trevi Fountain.
28. Italy's national flower is the Lily.
29. Sixty percent of the world's art treasures are in Italy.
30. Opera was created in Italy.
31. The violin and the cello were both invented in Italy.
32. The national bird of Italy is Bluebird.
33. Italy is famous for its sports cars like Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Maserati and Lamborghini.
34. Many of Shakespeare's plays were set in Italy, including Romeo and Juliet from Verona.
35. The highest point in Italy is Mont Blanc, in the alps at 15,770 feet.
36. The longest river in Italy is the Po.
37. The espresso machine was invented in Italy.
38. Venice has over 400 footbridges.
39. The oldest olive tree in Italy, in Umbria is reportedly over 1700 yrs old.
40. Italy's capital Rome is known as an eternal city. It's age is almost 3000 years.