Country Overview
The Italian Republic is home to 57 million people. It stretches some 117,487 square miles. It is a peninsula, famously shaped like a boot, bordered on two sides by the Adriatic, Ligurian and Tyrrhenian seas. To the north it touches France, Switzerland and Austria.

The official language is Italian, with numerous dialects. The inhabitants are overwhelmingly of Italian descent.

The chief unit of currency is the Euro, which officially replaced the Italian Lire on January 1, 2002.

Italy is a republic led by a prime minister and a president. The capitol city is Rome. The Vatican is a separate country within Italy. Italian citizens can vote at age 18.

Italy's ancient history was dominated by the Roman Empire, which controlled the Mediterranean region by the first century AD. The collapse of the Roman Empire in the fifth century led to centuries of an ever- changing system of city-states and influence by foreign powers.

From 1870 until 1922, Italy was a constitutional monarchy with a parliament elected under limited suffrage.

Under Mussolini, Italy declared war on the U.S. in 1941. Following the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943, Mussolini was dismissed and the newly appointed Badoglio government declared war on Germany. German forces occupied the country until 1945, when they were finally driven out by increasingly popular anti-fascist resistance forces. A constituent assembly was elected in 1946 to draw up plans for the republic.

Italy has been dubbed the world's 'living art gallery'. It currently boasts ornate marble floors, Roman ruins, Byzantine mosaics, baroque tombs, Greek temples -- and the list goes on and on.

Some famous Italian writers include Virgil, Ovid, Dante and Petrarch; musicians include Vivaldi, Verdi and Puccini; and film, Marcello Mastroianni, Sophia Loren, Federico Fellini and Bernardo Bertolucci. Cuisine varies from North to South, but almost always centers around pasta. Spaghetti bolognese, lasagne, and tortellini are but a few examples. Risotto ala milanese (saffron rice) and osso bucco (breaded veal) are outstanding specialties. Porchetta, cold roasted suckling pig, is a mid-morning snack in central Italy. And, of course, pizza! For dessert, cannoli and marzipan are popular.

Italy produces one fifth of the world's wine, more than any other country. Many meals are washed down with vino, and an afternoon visit to an espresso counter is quite common, especially for men who socialize there.

A typical breakfast is bread and butter or cheese with cafe ole, coffee with milk.

Lunch is the most important meal of the day. Most shops and businesses close for about two hours at mid- day, and many people go home to eat with their families and rest after lunch. Whether at home or in a restaurant, lunch is an elaborate meal with numerous courses. A typical lunch will include soup, a main course, salad, and dessert such as cheese or fruit.

Wine and water are served throughout lunch, along with bread. Sometimes olive oil is used as a substitute for butter, and is served in a small plate for dipping bread into.

Dinner is eaten late by American standards, around 8pm or so. It is a light meal of cold cuts, bread and cheese.

School
Compulsory education begins at the age of six years and continues up to the age of 14, including five years of primary and three years of lower secondary education.

Pre-school is optional, and there are many state run programs that are free. Approximately 91% of children attend pre-school, 50% in public and 50% in private schools.

Compulsory education may be completed by attending state or non-state schools or through education at home. Students must pass an exit exam before advancing from primary to secondary school.

The school year starts in mid-September and runs until the end of June. Students attend secondary school (scuola media) for five hours a day, Monday through Saturday.

Subjects taught include Italian, civics, history, geography, foreign language, sciences, math, technical education, art, music, physical education and religion.

Upper secondary education is available for people between the ages of 14 and 19 years. After completing compulsory education they can follow courses lasting three, four or five years, after which they have the choice of entering higher education or employment at middle-management level or as specialized workers. Scholarships are available to capable students to further their schooling even if they lack the necessary funds.

Upper secondary education schools are divided into specialized categories, consisting of classical and scientific artistic, technical or vocational. Approximately 30% of the students enroll in classical education, 35% in technical, 20% in vocational and 5% in artistic curriculums.

Literacy rates are high in Italy, at 98%.

Teenagers
Popular forms of recreation for Italian teenagers are similar to those in the U.S. -- meeting friends, going to parties, playing sports, club activities, dating, movies, shopping, etc. Italians teens often go out in groups.

Sports are very popular, the favorite being soccer, or football as it is called in Italy.

Clothing styles are the same as for teens in most countries -- jeans, t-shirts, sweaters, and sneakers. Teens like to dress up when going to a nightclub or party.

Teens start dating in groups when they are 13-14 years old. Even if a steady relationship develops between two teens, they will generally meet up with a group rather than go out alone.

Teenagers rarely own their own cars. Those with a license may share a car with their parents. Scooters and small motorcycles are more common than cars among teenagers. Italy has an extensive public transportation system that includes trains that span the country.

Curfew times and house rules vary from family to family. In some families, boys are allowed later curfews than girls, or must accompany their sisters on late nights out.

It is not uncommon for teenagers to drink a little wine with meals, along with the rest of the family. Wine is a normal part of meals and social gatherings and drinking is culturally accepted. Because it is so much a part of everyday life, drinking isn't the 'thrill' it can be for American teens. Italian teenagers generally don't drink for the sole purpose of getting drunk.

Community
In Italy there are 63 television stations. Cable television is available, but it is expensive, so most people do not have it. Italian teenagers generally watch less television than their American counterparts.

Typical business hours in Italy are 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and then 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Shops sometimes stay open late two nights a week, and shops are closed on Sundays.

Families in Italy will often share one car. Scooters and motorcycles are common modes of individual transportation. The bus and train systems are extensive, and underground railways exist in some major cities.

Recycling is not as commonplace in Italy as it is in the United States.

Homes in Italy often have marble floors rather than carpets. The marble floors and heavy shutters, which are closed for the afternoon, keep the houses cool on hot days.

One appliance rarely seen in America occupies many Italian bathrooms. It is the bidet, a porcelain basin with faucets, similar in appearance to a toilet. The bidet is used to take the equivalent of an American sponge bath.

The Family It is not uncommon for both parents to work, but women and youth have been hardest hit by recent rises in unemployment. Many mothers choose not to work full time in order to have more time to parent.

Families have an average of two children. Dogs and birds are popular pets. Cats are often pets as well, although there are high populations of feral cats in many urban areas, and they are often outdoor pets.

Only wealthy families in Italy have maids.

Students will often live at home until they finish college or marry, at age twenty-three or so.

Respect for elders is important in Italy, but it is becoming less common for extended families and elders to live together.

Customs
Upon introductions and departures, Italians shake hands with everyone individually in a group, unlike the American "group wave". Italians will not hesitate to greet people they know with an embrace. One will always be introduced to older people and women first.

It is considered common courtesy to greet people in the workplace, stores or restaurants with an appropriate daily greeting such as "buon giorno" or buona sera" and "arrivaderci" upon leaving. 'Ciao' (pronounced chow) is an informal greeting for both departures and arrivals. Younger people sometimes extend it to 'Ciao-ciao'.

Italians believe that wine should be sipped slowly; moreover, they take pride in not appearing affected by alcohol. Drinking too much at once or appearing inebriated is in poor taste.

The most common toast is "salute" (to your health), or, more informally, "cin-cin" (pronounced chin chin).

The Italians do not switch knives and forks, as Americans do. When both are to be used, the knife remains in the right hand, and the fork remains in the left. It is considered bad form to leave the table to go to the washroom or for any other reason.

Italians are often very animated and like to gesture with their hands while talking.

It is customary to take a stroll in the evening, known as the "passeggiata."

Eye contact remains direct and is the way Italians show their interest. Raising ones hands or fingers, as in a gesture to a waiter, is considered rude. They will generally try to make eye contact or gesture downward at the table.

National holidays include the Anniversary of the Republic on June second, as well as Christian holidays.

Though over 80% of the population profess to be Catholic, the number of people who actually practice the religion is surprisingly low: an average of only 25% attends mass regularly. However, saints' days, first communions and religious festivals are attended.

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