Italy Facts

1. Italy looks like a high-heeled boot jutting into the Mediterranean Sea. The boot seems to be kicking a weirdly shaped ball: the island of Sicily.

2. The country is made up of twenty regions, which often speak in their own dialect of Italian and eat their own regional food dishes.

3. Italy’s biggest cities are Rome, Naples and Milan. Florence, Pisa and Venice are a few other Italian cities that are known around the world for their beauty. Read: 15 Places to Visit in Italy

4. Italian is Italy’s official language, which has its roots in the ancient and dead language of Latin. If you listen while people are speaking, the language can sound like a song. Many expressions in Italian are accompanied by hand gestures with very specific meanings.

5. Italians celebrate many holidays, and they like to get together with their family to eat big meals. The two most important are Christmas and Ferragosto, on August 15, when everyone heads to the beach. Easter is also a very popular holiday in Italy. Many people come to gather in St. Peter’s Square in Rome to see and listen to the Pope.Read: What To Eat in Italy During Easter