Most Interesting Facts About Italy

Italy is quite exquisite when it comes to the architecture and culture. Often referred to as “lo Stivale” (the boot), it is a unitary parliamentary republic in Europe. The place is quite fascinating with its picturesque monuments and gardens. In order to really know what’s inside, keep the following facts in mind about this boot-shaped country. 1. Beautiful Country Italy is called Bel Paese which means “a beautiful country”. Well, apparently. 2. UNESCO Italy houses 50 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. 3. Win Wine Italy is the largest producer of wine in the world. 4. Show Me The Middle Finger Galileo’s middle finger is on display at a museum in Italy. 5. Gondolas In Venice, all the Gondolas are required to be painted black by the law. 6. Haunted Island of Italy Poveglia is said to be so extremely haunted that no public access is allowed. 7. Mr. and Mrs. Smith “Ferrari” is the Italian equivalent of the last name “Smith”. 8. Pepperoni Pepperoni, the sausage, has no existence in Italy. Pepperoni is instead referred to as bell peppers. 9. Tomato Tales Tomatoes in Italy were not introduced until 1540s. 10. Free Wine, Anyone? Due to a technical error in 2008, wine started flowing through the taps of dozens of houses during a grape festival. Pretty fantastic, isn’t it? 11. No Skirts For Men A man in Italy can be arrested for wearing a skirt in public. 12. Forks And Pasta Forks were first to come in Italy before any other cutlery just because of pasta. 13. Temperature Thermometer is an Italian invention. 14. Most Elevators Italy holds the Guinness Record for having the most number of elevators. 15. Oldest University The oldest university, the University Of Bologna was founded on 1808 and is still in continuous operations. 16. Italy Is On A Fault Line Italy is weighed down by earthquakes because of the unfortunate positioning. Also, it has resulted in the eruption of three volcanoes – Etna, Stromboli, and Vesuvius. 17. Christmas, The Biggest of All Christmas is the most awaited celebration in Italy. Christmas dinner is usually on Christmas Eve, and the celebration lasts until January 6th (the Epiphany, or the date usually believed to have been when the three Wise Men found the manger of Jesus). 18. Pesky Pasta Pasta was not eaten with tomato sauce until 1600’s in this country. Might sound weird to some of us, but it was eaten with honey and sugar. Though presently there are more than 500 varieties of pasta in Italy. 19. Pink Bunny There exists a long, 55 meter pink stuffed bunny on the top of a hill in Italy.