Fun Facts about Italy – Info Worth Knowing

Information You’ll Want to Know While Travelling Here

When it comes to fun facts about Italy – the list goes on and on. Italy gave birth such brilliant minds as Galileo Galilei, Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo just to name a few. Their culture which dates back to the ancient times have influenced the western world in many ways, in fact – Italians are responsible for inventing hundreds of things, practices, medical discoveries and so on that we use every day, some of which can be seen here. The following are a few fun facts about Italy.

Fun Facts About Italy – At a Glance

  • The word Italy or Italia, originally spelled as Vitalia most likely comes from the same root as the latin vitulus (one-year-old calf). Originally this name was meant for southern Italy and it’s people, and the literal meaning was ‘calf-land’. Over the years this name was adapted by the rest of the peninsula.
  • Officially, Italy became a country in 1861 but had quite a history as an empire long before that. It’s official name is Italian Republic or Repubblica Italiana.
  • Italy is home to 2 independent states: Vatican City & San Marino. Republic of San Marino is the world’s oldest – dating back to 301 AD. Tt is only 25 square miles in size and has a population of 30,000 citizens who are called Sammarinese. Vatican City is just an astounding 108.7 acres in size and is the only nation in the world that has a full lock down capability at night – plus their own army, currency, radio, TV and so on.
  • Italy’s population is just over 60 million people, about 2.6 million live in Rome – the capital. Roma, as the Italians call it – is sometimes referred to as ‘eternal-city’ and it happens to be the largest in all of Italy.
  • Italy is the fifth most visited destination and has more world historical heritage sites than any other country according to UNESCO. It’s also said to have more masterpieces per square mile than any other place in the world.

More on Fun Facts About Italy

  • Italy is home to Europe’s 3 active Volcanos: Etna, Stromboli and Vesusius. They are all located in the south of Italy. Mount Etna is also the most active Volcano in the world. About 80% of Italy’s landscape is either a mountain or a hill and it’s area is about 116,400 square miles – that includes Sicily and Sardinia.
  • Food is taken very seriously in Italy and so is Italian Dining. Dinner table is where a typical Italian family come together to share their daily experiences while enjoying a feast together made my Mamma herself. A food we all know as pizza comes from Naples and dates back to 1860, make sure it’s authentic Napoletana and you won’t be disappointed. Italians are also responsible for bringing us such foods as ice cream and coffee, Italy is also world’s second largest olive oil producer after Spain. 
  • Italy is considered a world leader in the fashion industry. They provided us with brilliant designers such Nino Cerruti, Valentino, Armani, Versace, Gucci, and Prada – to name a few, which have all become internationally known. 
  • One of Italy’s greatest products is the automobile. They are responsible for giving us Lamborghini, Ferrari, Maserati, Alfa Romeo and Fiat who owns those brands as well as some Chrysler brands. 
  • Family is extremely important in Italy, many of their households still consist of grandparents, parents and children. Many kids live at home well into their late 20’s even if employed. Family is considered the heart of the Italian society.

For more fun facts about Italy, check out the Wikipedia page called “List of Italian inventions and discoveries.“