Italian Culture

LANGUAGE

The Italian language is the official language of Italy and it’s also one of the Romance languages. Almost everyone in Italy speaks Italian, however, there are more 60 different dialects that are spoken by native Italians. There are also other languages spoken by Italian such as Albanian, English, Catalan, Corsican, Croatian, Emilian-Romagnolo, German, French, and Greek.

MUSIC, ART, LITERATURE IN ITALIAN CULTURE

You can find art everywhere in Italy. On every corner, every street, or even the most hidden village. It’s not only the museums of Florence, Rome or Venice. Art, music, and literature are present everywhere, and they cover the whole country as it is. Obviously, there are many famous pieces of art that you must know, such as the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, the Last Supper in Milan by Leonardo da Vinci, and the many masterpieces of Florence. But if you walk in a small town, you’ll find art, literature, and music in a church, a hidden street, or a peaceful square too!

When it comes to music, Italian culture is famous for its operas. Many of the world’s great musicians and composers like Giuseppe Verdi, Ruggero Leoncavallo, and Luciano Pavarotti are Italian. Italian culture involves also the famous Festival of Sanremo, and singers like Andrea Bocelli, Laura Pausini, or the new stars, Il Volo.

The Italian literature has many great writers, like Dante Alighieri, Pietro Bembo, Nicolo Machiavelli, and Ludovico Ariosto. Obviously, these are just some of the most famous out of many novels, poetry, and scene writers that Italy gave to the world.

In the Italian fashion industry, Italy is home to a number of world-renowned fashion houses, including Armani, Gucci, Benetton, Versace, and Prada.

RELIGION

As of now, about 90% of the Italian population is Roman Catholic. Rome is the home of the Vatican City which is the hub of the Roman Catholic Church. It’s also the residence of the Pope. With the remaining 10%, they are usually Protestants, Jewish, or Muslims.

CELEBRATIONS

Italian people are full of life, and they do like to celebrate! As you can imagine, there are numerous national Italian holidays present in the Italian culture. It’s always great to check if you’re visiting Italy if there’s a national holiday or a regional celebration coming up, as at these times museums and shops are usually closed. Italians celebrate the Christian holidays, along with others like the Liberation Day on April the 25th, the Epiphany on the 6th of January, Valentine’s Day (San Valentino), International Women’s Day on the 8th of March, Labor Day on the 1st of May, Festa della Repubblica one the 2nd of June, as well as Ferragosto on the 15th of August.