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You are in: Football: Features |  |
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Fab facts about Italy | |
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Around the Academy: |
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Italians love football as much as their pasta
Some crazy things you ought to know about the great country 1. Pasta is Italy's national dish. There are loads of different types of pasta, most of which are named after their shape. Farfalle, spirali, rigatoni, conchiglie, vermicelli, fusilli, spaghetti, macaroni, linguine, penne, fetuccine...... How many can YOU name? 2.Cardiff's Millennium Stadium rocked to the sound of Welsh band the Manic Street Preachers before kick-off. But when it comes to music, the Italians would probably prefer opera. Opera is a stage drama sung to music.
The first notes of opera were belted out by Italian musicians in the city of Florence about 400 years ago. 3. Luciano Pavarotti is one of Italy's most famous opera singers. But did you know he was also a fine footballer during his younger days when he played in goal for his home town club Modena? He also sang Nessun Dorma which became a memorable theme tune for the 1990 World Cup in Italy. 4. Gangster types known as the Mafia (who inspired hit films such as The Godfather) have their roots on the Italian island of Sicily. 5. The Pope, who is the head of the Roman Catholic Church, lives in the Vatican City. Based in Rome, the Vatican City is an independent state which even has its own police force.
6. One of Italy's most famous landmarks is the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The tower famously tilts to one side because the soil on which it was built was too soft and the foundation tipped. Another famous Italian landmark is the Coliseum in Rome, which was the setting for the Hollywood film Gladiator. The Coliseum could seat 50,000 people. Fights to the death between prisoners or slaves known as gladiators and wild beasts were held there. 7. Italian painter Michelangelo is widely regarded as the greatest artist the world has ever known. He painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome lying on his back. It took him four years to complete. 8. Leonardo da Vinci was another famous Italian artist. He painted one of the most famous portraits of all time - the Mona Lisa.
9. Italy's national football team are known as the Azzurri - which is the Italian word for light blue - the colour they play in. 10. Italy has several volcanoes. Mount Vesuvius, near Naples, is the only active volcanoe on the European mainland. Mount Etna, on the island of Sicily, is one of the world's largest volcanoes. Pretty explosive stuff, eh!
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