Amici

One of the greatest parts of experiencing another culture is getting to know the people.  I am extremely excited about this part of the trip!  I had the wonderful opportunity to become friends (amici) with an Italian exchange student during my time in high school.  Her name is Alessandra, and we still try to keep in touch as much as possible.

Italians, for the most part, live in the city or the towns and develop strong ties to their towns, neighborhoods, homes and families.  This is a great trait to be admired because family is very important to them.  They truly enjoy eating and cooking, and their biggest meal is actually midday.  Lunch is huge because the entire family usually comes home to enjoy it together.  It is the key opportunity to spend time with each other.

Italians enjoy doing activities with their families as well.  Soccer is the most popular sport, not only big games on the weekend, but in most every park children are seen playing it as well.  Basketball also is big among Italians.  Specific family activities include a passeggiata (family stroll), driving to the seashore or the mountains or even just watching TV. 

I look forward to interacting with them and hopefully meeting more amazing friends, like Allesandra.

Here Ally and I enjoy dinner at a Pizza Hut in my hometown, even if it is not quite the same as Italians' pizza.

A Brief Background

To begin my researching, I want to back up and explore the ways of Italian culture from its origins.  How is the government run?  How has the past affected the ways of Italians today? 

Italy, which is about the size of Arizona, is a republic and has a two-chamber parliment as its legislative branch.  This parliment is made up of the Senate (Senato della Repubblica) and the Chamber of Deputies (Camera dei Deputati).  The Senate is the upper house, and elections take place every five years.  The judicial branch is the Constitutional Court or Corte Constituzionale.  The executive branch consists of the president and the Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and approved by the president.

The center of the vast Roman Empire left a lasting impression on the country through archaeology, culture and literature.  Philosophy and political ideas have been shaped by the Renaissance and the endless list of phenomenal artists of Italy.  These include Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Michelangelo, Dante and Raphael to name a few.  Art from such great names, as we all know, has become world-renowned.  From them, David was sculpted, The Last Supper was painted and the Sistine Chapel was created.  Being surrounded with such incredible art is one of the wonderful experiences of this rich culture.

Un sogno d'Italia

It always has been a dream of mine to travel to Europe, specifically Italy.  The culture fascinates me greatly, and the rich history and art is overwhelming.  Italy is full of immeasurable beauty and endless sites to see.  Recently, God has blessed me with the opportunity to travel to Italy; therefore, my immediate interest level has increased dramatically.  In the spring, I will be spending approximately 10 amazing days soaking up as much splendor in this "boot-shaped" country as possible!  So much research must be done in order to understand certain customs and to appreciate the culutre there.  I am excited to begin learning about this intriguing Italia as my dream has come true!