EUROPE
HISTORY OF EUROPE
Europe's early political history can be traced
back to ancient Greece and Rome, both of
which profoundly affected how Western
civilizations govern their territories and
citizens. Described as the birthplace of
democracy, ancient Greece revolved around
the polis, or city-state.
ETYMOLOGY
Those who look to the ancient Greek
language to parse it roots combine eurys,
meaning “wide,” and ops, meaning “face” or
“eye,” to arrive at “wide-gazing” as an
appropriate description of Europe's broad
shoreline as seen from the shipboard
perspective of the maritime Greeks.
GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION
Europe is a peninsula of the Eurasian
supercontinent and is bordered by the
Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic
Ocean to the west, and the Mediterranean,
Black, and Caspian Seas to the south.
ITALY
METROPOLITAN CITY OF
ROME CAPITAL
Italy, a European country with a long
Mediterranean coastline, has left a powerful
mark on Western culture and cuisine. Its
capital, Rome, is home to the Vatican as well as
landmark art and ancient ruins. Other major
cities include Florence, with Renaissance
masterpieces such as Michelangelo’s "David"
and Brunelleschi's Duomo; Venice, the city of
canals; and Milan, Italy’s fashion capital.
ETYMOLOGY
From Middle English Italy, Italie, from Old
English Italia (“Italy”), from Latin Italia
(“Italy”), via Ancient Greek Ῑ̓ταλίᾱ (Ītalíā),
from Oscan víteliú. Usually explained as a
cognate of vitulus (“calf”), thus meaning
"land of young bulls" in Oscan.
GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION
Italy is a country located in Southern
Europe comprising the boot-shaped Italian
peninsula and a number of islands
including Sicily and Sardinia. Neighboring
countries include Austria, France, Holy See,
San Marino, Slovenia, and Switzerland.
HISTORY OF ITALY
The European country of Italy has been
inhabited by humans since at least
850,000 years ago. Since classical
antiquity, ancient Etruscans, various Italic
peoples, Celts, Magna Graecia colonists,
and other ancient peoples have inhabited
the Italian Peninsula.
Italy was the birthplace and center of the
ancient Roman civilization. Rome was
founded as a kingdom in 753 BC and became
a republic in 509 BC. The Roman Republic
then unified Italy forming a confederation of
the Italic peoples and rose to dominate
Western Europe, Northern Africa, and the
Near East.
After the assassination of Julius Caesar, the
Roman Empire dominated Western Europe
and the Mediterranean for centuries,
contributing to the development of Western
culture, philosophy, science and art. The
Italian Renaissance spread to the rest of
Europe, bringing a renewed interest in
humanism, science, exploration, and art with
the start of the modern era.
CULTURAL HERITAGE
Italy is home to the epicenter of the
Roman Empire, the hub of Catholicism
and the birthplace of the Renaissance.
ART
HISTORY AND
ARCHITECTURE
RELIGION
CUISINES
FASHION
ITALIAN CULTURE
Italian culture continues to be romanticized
across the globe, so much so that it can be hard
for people to stop recalling clichéd ideas of
Italians. Nevertheless, as one of the top 10
exporters in the world, Italy greatly benefits from
its cultural products. Indeed, they have become a
huge economic asset for the country.
Italians have successfully subverted their
national stereotypes into proud virtues.
Italians themselves are commonly known for
being flexible, confident and charming
people. Their playful and lively
communication style often gives foreigners
the impression that they are enthusiastic and
appreciative of what life has to offer.
