Italy by: Ethan

ECONOMY:

Italy has a leading economy in Europe. Today, Italy's economy depends on industry. Italy is a great producer in textiles, automobiles and household appliances. Although today Italy’s economy is mainly industrial, it has only been that way since the end of WWII. Before WWII, Italy’s economy depended on certain crops such as grapes and olives. Once WWII began, much of the land was torn apart and starting in the north, the people adapted to industry (Countries of the World Italy).

Furthermore, Italy is a democratic republic. The main branches of government
are the legislative, executive, and judiciary like here in the United States along with a few others. On the other hand, Italy did not always have a fair government (Countries of the World Italy).

In the late 1980s and 1990s, there was corruption in politics. Criminal organizations or the Mafia secretly played a large roll in society and even politics. Plus, there were corrupt leaders with great power. Eventually, people found out. In the late 1990s, Italian government was investigated. Corrupt politicians were jailed and parties that survived through bribery were destroyed, This became known as “Clean Hands” (Countries of the World Italy).

Since “Clean Hands”, new parties in politics have emerged. Many attacked central government. In addition one crazy group wanted northern Italy to become separate from the rest of the country. Some people feared Italy might turn into the jigsaw of states it had once been. Luckily, the tension has gone down over the years (Countries of the World Italy).

CULTURE:
Italy has a declining population, just over 58,000,000 people. 97% of Italians are Catholic, partly because of the Romans. The religion they used was one of their few aspects that survived. Although 97% of Italians are Catholic, only 35% go to church regularly. Other well known things in Italy besides religion are soccer and Ferrari racing. (Countries of the World Italy).

Further, there are many tourist attractions in Italy. They include the tower of Pisa, the wreckage of Pompei and more. The tower of Pisa is Italy’s famous tilted tower. Pompei was a famous Italian city that disappeared in the eruption of the volcano, Mt. Vesuvias in the year 29A.D. More towards modern times, the ruins were discovered yet the corpses were perfectly preserved under the ash! (The World of Disasters and Countries of the World Italy).

There are also many different foods eaten in Italy. For example, we all know the invention of pizza. You may not know that it was first invented as fish on pita bread by ancient Romans and enhanced by later Italians. Traditional ingredients in many dishes include fish, vegetables etc. The south is famous for olive oil and tomatoes, and in the north, cream sauces and cheeses are cherished. Everywhere, pizza, pasta and risotto rice are eaten(Countries of the World Italy and The History of Pizza).

Furthermore, like there are many foods in Italy, there are also many holidays. Italian holidays include all the holidays that we celebrate in the United States along with Saints Day, Feast of Assumption, Feast of Immaculate Conception, and Carnevale. That is all a I have to say on Italian culture (Countries of the World Italy).

HISTORY:
First societies in Italy were formed in about 12,000 B.C. by the Ligurians who traveled from coast to coast and the Italics who came from central Europe. On the other hand, Greek colonists got on the move, and about 400 years later they settled in southern Italy. Eventually, Italy became a republic, but soon after Italy was conquered by Rome(Countries of the World Italy).



Therefore, after Italy was conquered by Rome, the Romans expanded Italy’s territory, and the Romans spread their culture. They built giant cities connected by great roads, and they constructed Catholic churches. Roman Augustus Caesar became Italy’s first sole emperor. Then, Italy flourished for about 400 years until it split in half in 395A.D. The eastern half of Italy became Turkey. The Turkish people later got lucky when Germanic tribes destroyed the last bit of Roman empire(Countries of the World Italy).

Eventually, Italy recovered from Rome’s fall and when it did it became rich in trade. It had great resources and it even controlled most of Asia’s spice trade! The only problem was that Italy had divided into different states when it won it’s independence from Rome, and there was conflict between them. Luckily though, Bourbon Victor Emanuel became King of all of Italy in 1801. Therefore, Italy reunited and became a republic(Countries of the World Italy).

Italy quickly adapted to modern industry during the industrial revolution, mainly in northern Italy. People in the south either moved north for the new jobs in factories, or went overseas. From 1861 to 1985 , more then 25,000,000 Italians came to the United States and more were still coming through the 90s(Countries of the World Italy).

BIOGRAPHY
When Gabriella Savio decided to come to the United States, she was over excited. Gabriella looked forward to all of the new opportunities that could re-direct her life. New jobs, a new language, and an adventure in a foreign country. In 1993, Gabriella flew to the United states.

She arrived in the United States in New Jersey on a day in December, and went through customs into what was like a new world. She was allowed in with her H1 Visa witch is a working Visa. Furthermore from Italy she brought family photos, two suitcases full of clothes, and her favorite books. It was much different than Italy. She was shocked. People iced every beverage, and the air conditioning units were constantly on. When it’s hot you sweat when it’s cold you freeze.” That was her point of view on air conditioning in Italy. The airport was freezing!

When Gabriella had finished going through customs and she had shown her visa, her friend picked and they drove to Manhattan, New York. The next few days were spent exploring the city.

Gabriella got a job as a hotel receptionist. She began to like America very much. She eventually decided to stay! Gabriella loved the culture, so much that she liked it more than that of Italy! Some other reasons she stayed were because she adapted well to changes, she found a job easily, she found a place to stay, and when her visa expired, her company supported her getting a visa. Gabriella thought other immigrants would stay for reasons similar to her own. Gabriella did not want to leave, herself, but she knew others might want to leave if they couldn’t adapt to the new culture or they missed their home. Others would have to leave if they did not find a job, a home or a green card. But Gabriella could stay, and she did.

In conclusion, Gabriella was excited to come to America and although she did not get exactly what she expected, she decided to stay. Gabriella got a good job, a good home, a green card, and a love for this country.