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- This word is derived from terra (land or earth), because it refers to an agricultural worker who used to work on the land on the large estates in the south of Italy. It has become the most common word used by northern Italians to describe a southern Italian in a pejorative and racist way, usually with the additional meaning of “ignorant, dirty, uncivilized” being understood. The term gained currency in the 1960s and 1970s when there was widespread immigration of southern Italians into the industrial towns and cities of the northwest. In Italy today insulting terms of a racist nature concentrate largely on foreign immigrants from outside the European Community, and the term terrone is less widely used and often takes on humorous overtones (especially when used by southerners themselves). Its negative sense has, however, been given a boost by the anti-southern polemic of the Lega Nord.
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- Football is definitely the sport that Italians love most; it is the sport with the most supporters and also the most people who actually play at some level. And of course it is a sport in which Italian teams have always excelled. The national league (campionato) is divided into Serie A, Serie B, and Serie C. Some of the most famous Italian teams are Juventus (in Turin), Milan, Inter (also in Milan), Roma, and Lazio (also in Rome).
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- Since 1946 the Italian national anthem has been the Inno di Mameli, named after the writer of the lyrics, the poet and patriot Goffredo Mameli, who died at the age of 22 in 1849 while fighting with Garibaldi to defend the Roman republic. It is more commonly known as Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy) from its first lines: Fratelli d'Italia, / l'Italia s'è desta / dell'elmo di Scipio / s'è cinta la testa (Brothers of Italy, / Italy has arisen / with Scipio's helmet / binding her head). All Italians know the tune (written by choirmaster Michele Novaro, a friend of Mameli's), but very few know all the words by heart (5 verses in all).
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- In Italy there are thousands of these parish recreation centres (usually buildings with playgrounds and playing fields attached to Catholic parishes), where teenagers and younger children go after school to meet up, do different recreational activities (the usual games of football but also many other sports, drama, etc) and have religious education (learning the catechism), run by priests and their lay colleagues. Created by S. Giovanni Bosco, the founder of the Salesians in the mid-nineteenth century, to keep poor children away from immorality and crime, they have become a typical feature of the lives of young Italians from all social backgrounds.
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- Since the Risorgimento the star, as a symbol of an illustrious future, has been used to personify Italy (a woman with a star on her forehead or her crown). It was part of the coat of arms of the unified kingdom of Italy and then became the emblem of the Italian republic. The big star, the stellone d'Italia (or Italic star) is quickly understood as a metaphor of good luck that helps the country in its most difficult times in history. It is mainly used today to be ironic or challenging, to criticize the ingrained habit some Italians have (a sign of energy but also of superficiality and fatalism), of often putting their faith in good luck in preference to effort and hard work in order to get through moments of crisis for the nation.




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- August 15 is a statutory holiday in Italy. This is the day on which Jesus' mother Mary was taken up into heaven and it is popularly known as Ferragosto (the height of August). Around the 15th, most Italians go on vacation, leaving the major Italian cities almost empty of people or populated almost exclusively by tourists.
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- The first coffee house in Europe opened in Venice in 1647. Since that time the drinking of coffee (caffè) has spread throughout Italy. Italians enjoy drinking several different varieties of coffee: espresso (small, strong black coffee), cappuccino (coffee with frothy milk), caffellatte (coffee with a lot of milk), caffè macchiato (espresso with a drop of hot milk), latte macchiato (hot milk with a drop of coffee), caffè corretto (black coffee with alcohol in it), and so on.
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- In formal situations, a man should be addressed as 'signor' plus the surname; for a woman use 'signora', or 'signorina' if she is very young; both of these can be used without the surname. Italians regard professional titles as very important and these are often used instead of 'signor' or 'signora.' It is therefore usual to refer to a lawyer, for example, as 'l'avvocato Rossi.' The titles dottore / dottoressa are widely used as titles for anyone who has a university degree. Other common titles are professore / professoressa for teachers, ragioniere / ragioniera, architetto and ingegnere.
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- A glass of wine (vino) is an essential part of the Italian mealtime. Italians are estimated to drink 70 liters per head every year. In the past, due to the competition from other countries and the lack of an official classification system, Italian wine was not drunk much abroad. These days, thanks to the recovery of old grape varieties and a revival of traditional manual harvesting methods, Italy has become a great producer and exporter both of white wines - such as vernaccia di San Gimignano, verduzzo, Sardinian vermentino, and red - barolo , barbera , chianti , nero d'avola , and carignano del sulcis . The law of 1992 introduced a degree of clarity into wine classification, with wines being divided into the following categories: vino da tavola, where no indication of origin is given; IGT or Indicazione Geografica Tipica; DOC, Denominazione d'Origine Controllata; and DOCG, Denominazione d'Origine Controllata e Garantita.
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- Calcio (soccer) is the most popular sport in Italy. The teams in Serie A (the top league) have competed for the scudetto (trophy) since 1898. Italians are wellknown for being soccer-crazy. Soccer is simply a part of life all over the Peninsula, with its own rigid customs and rituals, whether one plays the game or is simply a spectator or supporter. The greatest Italian players are known throughout the world. What foreigners are often not aware of is the Sunday afternoon rituals of the mondo del calcio , the soccer world. Those with an abbonamento (season ticket) go to the stadium almost every Sunday to support their favorite team. If one is out and about, one must at least carry a radio in order to follow the half-time and final results. On Sunday evening, soccer mania rules on all possible TV channels, but the same goes for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and sometimes Thursday evenings too. Every single game will be dissected and every detail examined and analyzed.
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- Calcio (soccer) is the most popular sport in Italy. The teams in Serie A (the top league) have competed for the scudetto (trophy) since 1898. Italians are wellknown for being soccer-crazy. Soccer is simply a part of life all over the Peninsula, with its own rigid customs and rituals, whether one plays the game or is simply a spectator or supporter. The greatest Italian players are known throughout the world. What foreigners are often not aware of is the Sunday afternoon rituals of the mondo del calcio , the soccer world. Those with an abbonamento (season ticket) go to the stadium almost every Sunday to support their favorite team. If one is out and about, one must at least carry a radio in order to follow the half-time and final results. On Sunday evening, soccer mania rules on all possible TV channels, but the same goes for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and sometimes Thursday evenings too. Every single game will be dissected and every detail examined and analyzed.
- A glass of wine (vino) is an essential part of the Italian mealtime. Italians are estimated to drink 70 liters per head every year. In the past, due to the competition from other countries and the lack of an official classification system, Italian wine was not drunk much abroad. These days, thanks to the recovery of old grape varieties and a revival of traditional manual harvesting methods, Italy has become a great producer and exporter both of white wines - such as vernaccia di San Gimignano, verduzzo, Sardinian vermentino, and red - barolo , barbera , chianti , nero d'avola , and carignano del sulcis . The law of 1992 introduced a degree of clarity into wine classification, with wines being divided into the following categories: vino da tavola, where no indication of origin is given; IGT or Indicazione Geografica Tipica; DOC, Denominazione d'Origine Controllata; and DOCG, Denominazione d'Origine Controllata e Garantita.
- In formal situations, a man should be addressed as 'signor' plus the surname; for a woman use 'signora', or 'signorina' if she is very young; both of these can be used without the surname. Italians regard professional titles as very important and these are often used instead of 'signor' or 'signora.' It is therefore usual to refer to a lawyer, for example, as 'l'avvocato Rossi.' The titles dottore / dottoressa are widely used as titles for anyone who has a university degree. Other common titles are professore / professoressa for teachers, ragioniere / ragioniera, architetto and ingegnere.
- The first coffee house in Europe opened in Venice in 1647. Since that time the drinking of coffee (caffè) has spread throughout Italy. Italians enjoy drinking several different varieties of coffee: espresso (small, strong black coffee), cappuccino (coffee with frothy milk), caffellatte (coffee with a lot of milk), caffè macchiato (espresso with a drop of hot milk), latte macchiato (hot milk with a drop of coffee), caffè corretto (black coffee with alcohol in it), and so on.
- August 15 is a statutory holiday in Italy. This is the day on which Jesus' mother Mary was taken up into heaven and it is popularly known as Ferragosto (the height of August). Around the 15th, most Italians go on vacation, leaving the major Italian cities almost empty of people or populated almost exclusively by tourists.