Cultural Diversity in italy
Italy is experiencing cultural diversity throughout their families. Family life in Italy was well known for only having one or two children per household. The families in the south had more children than the families in the north of Italy. Italy’s National Statistics Institute shows that many households and families have a dramatic decrease in the number of persons in each household (Italian Families, 2012). Italy’s households were strict of the father being in charge and everyone knew their role around the house. This cultural example is diminishing with the new reconstituted families. These families have one person from the family that commutes to work or lives away from the family for a period of time due to work. This rearranges each person’s role around the house. Due to these factors, it shows a loss of this cultural family ties to the rest of the families around the world. Italy’s family life is becoming less diverse.
“With about 353 tourists per resident in the historic city center of Venice, many residents are fleeing the crowds and moving onto the mainland, making the city a "monument-attraction," rather than a viable living space” (Tourism’s Negative, 2015). This allows for a more diverse culture of tourists visiting, but it is pushing away the original culture of Italy by forming Venice to be only a tourist and monument attraction destination. There is a loss of culture by many residents fleeing the area due to the over crowdedness of the tourists. Tourists will less likely to be able to get a good taste of Venice culture with many of the residents fleeing. They will not get the full cultural experience. In a good way, tourism is bringing in more revenue and more people of different cultural backgrounds.
Italy’s efforts to preserve cultures in the country do not seem to be going well. “In January — again at the Colosseum — two Australian tourists were caught leaving their traces in eternal memory” (Ruining The Ruins, 2014). This cultural landmark is being ruined from some of the tourists who came to visit the country. And because someone decided they wanted to carve their name into the monument, it has now lost part of its historical beauty. Important historical monuments such as this should be preserved and closely watched over so incidents like this do not happen.
Kyenge, Italy's first black minister said the country is on the path towards greater protection of the rights of children born to immigrant parents. Kyenge wants people that have been born and raised in Italy to be able to be identified as an Italian resident. Children born in Italy from immigrant parents do not know anywhere else other than their homeland where they were born, in Italy. This brings more diversity to the Italian culture. Italy has gone through cultural changes that both help and take away from the countries cultural diversity. For the most part, Italy seems to have an increase of cultural diversity. Along with the increase of cultural diversity in some parts, there was a decrease because the changes that were made take away from the original culture of the country.
Sources:
First black Italian minister seeks cultural change | WashingtonExaminer.com. (2013, January 1). Retrieved April 8, 2015, from
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/first-black-italian-minister-seeks-cultural-change/article/feed/2095395
Italian Families: Then and now. (2012, January 1). Retrieved April 13, 2015, from http://www.lifeinitaly.com/italian-families-then-and-now
Ruining The Ruins: Why Tourists Deface Ancient Monuments. (2014, January 1). Retrieved April 8, 2015, from
http://www.worldcrunch.com/culture-society/ruining-the-ruins-why-tourists-deface-ancient-monuments/graffiti-history-artwork-beni-
culturali-rome/c3s16971/#.VSwmgHpny8o
Tourism's Negative Effects in Italian Art Cities. (n.d.). Retrieved April 8, 2015, from http://www.planetizen.com/node/70813
Cultural aspects of the beautiful Italy!
Below is a webpage where you can look at a chart that organizes these images:
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file:///private/var/folders/l5/wb0r10dj52qff3qyp404vcpr0000gn/T/TemporaryItems/Word%20Work%20File%20D_27865840.htm
Additional suggested Internet sources referring to the culture of Italy:
http://www.everyculture.com/Ge-It/Italy.html
This website is filled with information about the culture of Italy. It talks about things like the location, the symbolism, and the history of ethnic groups, etc. This website has reliable information and is useful for anyone wanting to learn more about the country and its culture.
http://italian.about.com/od/italianculture/u/culture.htm
I particularly like this site when learning about the culture of Italy because it provides a lot of information under different categories. For example, it talks about traditions and under traditions there is a link to 'Italian Baby Names'. This site is extremely useful when wanting to look into detail of certain aspects of Italy's culture. This website is also reliable when it comes to the information and has a lot of extra information that you may not find on a different culture site about Italy.
http://www.everyculture.com/Ge-It/Italy.html
This website is filled with information about the culture of Italy. It talks about things like the location, the symbolism, and the history of ethnic groups, etc. This website has reliable information and is useful for anyone wanting to learn more about the country and its culture.
http://italian.about.com/od/italianculture/u/culture.htm
I particularly like this site when learning about the culture of Italy because it provides a lot of information under different categories. For example, it talks about traditions and under traditions there is a link to 'Italian Baby Names'. This site is extremely useful when wanting to look into detail of certain aspects of Italy's culture. This website is also reliable when it comes to the information and has a lot of extra information that you may not find on a different culture site about Italy.
Map of the Cultural Foods in Italy
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I chose this map to represent the different cultural foods in Italy. I want you to be able to see all of the different types of food that Italy is known for. They are separated by regions with the colors, which means the food is more likely to be eaten there than other parts. But, this does not mean that they aren't eaten in other parts of Italy. I feel that their are some foods on this map that may not be as common in the United states, or at least none that I have never seen before. Each country has their own culture and their own subcultures within that culture. |
Information above was retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/it.html
Feel free to look up more statistics about Italy.
Feel free to look up more statistics about Italy.
Changes in Italy over time
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Just like many other countries, Italy has changed a lot over time. In Figure 1, I showed the total population of people in Italy in 1900. This graph shows Italy's total population compared to the rest of the world. In figure 2, I did the same thing but for the year 2000. Comparing these two graphs shows the dramatic change of Italy's total population over time. In Figure 2 you can see that their was enormous exponential growth for the population. It did take a little did but shot right back up into a growing population.
In Figure 3, I showed Italy's employment rate of people ages 15+ in 1992. This graph shows Italy's employment rate compared to the rest of the world. Italy shows to have a higher employment rated compared to a lot of other countries. And in Figure 4 I showed Italy's employment rate in 2006.There was a an increase on the employment rate and on the graph shows the trail of the change over time for Italy. Also on this graph it shows Italy's employment rate compared to all other countries in 2006. Italy still remains to have one of the highest employment rates compared to other countries.
Various religions in modern-day italy
It holds home to people of various religions such as, Christian, Muslim, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Protestants, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Jews, etc. Italy is unique when it comes to its religious heritage and 2,000 years of Christianity had spread throughout every angle of Italian life. Overall Italy is a Christian country with about 88% of its population belonging to the Roman Catholic church (Religion, 2015). The second largest religion in Italy is Muslim, however most of the muslims are either recent immigrants or second generation immigrants (Italy's Religion, 2013). In Italy, Christianity first originated in the city of Rome and then quickly spread throughout the country.
The role of religion in the social development and culture of my country is extremely important. "Religious organizations have also impacted Italian culture by serving as centers of support, resistance, and political action" (Ryan, 2015). Although not all of the religious families attend church regularly, it is still an important way of life for them. The role of religion is evident in my country because such a large percentage of the population turn towards their religious beliefs. Some of the cultural norms that are related to religious beliefs/practices here in Italy could be attending church. Some families like to say grace before they eat or pray before they go to bed. People who practice Christianity firmly believe in God, Jesus Christ, the Trinity, the bible, angles and demons, and heaven and hell.
All religions have sacred places. For Christianity, a scared place could be the Catholic church or even at home where they can pray. Some sacred places for Christianity that located in Italy are the Pantheon, and the Milan Cathedral. A lot of sacred places are located in Italy because it is the country with generally the most history of where Christianity originated. For Muslims, some sacred places are Mecca and Medina, both not located in Italy. But for places to pray Muslims have sacred places such as mosques or pray in their homes. Since their is such a large difference in the amount of Christians compared to Muslims here in Italy, a lot of the sacred places for the Muslims are located elsewhere.
There is a connection between Christianity and the government in Italy. "The Vatican is the home of the government of the Roman Catholic Church and of the Pope ( il Papa or Supreme Pontiff), the spiritual leader of the world’s Roman Catholics" (Religion, 2015). The Catholic church enjoys the historical tradition of seeing the Church of Rome as a constant in government and public life. Similarly, the Pope of the Catholic Churches can compare to the president of something else. The Pope is the highest and most respected in the religion of Christianity.
To sum it up, Italy contains more than one religion but Christianity by far is the majority. The Italians are very firm believers in religion and even if they do not attend church it is still a big part of how they live their lives. It is important to realize how much religion plays a role in Italy's culture and everyday lives, whatever the religion may be. And as the time goes on you can notice how fast Christianity has spread and could possibly keep on spreading. Italy holds a lot of religious history and is a very important country when it comes to the historical background.
Sources:
Italy's Religion - Italy Facts 2013. (2013, January 1). Retrieved March 19, 2015, from https://sites.google.com/site/italyfacts2013/italy-s-religion
Religion in Italy. (2015, January 1). Retrieved March 19, 2015, from https://www.justlanded.com/english/Italy/Articles/Culture/Religion-in-Italy
Ryan, T. (2015, January 1). The Influence of Language and Religion on Italian History and Cultural Development. Retrieved March 19, 2015,
from http://www.academia.edu/3652435/The_Influence_of_Language_and_Religion_on_Italian_History_and_Cultural_Developmen t
The role of religion in the social development and culture of my country is extremely important. "Religious organizations have also impacted Italian culture by serving as centers of support, resistance, and political action" (Ryan, 2015). Although not all of the religious families attend church regularly, it is still an important way of life for them. The role of religion is evident in my country because such a large percentage of the population turn towards their religious beliefs. Some of the cultural norms that are related to religious beliefs/practices here in Italy could be attending church. Some families like to say grace before they eat or pray before they go to bed. People who practice Christianity firmly believe in God, Jesus Christ, the Trinity, the bible, angles and demons, and heaven and hell.
All religions have sacred places. For Christianity, a scared place could be the Catholic church or even at home where they can pray. Some sacred places for Christianity that located in Italy are the Pantheon, and the Milan Cathedral. A lot of sacred places are located in Italy because it is the country with generally the most history of where Christianity originated. For Muslims, some sacred places are Mecca and Medina, both not located in Italy. But for places to pray Muslims have sacred places such as mosques or pray in their homes. Since their is such a large difference in the amount of Christians compared to Muslims here in Italy, a lot of the sacred places for the Muslims are located elsewhere.
There is a connection between Christianity and the government in Italy. "The Vatican is the home of the government of the Roman Catholic Church and of the Pope ( il Papa or Supreme Pontiff), the spiritual leader of the world’s Roman Catholics" (Religion, 2015). The Catholic church enjoys the historical tradition of seeing the Church of Rome as a constant in government and public life. Similarly, the Pope of the Catholic Churches can compare to the president of something else. The Pope is the highest and most respected in the religion of Christianity.
To sum it up, Italy contains more than one religion but Christianity by far is the majority. The Italians are very firm believers in religion and even if they do not attend church it is still a big part of how they live their lives. It is important to realize how much religion plays a role in Italy's culture and everyday lives, whatever the religion may be. And as the time goes on you can notice how fast Christianity has spread and could possibly keep on spreading. Italy holds a lot of religious history and is a very important country when it comes to the historical background.
Sources:
Italy's Religion - Italy Facts 2013. (2013, January 1). Retrieved March 19, 2015, from https://sites.google.com/site/italyfacts2013/italy-s-religion
Religion in Italy. (2015, January 1). Retrieved March 19, 2015, from https://www.justlanded.com/english/Italy/Articles/Culture/Religion-in-Italy
Ryan, T. (2015, January 1). The Influence of Language and Religion on Italian History and Cultural Development. Retrieved March 19, 2015,
from http://www.academia.edu/3652435/The_Influence_of_Language_and_Religion_on_Italian_History_and_Cultural_Developmen t
Some images showing religions in italy
This is an image of Pope Benedict XVI who is the pope of the Roman Catholic Church today. When someone thinks of the pope it is generally the face of the church. Someone who is in charge and looked at in a respected manner.
Image Retrieved from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Benedykt_XVI_(2010-10-17)_4.jpg/220px-Benedykt_XVI_(2010-10-17)_4.jpg
Food and food production
I found this image online and I felt it is a great example of how a family in Italy eats. This shows all of the food they would get when going grocery shopping, similar to the Unites States you see some familiar foods and drinks. But the differences is the amount of the certain types of food and drinks that varies throughout different countries. In Italy they show to have a lot of fruits, vegetables, and bread. A lot of the food in this picture is something that looks fresh. There are some items that are processed but not nearly as much as the picture I saw of the family from the United States. The United States picture shows a lot of processed meats and other processed items. Image retrieved from https://timedotcom.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/peter-menzel-hungry-planet-14.jpg?quality=65&strip=color&w=838
Popular Dish in italy
The picture above is a popular dish that is served in Italy named pesto alls genovese. Pesto is one of the high point of Italian regional cuisine. There are strict rules and regulations about ingredients and preparation methods—established by the Regione Liguria and the Pesto alla Genovese consortium (Degallo, 2015). In Italy, this struggle to defend the integrity of local products, recipes and traditional methods is considered a kind of national sport (Degallo, 2015). Below I wish provide you with a recipe that I found online so you can make this on your own at home!
DESCRIPTION
An easy recipe for the pesto alla genovese. The garlic is optional. The cheese used is different according to taste (the pecorino gives a more pungent taste than parmigiano). The recipe makes 4 servings and takes about 30 minutes to prepare.
INGREDIENTS
50 g basil leaves
1 T grated pecorino cheese
1 T grated parmesan cheese
50 g pine nuts
1 clv garlic (optional)
1 c olive oil extra virgin
Salt (as needed)
INSTRUCTIONS
Wash the basil leaves and put them in the mortar. Add the cut garlic, pine nuts and salt and crush together.
When it's well mixed, add the cheese.
Add the oil little by little, mixing all along.
It you think the sauce it's too thick, add water (some recipes include half cup of oil and half of water).
Boil the pasta in salted water, when it's al dente take it out and add the pesto.
You can also put cherry tomatoes, their sweetness is a nice contrast to the bitterness of the pesto.
Sources:
DeLallo.com | A Marvel of Simplicity: Pesto alla Genovese. (2015, January 1). Retrieved April 23, 2015, from http://www.delallo.com/articles/marvel-simplicity-pesto-alla-genovese
Pesto alla genovese. (2015, January 1). Retrieved April 23, 2015, from http://www.lifeinitaly.com/food/recipes/pesto-alla-genovese
DESCRIPTION
An easy recipe for the pesto alla genovese. The garlic is optional. The cheese used is different according to taste (the pecorino gives a more pungent taste than parmigiano). The recipe makes 4 servings and takes about 30 minutes to prepare.
INGREDIENTS
50 g basil leaves
1 T grated pecorino cheese
1 T grated parmesan cheese
50 g pine nuts
1 clv garlic (optional)
1 c olive oil extra virgin
Salt (as needed)
INSTRUCTIONS
Wash the basil leaves and put them in the mortar. Add the cut garlic, pine nuts and salt and crush together.
When it's well mixed, add the cheese.
Add the oil little by little, mixing all along.
It you think the sauce it's too thick, add water (some recipes include half cup of oil and half of water).
Boil the pasta in salted water, when it's al dente take it out and add the pesto.
You can also put cherry tomatoes, their sweetness is a nice contrast to the bitterness of the pesto.
Sources:
DeLallo.com | A Marvel of Simplicity: Pesto alla Genovese. (2015, January 1). Retrieved April 23, 2015, from http://www.delallo.com/articles/marvel-simplicity-pesto-alla-genovese
Pesto alla genovese. (2015, January 1). Retrieved April 23, 2015, from http://www.lifeinitaly.com/food/recipes/pesto-alla-genovese
Food and Religion in italy
When it comes to food and religion in Italy almost all of the religions that makes up Italy have certain times when they can or cannot eat something. For example, Italy is comprised mainly of people who are Catholic. In the Catholic religion there is a time called "lent". Lent last for about a month and is a time that you can choose to give up something. Sometimes people give us eating things such as sweets, or stop drinking soda. There is also a rule that you cannot eat meat on Fridays. On Sundays there is somewhat of an acceptation to what you give up for lent but most people just give up the item for the entire time. Another example that has to do with the Catholic religion is the bread and wine they provide for people during a church ceremony. I would say that bread is a big part of Italy when it comes to food, and I feel that religion could be linked to it, or at least partially linked to it.
WHere does the food come from?
A lot of the time the food in Italy comes right from within the country. There are a lot of times that people use the fresh produce that they grow in their country. Families can have gardens or farms where they grow their own produce of they buy it from a local farm or produce market. But, due to the enormous population in Italy it is obvious that food needs to be imported as well. Some example of what Italy imports from other countries are wheat, corn, palm oil, bananas, pork, olive oil, barley, and potatoes. Although, even when you look at those examples you can see that generally they are things that either may not grow as well in Italy or may lack the abundance of resources of the product. For the most part a lot of food is grown and produced in Italy. Something that I like when I was researching online was they saying, "the overall rule is "if it grows or lives well in the area, then it can make it onto the table"" (Life in Italy, 2015). I would say that an example of an influence of the result of diffusion could be how Italy exports things such as wine.
Sources:
Italian Regional Food: The North. (2015, January 1). Retrieved April 23, 2015, from http://www.lifeinitaly.com/food/italian-regional-food.asp
What Food Italy Imports From Other Countries. (2015, January 1). Retrieved April 23, 2015, from http://www.wherefoodcomesfrom.com/article/277-4061/What-Food-Italy-Imports-From-Other-Countries#.VTiCwnpny8o
Sources:
Italian Regional Food: The North. (2015, January 1). Retrieved April 23, 2015, from http://www.lifeinitaly.com/food/italian-regional-food.asp
What Food Italy Imports From Other Countries. (2015, January 1). Retrieved April 23, 2015, from http://www.wherefoodcomesfrom.com/article/277-4061/What-Food-Italy-Imports-From-Other-Countries#.VTiCwnpny8o