The Italian Flag
The Italian flag is called a tricolor because it has three colors: green, white and red. Some Italians think that the color green on the flag is for the hills and plains of Italy; white is for the snow-capped Alps and red is for the bloodshed during the war to win Italy’s independence to become a democracy. Others say that green is for hope, white for faith and red represents charity and giving.
The country is divided into 20 regions. You may be familiar with some of the regional names like Tuscany, Veneto (the area around Venice) and Lazio (the area around Rome).
People
How can you describe the Italian people? Italians love sports. Cycling, skiing, soccer and motor racing are some of their most favorites. Family life is very important for Italians. Often, the grandparents will live in the same home as parents and children.
Italians are famous for their inventions and discoveries. Christopher Columbus and Amerigo Vespucci helped discover parts of America. Marco Polo explored the East. Leonardo da Vinci was a scientist and artist who was the first to prove the world is round. Alessandro Volta studied electricity. We use his name today for the word “volt” which is a unit of electricity. Italians also invented the thermometer and the piano.
Online Italian lessons for kids: dinolingo.com
