義大利遊樂場 / Italian Playground

Italy is a country in southern Europe with a very long history and rich 1. Renato Carosone • Ricordate Marcellino culture. It’s shaped like a boot and stretches from the high mountains of the Alps to the rocky islands of the Mediterranean Sea. You can travel through small coastal villages built on cliffs, past the Leaning
Tower of Pisa and around the impressive Coliseum of Rome. You
might also take a gondola ride along the canals of Venice, observe the Renaissance art in Florence or explore the ancient ruins of Pompeii. Italy also offers an amazing variety of delicious food such as pizza, spaghetti, ravioli, lasagna and gelato, among many other scrumptious dishes.

Italy was once the home base of the Roman Empire, a vast region thatstretched all over Europe, across North Africa into the Middle East. Latin, the language of the Romans, is the foundation of many languages spoken today in Europe. Roman emperors such as Caesar and Constantine ruled over millions of people. That is why French, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian are called “Romance languages.”

Many important historical figures have come from Italy including explorers Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus and Amerigo Vespucci (after whom America is named), artists Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci, composers Vivaldi and Verdi and scientists Galileo and Enrico Fermi. In more modern times, movie stars Sophia Loren and Roberto Benigni, singers Andrea Bocelli and Luciano Pavarotti and fashion designers Giorgio Armani and Gianni Versace.
We hope you have a chance to visit Italy someday. In the meantime, here is a collection of fun Italian songs to get you in the spirit.