Why Should People Visit Italy?

1. Why Should People Visit Italy? By Angel Wilson

2. Tourist Attractions, The Leaning Tower of Pisa • Who designed The Leaning Tower of Pisa? • The architect is unknown but some people think that Bonanno Pisano and Guglielmo designed it. • When was The Leaning Tower of Pisa created? • The Leaning Tower of Pisa was created in 1350 • Where is The Leaning Tower of Pisa located? • The Leaning Tower of Pisa is located in Pisa, Italy • Why was the Leaning Tower of Pisa built? • The leaning Tower of Pisa was built to show the wealth of the people of Italy • What is it? • The Leaning Tower of Pisa is a bell tower

3. Two Pictures of The leaning Tower of Pisa

4. Tourist Attractions, the Coliseum • Who created it? • The Coliseum was built by about 100,000 Jewish slaves that were prisoners from the Jewish War. • What is it? • The Coliseum is an arena • When was it created? • They began to build it between 73-75 AD and it was completed in 81 AD • Where is it located? • The Coliseum is located in Rome, Italy. • Why was it created? • The coliseum was created because Vespasian (the emperor at that time) wanted to host gladiator games and other entertainment for the “mob” so that he could be popular.

5. Two Pictures of the Coliseum

6. The Arts • What are some of the arts that people and kids are a part of? • Some of the arts are painting, sculpting, architecture, acting, opera, dancing, and literature (writing). • What is a famous piece of artwork that was made there? • Mona Lisa • Who made it? • The person that made Mona Lisa is Leonardo da Vinci

7. Background Information on Leonardo da Vinci • Since I like art, I know many things about Leonardo da Vinci and I will tell you about him. Leonardo da Vinci was a famous artist in Italy and his earliest painting is called Baptism of Christ. One of his most important works is a mural called The Last Supper which he made in 1495-1498. In 1503-1505, he painted Mona Lisa. If you wanted to see the original copy of Mona Lisa, you would have to go to The Louvre, Paris, France. Leonardo da Vinci had to hire singers and jesters to keep the smile on Mona Lisa’s face so that he could paint her. According to Sigmund Freud, a psychiatrist, the smile of the woman in the painting reminded Leonardo da Vinci of his mother. Sincethe smile reminded him of his mother, he refused to be without the painting, Mona Lisa even when he went to the court of Francis 1 of France, where he died in 1519. He truly was a genius, “a man before his time.”

8. Leonardo da Vinci

9. Mona Lisa • Why is this piece of art special? • Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci is special because there are many theories about it. One theory is how scientists believe that a woman named Mona Lisa never existed because they have no living records of her, so they think that she never existed. Another theory is that people think that Leonardo da Vinci painted himself as a woman. A third theory is that a woman named Mona Lisa married to one of Leonardo da Vinci’s merchant friends.

10. Their Customs • Gestures • Italians use a lot of gestures while they carry on a conversation. Rubbing their thumb against their four fingers means they want money. Placing a finger under your eye and pull on the skin slightly says that someone is smart or clever. In the southern part of Italy, people nod their head upward as “no”, removing your shoes in front of other people says that you are impolite, and they cover their mouths when they sneeze or yawn. • Greetings • People with the opposite gender greet each other by shaking hands. In groups people avoid shaking hands because of germs. If one person’s hand is dirty they can still greet someone by offering an arm, a finger, or an apology instead. When a man and a woman first meet, the man always waits for the woman to extend her arm first. Friends greet each other by hugging or a kiss on both cheeks. They touch their friend’s face with their cheek, but they “kiss the air.”

11. Learning Target • Learning Target: I can explain how culture defines my chosen group in the world today and how this group shows a unique perspective. • Answer: Italy is special because of their many cultures and this group shows a unique perspective because they have many special things such as the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Coliseum.

12. Citations • “The Leaning Tower of Pisa.” Thinkquest. Oracle Education Foundation. 1999. Web. February 23, 2012. • Adams, Laurie Schneider. Art Across Time. Boston: McGraw-Hill College. 1999. print. • “Building the Colosseum.” www.roman-colosseum.info. Roman Colosseum, 2008. web. February 24, 2012. • Roffe, Sarina. “A Historical Background of Italian Jewry.”www.jewishgen.org. JewishGen, n.d.. web. February 24, 2012. • “Italy (Italian Republic).” New York: CultureGrams. 2001. 2001. print. • “ The Coliseum- The Colosseum.” n.d.. Photograph. IST Group, Rome, Italy.www.tour-europe.org. IristIST, 2000-2012. web. February 24, 2012. • “ La Jocande.” n.d.. Photograph. WebMuseum, Paris, Paris, France.www.ibiblio.org. WebMuseum. The WebMuseum, 19 June, 2006. web. February 25, 2012.

13. Citations continued… • “ The Image of the Great Coliseum (or Colosseum) is symbolic of the City of Rome.” n.d.. Photograph.www.buzzle.comBuzzle.com. Buzzle.com, 2000-2011, 2012. web. February 24, 2012. • “The Leaning Tower of Pisa.” 2011. Photograph. Leaning Tower of Pisa Photo Gallery. Rome, Italy. www.monuments.ws. Monuments.ws. Monuments.ws, 2012. web. February 24, 2012.