ItalyRemember—Italy is the shape of a BOOT!

The Coliseum was built as a huge stadium in Rome, Italy.

It was completed in 80 A.D., and could hold 50,000 people at a time.

People came to watch the Gladiators fight, as well as Christians who were made to fight lions.

As a result, many persecuted Christians died here.

The Mona LisaItaly’s most famous painting by Italy’s most famous artist Leonardo da Vinci

The Leaning Tower of Pisa (Teacher’s Notes)

1. In Italian, it's called "La Torre Pendente".

2. It's actually the bell tower ("campanile") of the Pisa Cathedral.

3. The tower was built between 1173 and 1372.

4. It is 55.86 m (183.27 ft) from the ground on the lowest side and 56.70 m (186.02 ft) on the highest side.

5. It has eight storeys (floors), each with a colonaded gallery.

6. The eighth storey overhangs the base by 16 feet.

7. The identity of the original architect of the Tower has never been determined beyond doubt, although many believe it was Bonanno Pisano.

8. It started to subside on one side not long after they started building it, so they tried to correct it by building up that side. Consequently, the tower is actually banana-shaped, rather than diagonal to the ground.

9. There are two spiral staircases to the top - one consists of 294 steps, the other of 296, to account for the lean.

10. Prior to commencement of conservation work in 1990, the Tower stood 5.5 degrees from vertical. Since the completion of work in 2001, it stands slightly less than 4 degrees from vertical.

11. The tower contains 7 bells, representing each note of the musical scale and each with its own special name.

12. There is a legend (unproven) that Galileo Galilei once dropped two differently-sized cannon balls from the top of the tower to demonstrate that their speed of descent was independent of their mass.

13. The tower was used by the Nazis during WW2 as an observation post, and narrowly escaped destruction by US troops.

14. The tower was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

15. The tower of Pisa is not the most leaning tower in the world. That honour belongs to the Leaning Tower of Suurhusen in Germany…

Holiday Traditions in Italy (teacher’s notes)

Christmas, as it is celebrated in Italy, has two origins: the familiar traditions of Christianity blended with the pagan traditions predating the Christmas era. The greatest feast of the ancient Roman Empire, "Saturnalia" (a winter solstice celebration), just happens to coincide with the Christmas celebrations of the Advent. Consequently, Christmas fairs, merry-making and torch processions, honor not only the birth of Christ, but also the birth of the "Unconquered Sun."   "Natale," the Italian word for Christmas, is literally the translation for "birthday."

A delightful, but rapidly disappearing tradition in Italy, is the ushering in of the coming festivities by the "Piferari" or fifers. They descend from the mountains of the Abruzzo and Latium playing inviting and characteristic tunes on their bagpipes, filling the air with anticipation for the joyous celebration to come.

Christmas Eve is a time for viewing Italy's artistic and elaborate manger scenes or Cribs. They consist of figurines, in clay or plaster , of the infant Jesus, Mary and Joseph. An ox and ass are nearby because legend has it that they warmed the child with their breath. It is around this basic focal point that individual artisans create their own intricate landscapes. There may be grottoes, small trees, lakes, rivers, the lights of "Bethlehem" in the background, angels hung from wires, and occasionally, even local heroes. The most beautiful Cribs are set up in churches. There is often a contest between churches of the same town for the best Crib. People go from church to church to view and compare the Cribs and displays.

Another tradition is the burning of the Yule log, which must stay alight until New Year's Day. This, again, is an example of pagan and Christian blending. The pagan belief explains the purifying and revitalizing power of fire, and that with the burning log, the old year and its evils are destroyed. Christian legend tells how the Virgin Mary enters the homes of the humble at midnight while the people are away at Midnight Mass and warms her newborn child before the blazing log.

Amidst the general merrymaking and religious observance of Christmas Eve, Christmas tapers (long slender candles) are lighted and a Christmas banquet is spread. In some places, Christmas Eve dinner consists largely of fish. There may be as many as 10 t 20 fish dishes prepared. In Rome, the traditional dish of Christmas Eve is "Capitone," a big female eel, roasted, baked or fried. North of Rome a traditional dish may be pork, sausage packed in a pig's leg, smothered in lentils, or turkey stuffed with chestnuts.

Common throughout Italy are the Christmas sweets: "panettone" (cake filled with candied fruit), "torrone" (nougat) and "panforte" (gingerbread) made with hazelnuts, honey and almonds. All Christmas sweets, as a rule, contain nuts and almonds. Peasant folklore theorizes that to eat nuts favors the fertility of the earth and aids in the increase of flocks and family. In ancient Rome, honey was offered at this time of year so that the new year might be sweet.

Of Special Note...

On Christmas Eve, Italian children set out their shoes for the female Santa Claus, La Befana, to fill with gifts of all kinds like toys, candies and fruit. If the children were good, their shoes would be filled on Christmas morning. If they were bad, they would find their shoes filled with coal. La Befan is the best-known legend in Italy…

Pictures of Italian My Ceppos (What the traditional Italians used INSTEAD of Christmas trees)

How to make Italian Pizzelles (Italian cookies made especially during the holidays)

*You will need a Pizzelle Maker* (I borrowed mine! )

Here is the Pizzelles II recipe we used from Allrecipes.com:

(Please refer to the Pizzelles II recipe for more exact details, and helpful hints in the Reviews Section)

Ingredients

6 eggs 1 1/2 cups white sugar 1 cup margarine, melted and cooled 2 tablespoons anise extract 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 4 teaspoons baking powder

Directions

1. Beat eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. Stir in the melted margarine and anise extract. Combine the flour and baking powder; stir in gradually. Dough will be sticky.

2. Preheat your pizzelle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions. Drop batter by rounded spoonfuls onto the iron. Close and cook for about 90 seconds, or until steam stops coming out of the iron. Carefully remove and cool. Store in an airtight tin at room temperature

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pizzelles-ii/detail.aspx

I read the story The Legend of Old Befana by Tomie dePaola to the class while they colored in their Christmas in Italy booklets. (I ordered the book from Amazon.com, but it may be available in your library.)

After we read the story, we talked about how Old Befana saw the star, but she ended up missing the Christ child because she was too busy sweeping.

For a craft—and as a reminder to the story—we made glittering star ornaments, made of gold and/or silver metallic pipe cleaners, and gold and/or silver plastic beads. Using 1 long pipe cleaner and 2 half-size pipe cleaners, the children made the shape of a star. They then slid the beads onto the pipe cleaner. At the end, they curled the top pipe cleaner into a hanger for the tree.

How to Make a Quilled Snowflake

1. Using a rotary cutter, cut seven 1/4x12-inch strips from white cardstock. From these strips, cut the following: one 6-inch-long strip (center round); eight 3-inch-long strips (arms); four 6-inch-long strips (scrolls); four 3-inch-long strips (teardrops); and four 2-inch-long strips (marquise shapes).

2. For round: Using a quilling tool, begin rolling a 6-inch strip from one end. Roll strip into a tight circle. Finished center round should be 5/8 inch wide. Use a dot of glue to secure end; let glue set.

3. For arms: Roll one end of a 3-inch strip around quilling tool twice. At opposite end, roll strip around tool until finished arm is 1 inch long. Make eight.

4. Glue arms together in pairs (see above photo). Glue the bottom of arms in place around the center circle.

5. For scrolls: Fold a 6-inch strip in half. Roll each end to the center. Make four.6. Glue bottoms of scrolls to bottoms of arms near the center round, as shown. Let

glue set. Glue sides of scrolls to arms, as shown.7. For teardrops: Using a 3-inch strip, make a 1/2-inch round. Pinch one side into a

point. Make four.8. Glue the teardrops between rolled ends of scrolls.9. For marquise shapes: Using a 2-inch strip, make a 1/2-inch round. Pinch opposite

sides into points. Make four.10. Glue marquise shapes to ends of arms. Let ornament dry overnight.

Spray one side of ornament with adhesive and sprinkle with glitter; let dry. Turn over ornament and repeat on opposite side.

http://www.bhg.com/christmas/crafts/make-a-quilled-snowflake/