Italy And Greece Essay, Research Paper

Italy and Greece Report

Italy is located in southern Europe. Rome was once capital of the Roman Empire, but today is the capital of Italy. Nearly all Italians are Roman Catholics, although many do not attend church regularly. There are about 100,000 Protestants. Italy also has a very small Jewish community. Roman Catholicism was made the official religion of Italy in 1929. Italian is the language the majority of the people speak in Italy.

The rich art and culture of Italy reflect Italy s ancient past. Before the Roman Empire was established in 27 BC there were many different tribes and people in Italy. The Greeks arrived in Italy in the 8th century BC, setting on the southern coasts of Sicily. They found many wealthy colonies and cities such as Naples, Paestum, and Brindisi. This area became to be known as Magna Graecia or Great Greece. The Romans settled in the Latium region in central Italy from the middle of the 8th century. Rome s power spread from a city to a vast empire, extending across Europe and the Middle East and lasting for hundreds of years.

Italian food has become one of the most popular international cuisine s, with dishes like spaghetti, lasagna, and fettuccini. Many popular Italian dishes are served with marinera sauce, a tomato sauce with many spices; it is used mainly with spaghetti, lasagna and ravioli. Another popular sauce is alfredo sause, a spiced up cheese sauce, used for fettuccini dishes and many shrimp dishes. A neccessity for an Italian diet is noodles. Noodles are used in virtually every Italian dish out there.

Greece is also located in the southeastern Europe. Its population is about 11.5 million. Athens is the capital of Greece. Greek is 99% of the language spoken in Greece and 1% other. About 80% of Greece is mountainous or hilly. Much of the country is dry and rocky; only 28% of the land is arable. Greece had mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers. Temperatures are rarely extreme, although snowfalls do occur in the mountains and occasionally even in Athens in the winter.

The United States and Greece have long-standing historical, political and cultural ties because of their common heritage. The U.S. is the largest foreign investor in Greece. About 1.1 million Americans are Greek origin.

Greeks have several different dishes in Greece. There are cheese pies, spinach pies, and Greek lamb. Americans don t really eat a lot of lamb, mostly just beef or chicken.

The early history of Greece is not very detailed. Because of this it s often called the Dark Age of Ancient Greece. The first people to inhabit Greece built settlements along the shores of Greece. They relied on the Aegean Sea for trade and supplies. Travel by sea introduced the Greeks to other cultures, and they were exposed to western benefits of agriculture and various techniques of metalwork.

Around 1200 BC, a conflict arose at the city of Troy, where a ten year battle took place. Armed invaders hid themselves inside a large wooden horse. As the horse was brought into the city, the soldiers attacked and seized control. This was the subject of an epic poem by Homer. Homer is also well known for his epic poem of the hero Odysseus. These works of literature are now popular school studies.