ITALY
Web Quest by Emma Dunstone
Task 1
Venice at sunset
Map of Italy
Italian Pasta
Po valley is densely populated because it is the largest industrial, trading and agricultural area in Italy. It also has some severe air pollution problems as a result of these industries.
The Apennines are sparsely populated because it is difficult to live in the mountains. More people live in the valleys between the mountains, as these areas are good for farming. However, people have been moving away from farming into industrialised areas, and so the population is decreasing.
What I know I know about Italy
I know very little about Italy but some of the things I do know include: The famous monuments (such as the Colosseum, the Sistine chapel and Pompeii), some of the famous foods (pizza, pasta and coffee) and that Venice has lots of canals with gondolas and that it is sinking :( . Some of the things that I would like to know more about are what the monuments were built for, the differences between Italians and Australians and also some of the traditional customs that Italians have (e.g. having dinner at a particular time).
Task 2
Volcanoes in Italy
The three highest volcanos in Italy are Mount Etna, Mount Amiata and Mount Vulture.
Mount Etna is 3,350 metres tall, Mount Amiata is 1,738 metres tall and Mount Vulture is 1,326 metres tall.
The most recent volcanic eruptions in Italy are: Mount Etna (which is continuously erupting), Mount Stromboli (which also erupts continuously) and Mount Vesuvius which has not erupted since 1944.
Mount Etna erupts almost continually. For example, after erupting from July to October 2012 it continues to do so in 2013. Stromboli has erupted several times in 2013 and Mount Vesuvius erupted in 1944.
Mount Vesuvious
Mount Etna
Mount Etna tectonic diagram
Mount Etna
Mount Etna is the highest volcano in Italy and in located in Sicily. Most of the eruptions occur at the summit of the volcano and some occur on the flanks. Despite its constant eruptions, it is a popular place to live for farmers as the fertile soils is good at supporting crops. It is also a popular place for tourists to visit. More than 25% of Sicily's population lives on Etna's slopes. As well as being a popular place to live and visit, it is Sicily’s biggest source of income from both from agriculture and tourism.
Mount Etna is the most active volcano in the world and has been erupting for thousands of years. The ancient Greeks believed it to be the home of Vulcan, the god of fire—to them, Mount Etna erupting merely meant Vulcan was forging weapons for Mars, the god of war.
Mount Etnas most violent eruption was in March 1669 where it reached 2 villages and then continued to spew molten rock out for several weeks. By the end of April, it had demolished the western side of the city Catania, 16 kilometres away, before the volcano came to a stop. The volcano destroyed some of the summit and the lava flow reached the sea.
This eruption was one of the first attempts to control the path of the lava flow. The Catania townspeople dug a channel that diverted lava away from their homes, but the lava then threatened another village called Paterno. The townspeople of Paterno drove away the Catanias and forced them to abandon their efforts.
The reason the mount Etna has been errupting for such a long time is because it is on a tectonic plate. As it is located on a fault line, the erth below it is constantly moving, causing the volcano to errupt. Etna's longest eruption began in 1979 and went on for thirteen years.
Task 3
Industry
Italy is split into two half’s, the north and the south. The south is less densely populated while the north is very populated. The “golden triangle” is where most of Italy’s industry is located and most of Italy’s manufacturing occurs here in the north. As a result of the large amount of companies who are based in the north, this is also where most of Italy’s population is. As industries are built and require workers, more and more people come from the rural areas of Italy to work for them. This creates a domino effect as when more people move to the north, more goods and services are required there. This causes more factories and companies to be built and as a result, more people more there to work for them. Italy's major industries are tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing, textiles, clothing and footwear, motor vehicles, and ceramics.
Although most of Italy’s population is in the North due to most of the countries industry being located here, not everyone lives here. The other populated regions of Italy include Rome (the capital City) and Naples. Many smaller businesses are located in these areas, mainly for tourism. Many tourists visit Naples to go see Mount Vesuvius and tourists visit Rome and it is the capital city.
Task 4
Italian food
One of the most popular and traditional food in Italy is pasta. To most Australians, pasta is pasta, but to Italians pasta is special. Each region of Italy produces a different kind of pasta. Pasta is taken seriously and cannot be over or undercooked, it must always be al dente. It is treated always as a main meal and never as a side. A popular and traditional hot drink in Italy is coffee. An Italian style coffee is called an espresso and is made from a blend of coffee beans. It is mostly drunk in the morning to wake up but never after a meal. Wine is a traditional beverage served with dinner and lunch. Italians drink wine and take it seriously. Unlike in other cultures, it is custom to have wine available for lunch and dinner and serve it especially at gatherings. Another traditional food is pizza which is mainly eaten at lunch and sometimes dinner. It is traditionally made with only a few toppings and is also vegetarian.
What do Italians do in their spare time?
Despite the stereotypes, Italians do not just eat, cook and drive expensive cars. In fact, they do very similar things in their spare time to Australians. The Italians enjoy reading, cooking, watching T.V, playing sports and relaxing. Italian adults and teens aren't so different from us.
Teenagers enjoy playing sport, hanging out with friends, learning and listening to music and going to the beach as well as things like lying on the couch watching T.V and surfing the net. They enjoy meeting with friends and going ice skating and snowboarding in the winter and everyone goes swimming in the pool. Italian adults enjoy things like reading, cooking going to cafes and shopping as well as meeting up with friends and having coffee.
Task 5
Extension Task
Some of the draw backs of living in the North of Italy is that it is more crowded than in the South of Italy. It also has more industries where as the South is more rural but has some big cities like Naples. The South has warmer weather and is also less developed with more incidents of crime than in the North. The North of Italy has mountainous region to explore and is also away from any active volcanoes making it a safer place to live.
Overall I would prefer to live in North Italy because it is cooler, more populated and closer to the major cities.