NOTES
(by DuoItalian)

Italy has long been a country identified as the center of history, culture and art. Historical wonders can be found in every corner of its borders. Italy boasts fifty-three cultural UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Sites, more than any other country in the world. A few of the more well-known sites include:

  • Valley of the Temples (Agrigento)
  • Amalfi Coast
  • Aeolian Volcanic Islands
  • Mount Etna
  • Medici Villas (Tuscany)
  • Pompeii, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata

Rome, Florence, Venice, Naples, Milan, and Vatican City are its most renowned cities of art, also boasting wondrous marvels such as:

  • Castel Nuovo
  • The Colosseum
  • Grand Canals (of Venice)
  • Ponte Vecchio
  • Sistine Chapel
  • St. Peter’s Basilica

Tourists can explore and discover a seemingly unlimited number of architectural and historical landmarks including (all approximations):

  • 95,000 monumental churches
  • 40,000 forts and castles
  • 36,000 archives and libraries
  • 5,600 museums

Tourists can also explore many of the 30,000 historical residences of ancient and noble families. Italy’s many historical offerings will take you on a journey through time, from the days of the Ancient Greeks to the Roman Empire and back to the present.

TIPS: The Italian term complesso is often used as both an adjective and a noun meaning “complex”, but in this lesson it is utilized as a noun meaning “group” or “band”.

A male “musician” is il musicista and female is la musicista. The ending does not change in the singular, only in the plural (i musicisti, le musiciste).

VOCABULARY
(from Duolingo)
attoreactor
architetturaarchitecture
artistaartist
arteart
complessogroup, band
macchina fotograficacamera
cinemacinema
circocircus
classicaclassical
concertoconcert
culturaculture
disegnodrawing
tamburodrum
esibizioneexhibition
modafashion
filmmovie
galleriagallery
chitarraguitar
filarow
letteraturaliterature
musicistamusician
musicamusic
fotografiaphotography
pianofortepiano
immaginepicture
scenascene
mostraexhibit
spettacoloshow
canzonesong
studistudies
stilestyle
videovideo
danzadance
famafame
fotophoto
palcoscenicostage
pittorepainter
poesiapoetry
poetapoet
romanzonovel
fotograficaphotographic
ballareto dance
dipingereto paint
filmareto film
fotografareto photograph

 

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