People of Italy are truly cosmopolitan in their origin . Apart from the indigenous Italic tribe all other people of Italy are immigrants by origin . It is this amalgamation of blood lines and cultural styles that have lent such formidable physical beauty and enviable mental agility to the people of Italy.
People of Italy have left their indelible mark in the history of Europe and the World. Their discoveries and inventions have rocked the foundations of our faith and questioned our beliefs about the world around us and have paved the way for proper scientific spirit. The prominent names in this respect could be of Amerigo Vespucci, the discoverer of America; Galileo Galilee , the first person to confirm the heliocentric solar system; Leonardo da Vinci, the multifaceted genius; and of course Michaelangelo , the man who among many other things was the painter of the Sistine Chapel dome, Dante Alighieri , the creator of the Divine Comedy.
Such illustrious names in a historical roster force us to look at the People of Italy with a lot of well deserved respect. The origins of such intellectual prowess should be sought at the beginning of the Italian nation. Starting at the Paleolithic age Italy saw the advent of agriculture which was anteceded by the arrival of the Indo-European language. Then the colonists from various countries like Greeks, Etruscans, Gauls, and the Germanic tribes , arrived at different points of history and became assimilated and romanized so fast that they forgot their ancestral customs, religion and culture totally. Later even Spanish elements were smoothly merged into the Italian culture as Italy became one of Spain's colonies. After the efforts of Napoleon to unify the country went in vain it was the horrific world wars which were successful in reuniting Italy and giving it the modern, progressive outlook. The modern national language is Standard Italian , however the following languages are also recognized:
- Sicilian
- Neapolitan
- Corsican
- Sardinian
- Emiliano-Romagnolo
- Ligurian
- Lombard
- Piedmontese
- Venetian
- Ladin
- Fruilian
The predominant religion is Roman Catholic.
The people of Italy contributed heavily to the beginning of the European Renaissance, in fact it wouldn't be wrong to say that the spirit of humane inquiry was carried to the rest of Europe by Italy. But modern Italy also has a lot to give to the world culture.
