Facts & history
History & Facts! Italy has history - and how! Who you'll never get past: the Romans. In this section you will also find background information and facts on current stories.
"Cani di quartiere": Italy's street dogs with official toleration
They belong to no one - and to everyone at the same time.
Italy and the Etruscans: A forgotten civilisation and its heritage
Everyone talks about the Romans, but the Etruscans built the first civilisation on Italian soil.
Casanova: The truth about the "lover of the century"
Some names burn themselves into history like a seal of hot wax. Giacomo Casanova is one of them.
Bella Confusione: The traffic rules of Italy
Italy. Land of pasta. Land of love. Land of traffic rules.
Ghosts of the Mediterranean: Jellyfish on the rise in Italy
Silent, weightless and sometimes uncomfortably close. The invasion of jellyfish in the Mediterranean.
On a holy mission: why the Italy jersey is blue
Time to clarify Italy's jersey question: why not green, white and red?
From Valle d'Aosta to Sicily: what you need to know about Italy's 20 regions
A quick round of local history: the boot from top to bottom.
Superstars to the death: gladiators in antiquity
Every fight can be the last - and the people love them for it.
You can't ride more Italian than this: The history of the Vespa
Independent at last, free at last. This is the advert for Italy's first scooter. In 1946, aircraft manufacturer Enrico Piaggio (†1965) makes Italy mobile.
Why is the Italian flag green-white-red?
Green like basil, white like mozzarella and red like the sun-ripened tomatoes: Why is the Italian flag actually green-white-red - and since when has it been that way?
ITALY FOREVER - 100 years lie between these photos
The longing for paradise. These (then) sensational photographs were taken a good 100 years ago. They show Italy as an enchanting dream world - for the first time in colour.
Italian lexicon from A to Z: Amore to Zio
Italian words from A to Z - from amore to zio.
Social gap - every 10th Italian is poor
Poverty in Italy: The country is the third largest economy in the EU, but many people do not get a piece of the pie. Every tenth person lives in poverty.
