History, culture, beauty… and delectable food. There’s no doubt, Italy has it all. But what do you actually know about the Bel Paese? Today we’ve brought together a small list of five more noteworthy facts about Italy.
Time to test your knowledge!
1. Toss a coin into the Trevi Fountain and you'll return to Rome. That's the legend. Well, tourists from all over the globe toss around €3,000 a day into the fountain. This amounts to roughly €1,000,000 every year, which is all donated to charity. Did you also know that coins are purportedly meant to be thrown using the right hand over the left shoulder?
2. The Sistine Chapel welcomes over 20,000 visitors every day. Also, the Sistine Chapel is the official residence of the pope, as well as the site of the Papal Conclave: the process for selecting new popes.
3. Did you know 13 of Shakespeare's 38 plays are set in Italy? Romeo and Juliet, for instance, is set in Verona… and you can even visit "Juliet's balcony" in the city. Julius Caesar takes place in Rome, and both Othello and The Merchant of Venice are set in Venice. However, there's no proof he ever visited the country!
4. Italy has the oldest population in Europe: the average age in Italy is 45.7 years, giving it Europe's oldest population. In fact, Sardinia is one of the world's five Blue Zones: places where residents live the longest. The main reasons given for Italy's aging population? Many attribute this extraordinary longevity to the local diet… no wonder!
5. Fourteen billion espressos are consumed in Italy each year. Over 20,000 Italians work as baristas and the country's average household coffee consumption is 37 kg a year. You can drink espresso any time in Italy. However, it’s an unspoken rule that you don't order Cappuccino after 11am — cappuccinos are traditionally considered a morning drink, made with equal parts of espresso, steamed milk, and foam. Besides, they are typically drunk with a sweet breakfast pastry or cornetto!
Do you know any other interesting fact about Italy? Tell us about it bellow!