Well done everyone who had a go at my quiz ‘Quanto bene conosci l’Italia?’. Here are the correct answers:

 

1. Roughly how many inhabitants does Italy have: a. 40million, b. 50million, c. 60million, or d. 70million?

c. 60,000,000 – according to Istat, The National Institute for Statistics, “Al 31 dicembre 2010 risiedevano in Italia 60.626.442 persone” (On the31st of December 2010 60,626,442 people resided in Italy)

2. Which city is famous for its romantic songs?

Napoli

3. On which Italian island was Napoleon exiled?

L’Isola d’Elba – Elba lies off the coast of Toscana. Napoleon lived there in exile between the 4th of May 1814 and the 27th of February 1815 (watch out for a future blog on the subject)

4. Which cities or regions are associated with: a. la Camorra, b. la ‘ndrangheta, and c. Cosa Nostra?

la Camorra, la ‘ndrangheta, and Cosa Nostra are all Mafia style organised crime associations and are linked respectively to: a. Napoli, b. Calabria, and c. Sicilia

5. What are the main ingredients of la cecina, also known as farinata?

The main ingredient of la cecina is, as the name suggests, farina di ceci (chick pea flour). This is mixed with water, salt and olive oil to make a thin savoury crepe. In Liguria, cecina is known as farinata (see my 2009 blog: La Farinata)

6. Who wrote La Divina Commedia?

Dante Alighieri (1265 – 1321)

7. What is the real name of the singer Jovanotti?

Jovanotti is the stage name of Lorenzo Cherubini. See my blog: Jovanotti

8. Which four countries share their borders with Italy?

L’Italia confina con la Francia a ovest, con la Svizzera e l’Austria a nord e con la Slovenia ad est (Italy borders with France in the west, Switzerland and Austria in the north, and Slovenia in the east).

9. Which composers of opera music wrote the following: a. Madama Butterfly, b. Rigoletto, and c. Il Barbiere di Siviglia?

a. Puccini b. Verdi, c. Rossini

10. What is the name of the Presidente della Repubblica?

The current Presidente della Repubblica Italiana is Giorgio Napolitano

11. Who built the first astronomic telescope in 1609?

Galileo Galilei (1564 – 1642)

12. In which city was the first Italian football club founded?

Il primo club di calcio in Italia è stato fondato a Genova nel 1893 (The first Italian football club was founded in Genova in 1893)

13. In many Italian towns there are roads called Via XX Settembre, what does this name commemorate?

Via XX Settembre rammenta il 20 Settembre 1870 quando con l’ingresso dalla breccia di Porta Pia le truppe Italiane entrano a Roma che fino a quel giorno non faceva parte dell’Italia. (Via XX Settembre commemorates the 20th of September 1870 when Italian troops entered Rome through the breech in the city walls near Porta Pia. Until that time, Rome was not part of Italy). See my blog: Breccia di Porta Pia

14. What does the acronym FIAT, used by Italy’s most famous car manufacturer, stand for?

FIAT is the acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino, founded in Torino (Turin) on the 11t of July 1899

15. What is the name of the Venetian traveller who went to China in the 13th century, remaining there for 13 years in the service of the great Khan?

Marco Polo (1254 – 1324)

16. What do Giorgio Armani, Miuccia Prada, and Laura Biagiotti all have in common?

Giorgio Armani, Miuccia Prada, and Laura Biagiotti are all famous Italian fashion designers

17. Which regions produce the following wines: a. Soave, b. Chianti, and c. Marsala?

a. Veneto b. Toscana c. Sicilia

18. What was the name of the population that inhabited the area of Toscana and Lazio before the Romans?

Gli Etruschi (The Etruscans)

19. Which directors made the following films: a. L’Ultimo Tango a Parigi, b. Per un Pugno di Dollari, c. La Dolce Vita?

a. Bernardo Bertolucci b. Sergio Leone c. Federico Fellini

20. The following Italian bridges can be found in Roma, Firenze, Venezia, Verona, and Bassano del Grappa. What are their names?

a. Ponte Scaligero – Verona b. Ponte dei Sospiri (The Bridge of Sighs) – Venezia c. Ponte Vecchio – Firenze d. Ponte degli Angeli – Roma e. Ponte Degli Alpini – Bassano del Grappa

So … how well do you know Italy?