Fun Facts
Lesson Progress
0% Complete
- In Caldari di Ortona, in the Abruzzo region, there’s a free-flowing red wine fountain spouting locally produced wine 24 hours a day. Find the fontana di vino in the Dora Sarchese vineyard, which sits on the Italian pilgrimage route of Cammino di San Tommaso.
- All three of Europe’s active volcanoes are on Italian soil: Etna, Vesuvius, and Stromboli. Sicily’s Etna last erupted in 2018 but continues to steam—the plume of white will lead you to the peak. Stromboli is on its own island just off of Sicily. Famed Vesuvius in Naples last erupted in 1944, causing major damage… though nothing to compare to the most notorious eruption in history: the 79 B.C. eruption that devastated Pompeii.
- With 55 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Italy has more Heritage Sites per square mile than any country on Earth. China is tied with Italy, also boasting 55 sites… but compare the areas of each country to get an idea of just how history and culture packed the little Italian peninsula is…
- Italians have been carb-loading for over 16,000 years. Historians have found paintings thought to show pasta-making in a pre-Roman Italian tomb that dates to the 4th century.
- 3,000 euros gets tossed into Rome’s Trevi fountain daily. The proceeds are donated to charity each year, including funding a food bank in Rome for those in need.