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- Over 60 percent of the world’s art treasures are found in Italy.
- The first battery was invented by Alessandro Volta.
- The world’s first pizzeria is Antica Pizzeria Port’Alba which was opened in 1830 in Naples.
- Venice Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world, founded in 1932.
- The city of Parma is where the Parmesan cheese takes origins.
- With more than 45 million visitors, Italy is the fifth most visited country in the world.
- Shakespeare set more than 10 of his plays in Italy.
- The thermometer, the typewriter and optical eyeglasses are all Italian inventions
- The Republic of Venice is the longest lasting republic in human history, it lasted for 1100 years.
- Every day more than 3,000€ gets tossed into the Trevi Fountain.
- The oldest University in Europe is the University of Bologna, which was founded in 1088.
- Each Italian consumes in average 28 kg of pasta each year.
- In Marostica every year in September a game of chess is played using people as the game pieces.
- Italy is the largest wine producing country in the world with more than 6 million tonnes of wine produced.
- The uniforms of Carabinieri are designed by Italian famous designer Valentino.
- In Europe, there are only 3 active volcanoes and all three of them are in Italy.
- Italians invented the viol, violin, cello and piano
- Rome’s Colosseum is the largest ancient building dedicated to entertainment.
- First modern banks were in Genoa in the 12th century.
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