Culture of Italy
The Culture of Italy is above all artists and paintings. It is no problem to reiterate that if you live in Italy, then you live in an "art gallery". Italy has accumulated a larger amount of cultural heritages over the ages than you could possibly imagine. The fact of the matter is that if something was painted, eaten, sang, made from clay or written, then it was most likely done in an uplift of emotion and the result is almost always presented in a very artistic form. The world has a lot to thank Italians for.
The "most Italian city", one which most expressively represents the character and uniqueness of the culture of Italy, has been traditionally considered to be none other than Florence. The city is perceived as a symbol of the Renaissance period; its squares and palaces are embellished with the artwork of Michelangelo, Giotto, Cellini. World famous art galleries feature the works of the best artists of Italy. The names of Dante and Boccaccio are very closely tied to Florence as well as the names of Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Botticelli, and other artists of Italy who lived in this city. In fact, the literary form of the Italian language was formed and developed by the artists of Italy in Florence, and spread all across the country in later years.
There are numerous testimonies of the past in the capital of Italy. The neighborhoods of the eternal city preserved the memory of a more ancient civilization than Ancient Rome. At exhibitions and museums you can see archeological discoveries of the pre-Roman age, the most famous of which are: Apollo of Veii – a true masterpiece of Etruscan sculpture, the Sarcophagus Bridal – a sculptural composition manifesting Ionic influence, Cyst Ficorini – a cylinder bronze container for storing toiletries, graced up with elegant statuettes and engravings. Numerous monuments of architecture of the ancient civilization of Rome have not been well preserved unfortunately. Nevertheless, the ones that can be seen will certainly leave you amazed. Consider the ruins of the Roman Forum near Palatine, Capitoline and Esquiline hills which were once densely filled with monasteries, basilicas, markets, and court houses, arcs of triumph, fountains, columns, all surrounded by the sacred road called Via Sacra. The Grand Coliseum – the symbol of Rome's mightiness and power – still stands, well preserved, even though it was used as a public quarry during the Middle Ages. As the city, and the country as a whole, grew bigger new imperial forums were built, - Cesar's, Trojan's, Nerva's, Augustus'; these sites gradually became centers of Rome's social life as well as true monuments of architecture of the city. The Theater of Marcellus is the only Roman theater preserved till this day, it could fit 13 thousand spectators. Circus Maximus (near the Aventine and Palatine Hills) was created for chariot and quadriga competitions and was designed for 200 thousand spectators. A majestic festivity was once organized here by Julius Cesar to celebrate an important military victory; the show ended with a simulation of a war battle. There were 1000 infantrymen, 600 horsemen, and 40 elephants participating in a battle that day. The "Temple of All Gods", the Pantheon did not suffer very much from barbarian invasions; there is a church inside of it. During the Middle Ages, when the majority of Roman Empire buildings were in decay, was the time when many sacrosanct constructs of Christianity were erected, usually right on top of the ancient ruins. During the epoch of Renaissance and that of Baroque flourishing many rich and eminent churches were founded. During this same period the architectural solution of the city was decided upon –the accent was placed on majestic, lush churches; the most renowned monuments of architecture being: Santa Maria Maggiore, San Giovanni in Laterano, San Paolo fuori le Mura. The city is often associated with the names of great European artists: Michelangelo and Raphael, Caravaggio and Rubens. The existence and richness of the museums of Rome as well as their elevated artistic level was determined by the passion of nobles for collecting art , both new and that of the ancient civilization, and the patronage of the popes, who contributed towards the creation of museums of Rome, including the museum of Vatican and public Capitola museum. The best known museums of Rome are probably the National Gallery of Ancient Art, the Borghese Gallery, the National Museum of Rome, and other.
Italians also brought a lot to the musical culture of Italy –they invented the fortepiano and the modern system of musical notation. A considerable input was provided by Monteverdi, Vivaldi, Scarlatti, Bellini, and Rossini.
