Facts about
Italy
(for kids!)
What do you want to know about Italy?
Let’s start with some basics…
We’re Deliberate Travel Kids!
We make activity workbooks for kids aged
6-12, all about different countries and cultures. We look at history, geography and stories from different cultures, but we do it all through activities and puzzles - so it’s fun as well as educational
Let’s start with a few facts about Italy…
That’s right…
Italy is home to the most dangerous volcano in the world
Mount Vesuvius in Naples is an active volcano, so it could erupt at any time! The last time it erupted was 1944, but an eruption now could affect 3 million people living around it. If you travel there, keep an eye out for smoke!
Here are a few more facts…
Here’s a map of Italy
It’s a long country which looks a bit like a high-heeled boot. Italy is surrounded by islands - about 450 of them, including Sicily and Sardinia.
Italy is surrounded by sea on almost all sides, with mountains in the north. Italy has a Mediterranean climate which means it’s warm in the summer and only a little bit chilly in the winter.
Lots of delicious foods grow in Italy like olives, tomatoes, lemons and grapes for wine.
Italy is well known for its delicious foods - pizza, pasta, risotto, foccacia, tiramisu and ossobuco.
Can you speak Italian?
Italian is a more modern version of Latin, the language the Romans spoke. No one speaks Latin anymore, although we can read and write it. Italian is quite similar to French and Spanish, but is known for sounding very beautiful.
We asked a friend of ours to teach you some important Italian phrases
Coming soon
Coming soon
Have you heard of these famous Italians?
Niccolo Machiavelliwas a writer who wrote about getting what you want
Galileo Galilei was a scientist, called the “father” of modern science
Maria Montessori invented the Montessori teaching method
Dante Aligheri was a poet who wrote The Divine Comedy
Rita Levi-Montalcini won a Nobel Prize in medicine
Renata Tebaldi was a famous opera singer with a beautiful voice
Have you tried Italian food?
Almost everyone I know loves Italian food. And the great news is that, when it’s cooked fresh, it’s very healthy!
True Italian food uses lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. Lots of Italian people live for a long time, partly because the food they eat is so healthy.
Below are some famous Italian foods that you might not have heard of. If you travel there, or go to an Italian restaurant you should try them! Lots of them you can actually cook yourself.
Arancini means ‘little orange’ but these little balls are made of rice, sometimes with meat and cheese added. They are then deep fried.
Ravioli are little pockets of pasta with different types of stuffing. They are often cooked in a sauce. Most commonly they’re square but can be circles as well.
Focaccia is flat bread which is similar to pizza, but with no toppings. Italians have been cooking focaccia since the Roman times!
Cannoli are tubed of fried pastry, filled with a sweet cream made from ricotta cheese. Cannoli are often topped with chocolate sprinkles or bits of fruit,
Have you ever made pizza?
Try our recipe for making pizza
Ingredients:
500g plain flour
25g fresh yeast (or 7g fast action yeast)
300ml warm luke water
Salt
Olive oil
Method
- Mix the yeast and warm water together until the yeast has melted.
- Then add to the flour a little at the time.
- Add salt to taste and a couple of tbsp of of olive oil. - Now kneed vigorously for at least 10 minutes and then form a ball with the dough and place in a bowl. - Cover the bowl with a couple some cling film (a couple of tea towels would work just as well) and leave to rest in a warm place for at least 30 minutes on until double in size.
- Once it's ready divide the dough into smaller balls, the size of the balls will depend on the size of the pizza you want to make. A golf ball size ball will make one small pizza.
- Shape with your hands.
- Add your favourite toppings and bake (baking time will vary depending on the size of pizza, a small pizza will take 5-6 mins, a larger pizza will take around 10 mins.Here’s a handy lesson to learn how to use chopsticks - remember to practice!
Want to get hold of some Italian themed activities?
We’ve got an Italy themed pack available for free.
It’s got:
colouring in sheets
an Italy themed postcard
the Italy Parent Pack with activities for parents to try with their kids
Sign up to our mailing list to get hold of the Italy Activities
Did you enjoy our info page about Italy?
Then you might enjoy our activity workbook about Italy.
It’s designed for kids aged 6-12 and is filled with puzzles and activities to learn more about Italy.
It’s available on our online platform - DTK Online - along with 19 other country workbooks. You can try out DTK Online for 7 days for free today.
