That's A Pile of Bologna Trivia Quiz

Answer: Felsina

Initially founded by the Etruscans, the city fell to the Romans around 196 BCE. Prior to its finding, Felsina was an important center during the Villanovan Iron Age. Centrally located and close to the Reno River, it was an important cultural center.

The Villanovan culture has been categorized into two phases of which the second phase saw radical changes in culture due to their contact with Hellenic civilization. Specific changes included the use of glass or amber necklaces worn by women due to strong trade relations along what was known as the "Amber Road", as well as modifications to horse equipment such as the use of bronze harnesses.

Answer: University of Bologna

Founded in 1088, the University of Bologna is believed to be the oldest operational university in the world. Over its years of operation, various schools have been developed in the university including a School of Agriculture, School of Medicine, School of Law, and a School of Arts and Humanities. Notable alumni of the university include Enzo Ferrari (the founder of the Scuderia Ferrari car company) and Gasparo Tagliacozzi (a pioneer of reconstructive surgery).

Answer: Giovanni II

Giovanni II Bentivoglio once considered himself the "first citizen" of Bologna and therefore ruled the city as a tyrant with plenty of opposition from 1463 to 1508. In 1488, a plot was put out to take him out by the Malvezzi family, but they did not succeed. Most of the family members were either executed or exiled.

Another plot to kill him was put out by the Marescottis in 1501, but they suffered much the same fate. In 1506, he was excommunicated by Pope Julius II and eventually the city of Bologna was placed under an interdict.

After papal troops entered the city, Giovanni II fled with his family. He would die in 1508, as a prisoner of Louis XII in Milan.

Answer: Emilia-Romagna

With an area of over 22 000 square kilometers and over four million people, the Emilia-Romagna is one of the wealthiest regions in Europe. Geographically, it contains various lagoons and thermal springs and is home to the Po delta. Vegetation in the region includes a variety of fruit orchards, wheat fields, and sugar beets.

The region is not only important from a geographical perspective, but economically is important. The region is home to various automotive companies and manufacturers such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Maserati, the Barilla Group (an important food and agricultural group), as well as banking and insurance companies.

Answer: Apennines

The Appennine Mountains are a range that begin in northern Italy in the Altare region and end in the southwest at the city of Reggio Calabria. Geographically, they have been broken down into three sectors: Northern Appennines, Central Appennines, and Southern Appennines. Within each sector are subsectors/categories based on specific regions of Italy.

The highest peak in the Appennines is called "Corno Grande" and is the highest peak on the Italian Peninsula.

Answer: true

Automobili Lamborghini S.P.A. is an Italian car manufacturer and brand whose headquarters and chief manufacturing plant can be found in a small administrative district in Bologna called Sant'Agata Bolognese. The company was founded in 1963 by the industrialist Ferruccio Elio Arturo Lamborghini who eventually sold the company and retired by 1974.

While the company went bankrupt due to the oil crisis of the 1970s, new ownership in the 1980s brought it back to life and began manufacturing popular models including the Countach and the Jalpa sports cars. Throughout its history, the company has also manufactured motorcycles and farming equipment.

Answer: He was the inventor of radio

The Guglielmo Marconi Airport is an international airport and is located roughly six kilometers outside of the city of Bologna. The IATA code for the airport is BLQ while its ICAO code is LIPE. It was named after the famed inventor and electrical engineer Guglielmo Marconi who was best known for his involvement in the development of radio systems and communications.

His work in the field included improvements to wireless telegraphy and transmissions. In 1901, he officially made an announcement that he received an official "wireless" telecommunications message from Signal Hill, Newfoundland at an established wireless telecommunications station he set up known as the Marconi House.

These wireless systems were also used in maritime communications and came into play during both the RMS Titanic and RMS Lusitania incidents.

Answer: Portico di San Luca

The Portico di San Luca is an arcade that spans 3.5 kilometers and consists of 666 arcades within (the number of the devil). Construction began in 1677 but was not completed until 1721. It was originally built as a means to protect the icon of the virgin Mary (who guaranteed pilgrims protection from all evil) which was located inside the San Luca Sanctuary.

It was also built as a means to protect pilgrims from bad weather as they made their way to the sanctuary.

Answer: Reno

The Reno River is the tenth longest in Italy and one of the two main rivers in the Emilia-Romagna region. The Reno is 211 kilometers in length and flows into the Adriatic Sea. The upper portion of the river has several artificial reservoirs that were built as a means to produce hydro-electric energy with its Reno Basin being a main power production source.

Answer: Adriatic Sea

The Adriatic Sea separates the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. It is an important center for fisheries, tourism, and natural gas production. Overfishing has become an issue in the Adriatic Sea with many species including the John Dory, monkfish, and sardines being threatened. Other wildlife including turtles and dolphins have been killed due to the use of fishing nets.

The Adriatic Sea has several tourist destinations bordering it in various countries including Italy, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, and Slovenia. These tourist locations have accounted for as much as 17% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP)in some bordering nations.

Since the 1970s, several natural gas and oil projects had been established in the Adriatic region. It wasn't until the mid-90s however, that production went into full force. The Emilia-Romagna of Italy holds over 100 offshore platforms for gas production. Other important locations for research and production of gas and oil include offshore exploration in the Croatian and Montenegrin regions.