Mixed Italy Trivia

1. Arancini are stuffed, crumbed and fried balls of rice common in Sicily. How do the arancini of eastern Sicily differ from those in the rest of the island?

From Quiz An Italian Medley

Answer: They are cone shaped

Arancini are thought to date back to the 10th Century in Sicily when it was the Emirate of Sicily. The Arabic influence draws comparison of arancini with the Levantine kibbeh. Commonly stuffed with al ragu (slow cooked meat) or al sugo (tomato sauce); mozzarella or Caciocavello cheeses make a good addition. Peas and ham are also tasty alternatives. Arancini are incredibly versatile and can be made with many different variations to ring the changes. The arancini in eastern Sicily are cone shaped in honour of Mount Etna. The name arancini is derived from 'aranciu' meaning 'orange' due to the rounded shape and colour of the fried breadcrumb giving a marked resemblance to the fruit. There is much discussion and debate about the appropriate gendering of the snack. The masculine 'arancino' is preferred in eastern Sicily, whist the feminine 'arancina' is considered correct in the Palermo area. Don't get in between Italians and their passion for food. Red Crew's smpdit enjoys how food can be a large part of a culture.

From Quiz 20 Shades of Italy

Answer: Sniffing out truffles

The Lagotto Romagnolo is from the Romagna region, an area which once had a lot of wetlands, and was originally bred as a water dog and gundog, retrieving game from bodies of water. However, in modern times, now that the wetlands have been drained, it is also used to hunt truffles as an alternative to pigs (a dog being more discreet than a pig). When it smells the truffles, it heads to the digging site, or 'forata', to dig them up. It is a medium-sized dog with a curly brown and white coat. Its name comes from 'can lagòt', a Romagnol word for 'water dog'.

From Quiz Random Italian Facts

Answer: Novecento

Bertolucci (1941-2018) directed over 20 movies and wrote the screenplay for his most successful movies. He started his career as an assistant to Pier Paolo Pasolini, while still at university. Indeed, Bertolucci quit his studies in literature to become a movie director. In 1962 he directed his first feature film: "La Commare Secca" (translated as "The Grim Reaper"), a murder mystery. Bertolucci broke through with "Il Conformista" (1970), about a fascist murderer. "Last Tango In Paris" (1972) was a controversial movie about an older man (Marlon Brando) sexually dominating a young woman (Maria Schneider). Many consider "Novecento" (translated as "1900") as Bertolucci's masterpiece. In this 1976 movie Bertolucci filmed the story of a farmer's boy (Gerard Depardieu) and the son of a rich landowner (Robert de Niro) between 1900 and 1945. Apparently neither De Niro nor Depardieu have starred in any other Bertolucci movie. Bertolucci won two Oscars for his movie "The Last Emperor" (1987), both as director and as author of the screenplay. "The Deer Hunter" (1978) starred Robert de Niro and was directed by Michael Cimino. "Cyrano de Bergerac" (1990) starred Depardieu and was directed by Jean-Paul Rappeneau. "Roma Cita Aperta" (1945) was directed by Roberto Rossellini, starring Anna Magnani and Aldo Fabrizzi.

From Quiz Tour of Italy

Answer: Naples

First it must be said that people have been eating toppings on flat breads for centuries all over the world. There are some sources that claim that a similar type of food was present in Naples in the late 1700s, although it was not called Pizza Margherita. There are other sources that claim that pizza as we know it today, however, was invented in 1889 by Raffaele Esposito in anticipation of the visit of King Umberto I and Queen Margherita to Naples. Esposito used tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil to create a food that would represent the flag of Italy. Today Pizza Margherita is still a popular food in Naples. So which story is true? Does it matter? Either way Naples still is considered to be the birthplace of pizza.

From Quiz When in Ancient Rome...

Answer: Lindsey Davis

Falco lives in a slum-like apartment and never pays his rent to his overbearing landlord Smaractus. He usually finds himself investigating some rather unpleasant tasks around the Roman Empire. In his first appearance in "The Silver Pigs," Falco tricked his way into slavery as part of his investigation. Lindsey Davis spun of Falco's adopted daughter, Flavia Alba, into her own series in 2013 with "The Ides of April."

From Quiz What A Roman Knows

Answer: Wolf

A bronze statue of a she-wolf is perhaps the best known symbol of Rome. For many years it was believed to date from the 5th century BC. However, in 2007 metallurgists using thermoluminescence dating suggested that the Capitoline Wolf "only" dated back to the Early Middle Ages.

From Quiz Sardinia: Halfway Europe and Africa

Answer: towerlike structures made of loosely piled stones

The 'men dressed in sheepskin' are the Mamuthones as you see them at Mamoiada. A famous nuraghe village is to be found at Tiscali, where the nuraghe were hidden in some kind of crevice.

From Quiz An Italian Medley

Answer: Latium

Italy is home to mainland Europe's only active volcanoes, Mount Vesuvius (Campania) and Mount Etna (Sicily), which have also been included in the list of 16 "Decade Volcanoes", strictly monitored because of their proximity to densely inhabited centres. These two regions also contain other smaller active or dormant volcanoes and volcanic complexes - such as Stromboli and Vulcano off the coast of Sicily, and the Phlegraean Fields to the west of Naples. However, other Italian regions host volcanic centres that are known to have been active in historic times. Of all these regions, Latium (Lazio), the central Italian region where Rome, Italy's capital, is located, probably boasts the highest number of these dormant or extinct volcanoes. Lazio's most remarkable volcanic complex, the Alban Hills (Colli Albani), located southwest of Rome, and renowned for their wine production, are believed to have last erupted in 34,000 BC. However, scientists have observed signs of unrest (such as increased seismic activity) in these beautiful, densely wooded hills. The most recent eruptions in the Colli Albani produced two striking crater lakes, Lake Albano and the smaller, almost perfectly circular Lake Nemi. The other major volcanic complex of the region, the Monti Sabatini, lies northwest of Rome, and includes two lakes, Lake Bracciano, which occupies a caldera, and Lake Martignano, a small crater lake. Monti Sabatini's most recent eruption is estimated to have occurred about 60,000 years ago, and - though at present completely quiescent - the complex is not yet considered to be extinct. North of Monti Sabatini lies another, probably extinct volcanic system, the Monti Cimini, with Lake Vico occupying the central caldera of one of the two main volcanoes. The Monti della Tolfa, which lie west of the Sabatini and Cimini, parallel to the Tyrrhenian coast, are instead considered extinct, as are the Monti Volsini, also in northwestern Latium, surrounding Lake Bolsena, Europe's largest volcanic lake. While the three Italian regions listed as wrong answers contain hills and mountains of volcanic origin, no activity has occurred there for millions of years. LadyNym of Phoenix Rising's Red Crew wrote this question about some beautiful and beloved places.

From Quiz 20 Shades of Italy

Answer: umbria

Umbria is a landlocked region in central Italy located between Tuscany, Lazio and Marche, and its capital is Perugia. Umber, a reddish-brown iron pigment, gets its name from the region and was originally extracted there. It is nicknamed the 'green heart of Italy' because of its green spaces, and features attractions such as Orvieto Cathedral and the Sibylline Mountains National Park, which contains the Saffron Trail, a path once used by spice merchants. (Assisi, the home town of St Francis, is in Umbria and is also a World Heritage Site.)

From Quiz Everything Lombardy

Answer: Como

Although Pliny the Elder died during the eruption of Vesuvius that wiped out Pompeii and Herculaneum in 79AD, he was succeeded by Pliny the Younger, his son, who wrote of the eruption many years later and later acted on the Roman Senate. Pliny the Elder is perhaps best known for writing "Naturalis Historia". Como is also the birthplace of scientists, former popes, and poets. In modern days, it's become an upscale tourist destination known for its pristine lake at the base of the Pre-Alps. It's beautiful enough that it's also contained a number of celebrity homes, notably those of George Clooney, Madonna, and Gianni Versace.

From Quiz Random Italian Facts

Answer: Victor Emmanuel II

Victor Emmanuel II was born in 1820 as Vittorio Emanuele Maria Alberto Eugenio Ferdinando Tomaso di Savoia. Luckily for us he used only two of his given names: it would be hard to repeat all seven of these every time we speak of him. Victor Emmanuel II was a distant relative of Victor Emmanuel I, king of Sardinia from 1802 until 1821. After the abdication of Victor Emmanuel I, Sardinia was ruled by Victor Emmanuel I's younger brother Charles Felix. But when Charles Felix died, this branch of the family was extinct. Via Victor Emmanuel I's great-great-great-great-grandfather Charles Emmanuel I, one could trace relatives in another family branch, the House of Carignano. The seventh generation of Princes of Carignano was Victor Emmanuel II's father Charles Albert, who thus inherited the throne of King of Sardinia. When Victor Emmanuel II ascended to the throne of Sardinia in 1849, he ruled not only the kingdom of Sardinia but also the duchy of Savoy-Piemonte. The rest of Italy was divided between the Kingdom of the two Sicilies (Sicily and southern Italy), the Papal State, the Duchy of Tuscany and the Kingdom of Lombardy -Venezia (a vassal state of Austria-Hungary), plus the Duchy of Modena-Reggio and the Duchy of Parma. With French support Victor Emmanuel II inflicted a defeat on Austria, thus gaining control over Parma, Modena-Reggio and Tuscany. In a second stage, Victor Emmanuel II supported the irregular troops led by Giuseppe Garibaldi to invade Sicily, which led to the unification of The Two Sicilies with Sardinia-Piemonte. This reunified state was now renamed Kingdom of Italy, with Victor Emmanuel II as king and Turin as capital. Later Victor Emmanuel II annexed the Kingdom of Venetia (1866) and the Papal States (1870). Napoleon I was a French Emperor. Charles I was the name of many kings, among others an English king and a Spanish king. Frederic I can point at Frederic I Barbarossa, Emperor of the Holy Roman empire, or at a Prussian king.

From Quiz When in Ancient Rome...

Answer: Ceres

Ceres is a member of the Aventine Triad, along with Liber and Libera, were worshipped on Aventine Hill. There were two different Capitoline Triads who were worshipped at different times. The first, now known as the Archaic Triad, which included Juno, Mars and Quirinus. At some point, Mars and Quirinus were replaced with Juno and Minerva.

From Quiz What A Roman Knows

Answer: Prime

A prime number is a natural number divisible only by 1 and itself. XV11 in Roman numerals equates to 17, which is prime.

From Quiz 20 Shades of Italy

Answer: Isabella Rossellini

As well as having a famous mum, Isabella Rossellini also has a famous dad; her father was film director Roberto Rossellini. Her half-sister from Bergman's first marriage, Pia Lindström, is a Swedish-American journalist. Although she was born in Italy, she also has American citizenship. Originally a model and TV reporter for the Italian channel RAI, she appeared in Madonna's 'Sex' book and the video for her single 'Erotica', and was also a spokesmodel for Lancôme. Rossellini was married to director Martin Scorsese, with whom she appeared in the Italian comedy 'Il pap'occhio', from 1979 to 1982. Her notable roles include Dorothy Vallens in 'Blue Velvet', Lisle von Rhuman in 'Death Becomes Her' and Anna Hauptmann in the TV movie 'Crime of the Century'.

From Quiz Tour of Italy 3

Answer: Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi

Giuseppe Garibaldi, perhaps most noteworthy for his efforts involving the unification of Italy, is known as the Hero of Two Worlds because of his additional work in South America in the 1830s. While he was in exile, he became involved in an incident involving Brazil and Uruguay. Who knew that he was not just a hero in Italy but also in Uruguay?! He is credited with using guerilla warfare to gain the independence of Uruguay, forming an Italian militia in 1834 from expatriates who were living in Montevideo. It was there that his followers wore Red Shirts for the first time. In 1860 his group of 1,089 volunteers, called the Expedition of the Thousand, once again donned the Redshirts in order to free the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies from the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, a branch of the Spanish royal family. Over the course of the invasion, Garibaldi's support grew, and by March 17, 1861, the land had been freed, the people had voted, and the Kingdom of Italy was established.

From Quiz Everything Lombardy

Answer: The Dolomites

The Dolomites are part of three other regions in the northeast of Italy-- Belluno, South Tyrol and Trentino-- and are not found in Lombardy, but there are several other Pre-Alp regions found all along the northern border of the country, notably near Bergamo, Como, and Brescia. The four-kilometre-tall Piz Bernina can be found on the Swiss-Italian border in the Rhaetian Alps and while formally accessed from the Swiss Olympic city St. Moritz, it lends its name to Bernina Pass which connects said city with the town of Tirano.

From Quiz Random Italian Facts

Answer: Dino Zoff

All these Italian soccer players have won the World Cup at one stage: Borel in 1934, Meazza in 1938, Zoff in 1982 and Materazzi in 2006. Zoff (born 1942) was a very experienced goalkeeper when he entered the Fifa World Cup in Spain in 1982. He started his career with Udinese in 1961. After playing several seasons with Mantova and Napoli, he was transferred to Juventus, where he would play from 1972 until his retirement in 1983. Zoff was the oldest player on any selection for the 1982 World Cup. When he started the tournament, he already had played 99 matches for the Italian national team. Italy started with three draws in the first round, and defeated Brazil and Argentina in the second round. They won the semi-finals against Poland and the finals against West-Germany. At the moment Zoff retired, he had played 112 times for the national team. He would later take on a position as head coach for Juventus, for Lazio, for Fiorentina and for the national team. Borel (1914-1993) was a forward player who appeared in only 3 matches for the Italian squad, including the quarter final on the FIFA World Cup 1934. He was the youngest of the Italian squad when they won their first FIFA World Cup. Meazza (1910-1979) played as a midfielder in the FIFA World Cups 1934 and 1938, although he is better known as a forward player. In 1938 Meazza was the captain of the winning squad. Materazzi (born 1973) was a defensive player. In the final match of the FIFA World Cup 2006, he induced a riot with Zinedine Zidane, resulting in a red carton for the French player - although later on the FIFA fined Materazzi, too.

From Quiz Tour of Italy 2

Answer: Po

Surrounded by the Po Valley, one of the most industrialized regions of Italy, the Po River flows eastward, beginning at a spring in the Cottian Alps, and traveling about 400 miles before ended at the Po Delta, which discharges water into the Adriatic Sea. The river flows through many cities, including Turin and Piacenza; interestingly, it is connected to Milan by canals that were designed in part by Leonardo da Vinci. Prone to flooding, the flow of the river is controlled today by dikes and dams. The Po Valley is the site of agricultural production of cereal grains, including rice! It also provides coolant water for power stations that are located in the area.

From Quiz Tour of Italy

Answer: Senate

The exact date that the inscription "SPQR" began to be used is unknown; it was used, however, on inscriptions in Rome by 80 BC during the later years of the Roman Republic (509-27 BC). Meaning "The Senate and People of Rome", the inscription was also evident during the Empire Period (27 BC-476 AD). Even though the emperor's power was absolute, it was still believed that his authority came from the people. The letters were used by Mussolini to advance his regime and they are a municipal symbol of the city of Rome today.

From Quiz When in Ancient Rome...

Answer: Vitellius

Vespasian rose to power militarily after successful campaigns in Britain and by quashing a Jewish rebellion in Judea. After Vespasian attacked Judea, the reigning emperor, Nero, committed suicide and Rome found itself in a civil war. When Vitellius became emperor, some regions of Rome objected and declared Vespasian the true emperor. Vespasian defeated Vitellius by gaining the support of Roman generals from around the empire. This all happened in the year 69 AD, which is known as the Year of Four Emperors.

From Quiz Sardinia: Halfway Europe and Africa

Answer: Taviani Brothers

Gramsci was not a filmmaker at all. In 1921 he founded the Italian version of a 'communist party', became a Member of Parliament and was later arrested by Mussolini's fascists. He died in prison in 1937. His 'Quaderni del Carcere' (Notes from prison) were published in 1976.

From Quiz An Italian Medley

Answer: Francis of Assisi and Catherine of Siena

Pope Pius XII named St. Francis of Assisi and St. Catherine of Siena as the patron saints of Italy in 1939. St. Francis is one of the most well-known of the saints. He founded the Franciscan order and the Poor Clares, and adopted a vow of poverty. He was named the patron saint of ecology by Pope John Paul II in 1979, in recognition of his devotion to the natural world. Francis saw nature as a reflection of God, and called all creatures his "brothers" and "sisters". One famous story tells of a time he preached to a wolf to ask him to stop attacking people and livestock from the town of Gubbio, and persuaded the people to feed the wolf. He was canonized shortly after his death, in 1228, by Pope Gregory IX. St. Catherine was a Dominican, who was active during the time of the Great Schism of the West when competing popes reigned in Avignon and Rome. She wrote extensively, and was entrusted with many tasks by the Pope. Born into a large family, she was reported to have her first vision of Christ at age five or six. Catherine sought union with Christ through fasting and ascetic living. She was canonized in 1461 by Pope Pius II, who was also from Siena. Player pusdoc has visited Siena, but hasn't been to Assisi.

From Quiz 20 Shades of Italy

Answer: Commedia dell'arte

Commedia dell'arte ('comedy of the profession') originated in Italy in the 16th century, although some historians argue that it has its roots in ancient Roman comedy. The characters traditionally wear masks and plays involve improvisation, pantomime and scripted entrances and exits. There are four general types of stock characters in commedia dell'arte: zanni (servants or clowns), vecchi (rich old men), innamorati (young lovers) and Il Capitano or La Signorina (arrogant braggarts). Named stock characters include Colombina, a cheerful maid; Pantalone, a greedy old man obsessed with money, who often wears red trousers; and Arlecchino, or Harlequin, a joker in a colourful outfit. (Pedrolino, a cunning servant, is another stock character.) Fans of the British TV series 'Inside Number 9' may recall that the sixth season featured an episode based on commedia dell'arte, with modern takes on the characters.

From Quiz Tour of Italy 3

Answer: Magna Gracia

Suffering from a lack of natural resources and overcrowding, the ancient Greeks had no choice but to send colonists to other places. They began in the eastern area of modern day Turkey, an area they called Ionia, and migrated to the shores of the Black Sea. It shouldn't be a surprise that they especially favored the southern part of the Italian peninsula, as well as the island of Sicily, since the area was relatively close by and had what they needed - good farm land and no opposition to foreign settlement. Greek colonization not only benefited agricultural interests, it also provided raw materials and new markets for trade. As time passed, the people who came into contact with Greek colonies in Italy benefited from the cultural exchange that took place. In the words of the Roman poet Horace, "Graecia capta ferum victorem cepit et artes intulit agresti Latio". Greece was conquered, but the Greek culture took possession of Rome.

From Quiz Everything Lombardy

Answer: Lacuna Coil

Formed in the 1990s, Lacuna Coil has become one of the most popular names in the goth metal subgenre, becoming the face of heavy-sound bands to feature both a male and female vocalist. For several decades, these were roles filled by Andrea Ferro and Cristina Scabbia, both from Northern Italy (with Scabbia being from Milan). The band's albums never started hitting the major charts (internationally) until the mid-to-late 2000s with "Karmacode". The song "Our Truth", from said album, hit number one on the UK Rock Chart.

From Quiz Random Italian Facts

Answer: Evangelista Torricelli

Torricelli (1608-1647) studied math and philosophy, and later science. He worked for a brief time with Galilei. When the Grand Duke of Tuscany desired very impressive fountains, Torricelli improved the pumps needed, in using mercury instead of water. Later Torricelli filled a 1m long, narrow tube with mercury and put it upside down in a dish containing mercury. The mercury dropped to about 76 cm - which Torricelli than equalled to the pressure of the air above us. He was so excited with this invention that he wrote to a friend "We all live at the bottom of a sea of air". Giuseppe Zamboni (1776-1846) is not credited with the invention of the machine to polish ice rinks. Instead he developed the dry battery. Chiariglione (born 1943) is an engineer active in the field of media technology. He was one of the founders of the MPEG project, which develops standards for the digital compression of graphic and/or acoustic information. Burattini (1617-1681) was a polymath. He travelled to Egypt to explore the Great Pyramid, he proposed a first workable definition for a standard length measurement, and he built a glider aircraft with four wings that actually lifted off.

From Quiz Tour of Italy 2

Answer: Education

After becoming one of Italy's first female doctors in 1898, Montessori targeted psychiatry as her main focus, however, she turned her interests toward educational theory and how to teach children with developmental problems early in her professional career. After becoming co-director of a school that trained special education teachers, she began to observe and experiment with different methods of teaching. She opened her first "Casa dei Bambini" in 1907; it was a sort of child daycare center. Experimenting with new techniques and creating an environment that would spark any child's natural desire to learn, her school was widely accepted and proclaimed a success worldwide just after three years. Her ideas, encompassed in her Montessori Method of teaching, are still valued and used today.

From Quiz When in Ancient Rome...

Answer: Augustus (Gaius Octavius)

Most of the Praetorian guards were elite members of the Roman military who were selected based on performance during war. Duties of the guards included not only protecting the emperor, but also patrolling the palace and the streets while keeping an ear out for any treasonous actions or plots. The Praetorian guards differed in number depending on the emperor and how much danger he believed he was in. Constantine abolished the guards in the 4th century when they endorsed Maxentius as successor to Maximian and fought against Constantine.

From Quiz What A Roman Knows

Answer: 753 BC

This would seem a remarkably precise estimate, given that the BC/AD dating system wasn't invented by Dionysius Exiguus (Dennis the Short) until what is now known as the early 6th century AD.

From Quiz Sardinia: Halfway Europe and Africa

Answer: red cross with 4 Moorheads wearing some kind of bandanna

The one Moorhead might be Corsica! The four Moorheads probably derive from the Aragonese influence on especially the Sardinian Westcoast (Alghero).

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