Letter #264 from Italy

Letter #264 comes from Nicole in Italy.She told us that she sent us a letter a while back,but unfortunately it never arrived,so I am really glad that she decided to send another letter that was finally received by us.Nicole also goes by the nicknames Nikki or Nicchan.Nicole is 17 years old and lives with her parents and younger brother.She also a three year old kitty named Tom Tom and even though she acts like a little devil,she always makes Nicole laugh,especially when she sleeps and the cat goes into all these strange positions while asleep.

Nicole loves listening to music,drawing,reading books and comics and photography and of course,snail mail.I think she requested to be penpals with my oldest daughter,so I will have my daughter write to you as soon as she can.

Along with Nicole's lovely letter,she sent us a beautiful postcard of her hometown,which was founded in 268 B.C. by the Romans as a colony and is now a tourist area.On the postcard is the Arch of Augustus that the Emperor Augustus had built in 27 B.C. to celebrate a battle he won.It  must be an amazing thing to see in person!Thanks so much Nicole for the lovely letter and postcard,which can be seen below:

Letter #132 from Italy

Letter #132 comes from Massimo in Italy.Masssimo was born in Florence,Italy,but currently lives in Belgium,but shared with us information about Italy.

Italy is located in south central Europe and like everybody already knows,it's shaped like a boot,which makes it easy to find on a map. :) To the north,it borders France,Switzerland,Austria and Slovenia, along the Alps.The south consists of the Italian Peninsula,Sialy and Sardegnor,which are the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea,along with many other islands.The territory of Italy covers 116,347 square miles  and has a temperate climate.Italy is the sixth most populous country in Europe and the twenty third most populous country in the world.

The capital of Italy is Rome and was the political center of western civilization for centuries.Ceturies later,Italy became the birthplace of the Renaissance.Modern Italy is a democratic republic and the president is Giorgio Naplolitano.Italy is also ranked the 23rd most developed country.It's also a founding member of what's now the Europeam Union and is part of the Eurozone.The Apenine Mountains form the peninsula's backbone.Italy's highest point is Mount Blanc,which is 15,782 feet high.Italy's longest river is the Po River,which flows from the Alps on the western border with France and crosses the Padan Plain on its way to the Adriatic Sea.

The five largest lakes of Italy are: Garola Lake,Maggiore Lake,Trasimeno Lake, and Bolsena Lake.There are fourteen volcanoes in Italy,three of which are active: the Etna,Stromboli and Vesuvius.The Vesuvius is the most famous for the destruction of Pompei and Herculanum.Several islands and hills of Italy have been created by volcanic activity.

Italy is subdivided into 20 regions,110 provinces and 8,100 municipalities.Massimo also listed all the regions and their capitals for us.The largest religion of Italy is Roman Catholicism.Most Italians believe in God or a form of spiritual life form.

Italian cuisine is noted for its regional diversity,abundance of difference in taste and is known to be one of the most popular in the world.Ingredients and dishes vary by region.Cheese and wine are the most important part of the cuisine.Italian cuisine is also well known for its use of a diverse variety of pasta.There are hundreds of different shapes of pasta.Coffee has also become important to Italian cuisine,with many types,such as espresso,cappucino,cafelatte,etc.The most famous Italian dessert is called tiramisu,which we haven't yet tried,but looks fabulous!Tiramisu literally means "pull me up" and is often given to people who are recovering from sickness to make them strong again,or to "pull them back up".

Florence is the capital of Tuscany and is the most populous city in the region and is known for its history and importance in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance,and especially for its art and architecture.It is also the birthplace or chosen home of many notable historic figures,including Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo,just to name a few.The best well-known site is the domed cathedral of the city,called Santa Maria del Flore.In 1982,the historic center of Florence was declared a World Heritae site by the UNESCO.Florence has many beautiful and important things,buildings and places.The Ponte Vecchio is a Medieval bridge that is still popular today,especially with women since there are many jewely shops located there,along with oneof the finest art museums on the world.

Massimo has shared so much information that we loved reading about and has also enclosed a lovely calendar for next year and two wonderful postcards.I really feel that if we ever get the chance to visit Italy,we will already know so much in advance about the country,along with some places that we should see,especially the bridge with the jewelry shops. ;)

The letters we have been receiving have been so great at explaining the culture,food and shops of the area that we feel that we could visit any of those places with knowledge that most people might not have before visiting the country.Even if we never visit that particular country or state we have gotten a letter from,we still feel we have so much knowledge about the area and got a real feeling of being there that one cannot explain from these letters.The letters have been so well written and we always look forward to our next "trip" that our next letter takes us to.Thanks Massimo for the great letter,postcards and calendar,which can be seen below:

Letter #130 from Italy

Letter #130 comes from Aurora in Italy.She is the cousin of another letter writer,Manuela (letter #66).She is 8 years old and is in her third year at elementary school.She has one younger sister and she says that her grandmother lives just downstairs.That must be really nice to get to see your grandma everyday.

Aurora also has two dogs and one cat.Her cat just had babies last month and she says she really loves them.She also told us that she will be receiving her first Holy Communion next month,so she is really excited about that.I can remember mine very vividly because I was the only girl to have a dress with long sleeves on a hot day and I was so jealous of all the other girls dresses that looked like wedding dresses.

Aurora also drew us a wonderful picture of her village.It looks like she lives very close to a castle,which must be really amazing!I think I read somewhere that we do have a castle or two in the US,but I forget where.I would love to see the inside of a real castle one day.

Thanks Aurora for your beautiful letter and drawing!We really loved it!We love letters from kids!She also included a printout about the Holy Communion.Thanks so much Aurora!Look below for her letter and picture:

Letter #66 from Italy

Letter #66 comes from Manuela in Italy.Manuela is a student and studies languages and tourism sciences.Her major is English,so she is practicing writing in English.She lives in the northwest part of Italy,which is near France's border line.She says she can get to the south of France in less than 2 hours.The city where her university is located is called Torino,which is also where the Fiat Group was born.She said that on March 17th,the country was celebrating their 150th year of Italian Unification and have lots of celebrations.I'm hoping she had a great time since it has already passed.She also says that Torino was the first Italian capital in 1861 because the Savoy King lived there.

She says that Tourino is one of the greatest cities she's ever seen and has shared with us some history of the city.Turin(also known as Torino,of course) was annexed by France in September 1802.Turin was the prefecture of the French department of Po from 1802 till the fall of Napoleon in 1814,when the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sadinia was restored with Turin as its capital.In 1871,the Frejus Tunnel was opened,making Turin an important commnication node between Italy and France.The city in that period had 250,000 inhabitants.She says that some of the most iconic landmarks of the city,such as the Egyptian Museum,The Mole Antonelliana,the Grand Madre di Dio Church and the Piazza Vittorio Veneto were built in that period.In 1865 the capital was moved to Florence and since July 8,1871 the capital has been Rome.

She also says that in 1899 Fiat was founded and Lancia in 1906.The Universal Exposition held in Turin in 1902 is often considered the pinnacle of Art Nouveau design and the city hosted the Exposition again in 1911.By that time,the city had 430,000 inhabitants.The symbol of Turin is the Mole Antonelliana,which is named after the architect who built it,Alessandro Antonelli.Construction began in 1863 as a Jewish synagogue.It now houses the National Museum of Cinema and it is believed to be the tallest museum in the world at 548 feet high.

Turin is also home to the Shroud of Turin,which is a linen cloth bearing the image of what is believed to have the image of a man who appears to have suffered physical trauma,such as a crucifixion.It is kept in the royal chapel of of the Cathedral of Saint Johnthe Baptist in the city center.Many people believe it to be a depiction of Jesus Christ,but there is great debate supporting it and not supporting that it is him.It's a symbol of religious devotion and is one of the city's main symbols and tourist attractions.

Thanks so much Manuela for your fascinating letter about your city.We also enjoyed all the stamps on the letter...very cute. :) Thanks so much for writing.Also,she was very creative with the envelope and made it from a map of her city.Enjoy her letter and postcard of her city at night below: