Italy is a country that has presented the world with a huge number of brilliant artists, thinkers, composers and poets. Italian culture is considered an integral part of the global culture, since many of the achievements of Italians in music, architecture, theater and painting have had a significant impact on the formation of the cultural characteristics of neighboring countries.
Even before the formation of Ancient Rome in the territory of modern Tuscany, national traditions of the Etruscans arose, which laid the foundation for the emergence of Italian culture as a whole. The fall of the Roman Empire led to its decline, and only in the middle of the 11th century did the culture of Italy find its rebirth. The heyday of Italian architecture, painting and music falls on the 14th century, which left the world many famous names.
At the heart of the concept of "culture of Italy" there are three most important time periods:
- The era preceding the Renaissance and bore the name of the Proto-Renaissance (13-14 centuries). Of the famous names of that time, such names as Dante Alighieri (poet, founder of the literary Italian language, author of "Divine Comedy"), Francis of Assisi (famous figure of the Catholic Church), Marco Polo (traveler and discoverer from Venice) and others came to us.
- The Renaissance or Renaissance (late 14-16 centuries) is known by the following names of cultural creators: Leonardo da Vinci (great scientist, inventor, artist, sculptor), Giordano Bruno (philosopher, poet, propagandist of materialism), Nikola Machiavelli (thinker, philosopher, writer, a prominent politician), Michelangelo (painter, poet, architect, sculptor), Galileo Galilei (scientist, astronomer and philosopher) and others.
- The era of the High Renaissance (the end of the 16th - 17th centuries) became a kind of transitional period from ancient times to the present. At the beginning of the 17th century, the culture of Italy undergoes significant changes, the Renaissance is gradually giving way to a new architectural and artistic style called "Baroque", which is translated from Portuguese as "a pearl of irregular shape." Baroque was not just a new trend in the art and culture of Italy. Baroque in a broader sense is a special science, philosophy, worldview of a person of modern times. The man of the Baroque era rejects naturalness, identified with unceremoniousness, savagery and ignorance. An Italian man of the 17th century is certainly a well-dressed, perfumed gentleman, possessing self-confidence and calmness. A woman of the Baroque period cherishes the pallor of her face, does not go out without pulling her waist in a corset and without putting on heels. The main entertainment events of the end of the High Renaissance era were the pilgrimages to the holy places that replaced the walks in the parks and gardens, balls and masquerades, knightly tournaments gave way to horseback riding and card games.
Despite the small size of the country, each of its provinces has its own unique traditions. The most "Italian" city is considered to be Florence. It, like in no other corner of the country, reflects the national culture of Italy. One has only to take a walk through the many narrow streets of the city in order to catch the special atmosphere of his life. Florence gave the world such names as Nicola Machiavelli, Marco da Galliano, Michelangelo, Dante Alighieri, Leonardo da Vinci.
The rich centuries-old heritage of the ancestors, as well as the modern culture of Italy, attracts a huge number of travelers, historians and connoisseurs of high art to this country. Today, Italy is one of the countries most visited by tourists, and its rich cultural heritage is stored not only in the country's national museums, but also in the best galleries in the world.
