Italy

The most popular sport in Italy is soccer. The national team of Italy has won the most prestigious World Cup four times in 1934, 1938, 1982 and 2006 respectively. 
Italian football team is the current titleholder. The Italian national soccer team is popularly known by the name of Azzurri for their blue shirts. It is considered to be the second-most successful national football team in the world (after Brazil). Apart from this most of major Italian clubs get the opportunity to compete at the highest levels of soccer competitions.
Soccer is also (together with women...) the main subject of conversation in the city squares, streets, bars and restaurants: especially on occasion of important event it is not rare to see people heavily arguing, yelling and crying to support their favourite team !!

Many of Italy’s festivals and events are Catholic in nature. As there is a saint for every day and a patron saint for every profession, there’s always something to celebrate. Old festivals in cities like Venice date to the 15th century, while the observances held in Rome are much more ancient. Christmas and Easter are both heavily attended at St Peter’s Square in the Vatican City, when the pope traditionally delivers his blessing and a message to the masses.

January  Epiphany: believed to be the day that the three magi found the baby Jesus in Bethlehem. Gifts are traditionally exchanged and children’s stockings are filled with treats by an ancient woman named La Befana. Tradition has it that she was unable to join the magi in their search for Christ, and so she has been roaming the earth in search ever since.

February  Carnevale: for several days leading up to Ash Wednesday, communities across Italy indulge in hedonism before the 40 sombre days of Lent. This is the most lavish festival of the year for Venice, where participants wear elaborate masks and celebrate in the streets for a full 10 days.

March  Settimana Santa: also known as Holy Week, the week leading up to Easter is marked by several sombre processionals. Passion plays and Stations of the Cross are also staged in most major communities. In an ancient Roman tradition, the pope leads a candlelight processional to the Colosseum.

April  Easter Sunday: probably the most important day of the year for Catholics throughout Italy, this is when the Pope performs a traditional blessing over the masses of pilgrims that turnout at St Peter’s Square, in Vatican City.

May  Snake Charmer’s Procession: during this unique festival observed in Cocullo on the first Thursday in May, live snakes are wrapped around a statue of St Domenico and the statue is paraded across town.
Greek Theatre Festival: the Ciclo di Spettacoli Classici is held every May and
June at Syracuse on Sicily. Some of Italy’s finest stage actors turn out to help present a series of classical Greek plays, including work by Euripides and Aristophanes. The plays are held in Syracuse’s amphitheatre, which dates to the 5th century BC.

June  Corpus Domini: held 60 days after Easter, this observance is held in honour of the body of Christ. The Eucharistic bread is put on display and paraded through some city streets. Certain towns also celebrate by decorating the streets with intricate designs fashioned from flower petals.
Festival of Two Worlds: Spoleto’s Festival dei Due Mondi is an arts festival that garners international attention. The event features dance, theatre, music and visual art.

July  Horseback Racing: two notable races are held during the month of July. Il Palio is held in Siena and includes a parade followed by a harrowing bareback race around the town square. Ardia is also marked by celebratory gunfire. The latter race is held to commemorate Constantine’s military victory over Maxentius in the 4th century.
Festa del Redentore: this is an important annual event held in Venice during the third weekend in July. Locals build a pontoon bridge to connect greater Venice with the Chiesa del Redentore and gondola regattas are held. The day is capped with an outstanding fireworks display launched above the Vacino di San Marco.
Nervi Ballet Festival: this international event is held outside of Genoa every July in a little town called Nervi. Performances are highlighted by numerous internationally-acclaimed dancers.

August  Quintana: this medieval celebration, held on the first Sunday in August at Ascoli Piceno, involves throngs of people parading in 15th century period costumes. The parade culminates in a medieval jousting tournament.
Venice International Film Festival: this is Venice’s response to the Cannes Film Festival in France. Held in late August at the Palazzo del Cinema, the festival attracts film stars from around the world and squeezes an unbelievable number of films into a two-week period.

September  Historic Regatta: the first Sunday of September is an important day in Venice. The Regata Storica is a traditional boat race that involves period costumes from the 1400s and historic boats that are raced along the Grand Canal.

November  Festa della Madonna della Salute: this Venetian festival is held on in mid-November and involves a traditional processional over a temporary bridge to Venice’s Chiesa di Santa Maria della Salute. The observance was begun in 1630 by survivors of the bubonic plague.
Festa di Santa Cecilia: this music festival is held every year in Siena to honour Cecilia, the patron saint of music and musicians. Several musical performances are held across town.
 
December  Christmas: the Italian nativity scene is known as a presepi, and this is the most important element of Christmas decorations in Italy. Naples is especially well-known for its presepi and you can even buy your own at some of the seasonal markets like the toy fair on Piazza Navona in Rome. Midnight Mass is held at St Peter’s Square in the Vatican City, where thousands of pilgrims turn out every year.

No matter what do you think about it, never talk bad about Church, Catholic religion, Saints and especially the Pope !!

In a country where police uniforms are designed by Armani, it isn't surprising that the women take dressing very seriously. When I moved to Italy, I desperately wanted to look like I fit in. If you're planning a trip to Italy soon, and don't want to be pegged as a tourist, there is one important thing to remember. The objective of Italian dressing is not to blend in.

Italian women take great pride in putting themselves together - "la bella figura".
They love to look sexy and it is very important for men to notice them on the street. But this doesn't mean overt nakedness. Italian women  suggest a subtler brand of sexiness by keeping their bodies fit and wearing slim-cut clothing. For example,  visible brassiere straps create a look that tries not to be one. The idea is to let your bra strap show but not look like you're trying. It can't be a dingy, elasticated, old-fashioned bra strap either. Care must be taken to purchase a new bra with transparent plastic straps. Yes, transparent, because you don't want what is supposed to show to show too much !!

• It is considered rude to chew gum in public and to eat as you walk.
• In Italy, placing your hand on your stomach (which is a sign of hunger in many countries) means that you dislike someone.
•  When first being introduced to a group of people you should take the time to shake everyone's hand rather than just offering a communal wave.
• It is quite normal for Italians to stand close to one another. You may also get bumped or pushed in line-ups or public places.
• If you are dining out with others, it is considered rude to start your meal before everyone has received theirs.
• It is considered bad luck to wish an italian person a Happy Birthday before the actual date.
• Also, you should be extremely careful when talking about the following topics:

Religious beliefs

Political beliefs

Sexuality

Economical status

Shopping may not be a national past time but it is taken very seriously. The major cities, Rome, Milan, Florence are full of the most wonderful shops selling everything from designer clothes to the newest and hippest furniture to be found anywhere in the world. Milan has its furniture fair every year and furniture makers from far and wide will go there to see what is happening at the leading edge of furniture design. Leather is also a good buy in Italy, Italians know their leather and the finest gloves, shoes, jackets and bags are worn by virtually all Italians. They glory in being chic, and are generally always beautifully turned out.

It's a land full of "Don Giovanni". I am an example.

Just kidding :-)

Italy is renowned for its favourable climatic conditions; due mainly to the Mediterranean sea whose warm waters mitigate against extremes of temperature.
Thanks to its position within the Mediterranean area and its conformation, Italy can enjoy a wide range of climatic conditions.

Thus you can find both a subtropical climate along the coasts of the largest islands and of Southern Italy, and a continental climate.

The Mediterranean climate is the most commonly found. The most important factors that determine its climate are the Alps, the Apennines, the coastal outline, the different characteristics of the Italian seas, and local winds.
In much of Italy temperatures average 24°C all summer and heavy thunderstorms bring the only summer rain which evaporates rapidly.

In summer, the hot weather from Africa moves north to the whole country, carried by the Scirocco, Africa's hot dry wind but surrounded by warm seas and with mountains close by, the coast always has a breeze.

Winters are very smooth in temperature, and in many italian regions the snow is an unkown phenomenon !!