Italian culture, government, economy, business, foreign trade and Essay

Italian culture, government, economy, business, foreign trade and ethical issues - Essay Example the Mafia and corruption in the government. But take a look now, Italy is at the moment one of the most industrialized nations in the world. It is the second most popular tourist country in the world only next to USA. It is also the world's largest wine producer. Italy is one of the most culture-oriented country in the world. Today, it has given us Antonioni and Fellini (in cinematic arts), Pavarotti and Bocelli (in operatic music), Maria Montessori (in education), Armani, Gucci, Prada, Versace and Valentino (in fashion arts) and Damiani (in jewelry-making). The Duomo cathedral, the leaning tower of Pisa, the Piazza San Marco in Venice and the La Scala theater are showcases of Italian architecture. But the ones who made a dent and established Italy as the center of world culture are the Renaissance artists, intellectuals and scientists of the 14th to 16th century. The Renaissance or rebirth produced a revival of classical culture and a heightened interest in classical literature and philosophy. It Bernini, Titian, Verdi, Puccini, Vivaldi, Rossini, Donizetti, Galileo, poet Petrarch and philosopher Nicolo Machiavelli. In that era the city-state of Florence was the center of the movement where prolific artists, fostered by the ruling Medici family, strut their talents to the fore. Another important contribution of Italy to world culture is the opera. An opera is a "play in which all the words are sung to an instrumental accompaniment"(Art and Man 32). The earliest opera known to mankind was Daphne, composed by Jacobo Peri in Florence in 1597. However, Eurydice, again by Peri with lyrics by Giulio Cacchini and based on the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, is on record the earliest surviving opera. Opera as an art was perfected by Claudio Monteverdi in 1607, who "employed a larger and more varied ensemble of instruments and put a new dramatic excitement and human emotion into the music he composed for Orfeo" (Art and Man 32). Italian Government The Italian government, since time immemorial, is intensely dynamic, intrigue-laden, chaotic and unstable. Because of this and because of corruption in high places, prosperity was greatly hindered. Since the end of World War II, the government was changed 44 times in 37 years. It is said that governments in Italy "form and fall with the regularity of seasons" (Funk and Wagnall's Encyclopedia 185). It is further complicated by the fact that nominally, Italy is democratic but many city governments are run by communist mayors. In fact, the communist party, born in the 1920's, perpetually exerts influence over labor and social legislation. Strikes and street demonstrations are dime a dozen and under-the-table deals permeate the daily

Reading response papers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 9

Reading response papers - Essay Example While Marinetti’s manifesto is obviously motivated by the desire for change, it has the tone of a call-to-arms! It overflows with revolutionary enthusiasm and is written in a highly exaggerated, theatrical style. Marinetti urges men  to embrace speed, war, machinery and danger.  He rejects the past and disregards the future, living only in a hedonistic present. Throughout the manifesto, Marinetti’s love for automobiles, and speed, is evident. â€Å"The hungry automobiles roared beneath our windows (209),† he says. Marinetti gives the car life as a powerful, dangerous animal – it is a snorting beast, and â€Å"a vast shark† (211). He lavishes caresses on it. To him, a racing automobile embodies the very peak of beauty. He celebrates the man at the wheel of a car. The automobile finds mention in points three and four of his manifesto. In this context, it seems somehow appropriate that Marinetti meets with an accident when speeding on his automobil e and lands in a ditch. â€Å"The mad intoxication† of his speed, a Dionysian frenzy, is present in every line of his manifesto. His complete abandonment of reason, and his adamant resolve to â€Å"leave good sense behind† (2010), can but lead to catastrophe, here embodied by the accident. The two cyclists can be perceived to represent reason. The â€Å"love of danger, the habit of energy and rashness† (2011) is sure to lead to mishaps. However, for all its impractical, radical language, Manetti’s manifesto remains a lyrical testament to the Futurist