Things you might not have known about Italy, part 1

-It fluctuates, but the Tower of Pisa currently leans almost 13 feet to the south.

-About the cassock (garment worn by Catholic clergy): It costs $450 to buy one off the rack.

-In almost any cafe in Italy, the price of coffee varies in relation to where you drink it: lowest if you order and stand at the bar, higher if you want to sit at a table, and highest if the table you choose is on the sidewalk or terrace, rather than indoors.

-In the opinion of Italian experts: If you only have time to visit one building whilst visiting Rome, it should be the Parthenon. The gigantic round temple with the hemispheric dome is the best-preserved example of ancient architecture in the world, not to mention a masterpiece of technology and design.

-The Spanish Steps are actually French; the money to build them was bequeathed by a French diplomat's will and their primary purpose was to connect the piazza at the bottom with Trinita dei Monti, the church (which was under the patronage of the bourbon Kings of France) at the top.

-$127 Billion is generated annually by organized crime. 80% of businesses regularly pay the Mob protection money.

-The Colosseum was built in an elliptical shape to prevent gladiators from retreating to corners to allow the spectators an unobstructed view of all the action in the arena.

-Getting lost in Venice is a given. Be prepared: Venetians do not give directions by streets or blocks, but in relation to bridges; for example: "two bridges from here" or "after you've crossed the bridge, turn left."

-In addition to being a master violinist and a renowned composer, Antonio Vivaldi was also--at the age of twenty-three--an ordained priest, perhaps because--coming from a poor family, studying for the priesthood was one way he could attend school for free.

-In the fifteenth century, violin string was used to diagnose skull fractures. Guido Lanfranc--a Milan surgeon--would have a patient bit down on the end of a violin string, which he would then stretch tight and strum. If the musical note was good, the skull was fine. However, if it was garbled, then the patient had suffered a fracture.

-This next one should interest plenty of my friends: the "Hook 'Em Horns" rallying call for the University of Texas Longhorns football teams takes on new meaning in Italy, where raising a fist with the index and little fingers extended is a hardcore insult: a graphic way of telling a man that his wife or girlfriend is sleeping around. The hand signal might also be misinterpreted as a satanic symbol--something five Americans learned in 1985 when they were arrested for making the sign in front of the Vatican while celebrating news of a Longhorns victory.

-and lastly--for now--any pig can become prosciutto, but for a pig to become Prosciutto di Parma, it must be a Landrace or Suino Tipico Italiano breed. But that is not all! It must have been raised on a diet of grain corn and whey, must be between ten and twelve months old, must weigh a minimum of 308 pounds, and must be cured in Parma.

By the way, I found all this info in a book I found at Barnes and Noble in Beaumont. It is called Little Known Facts about Well Known Places: Italy by David Hoffman. They make this kind of book about Paris, New York, Disneyland, and Ireland, also!