Parklyfe, surely you mean 'extremely' right? Franco is wrong lol :)
What languages should a well-educated individual speak?
A well educated individual should speak a language that will double his cultural knowledge:
It depends on the individual's nationality:
for an Spanish speaker - choose to learn French, Portuguese, Italian, Catalan..German, English.
for a USA English speaker - learn French, Spanish, or any other language from your relatives.
for a Portuguese speaker - learn Spanish, English,
for a German speaker - learn French, Spanish, English
for a Chinese speaker - Japanese, Korean, English, Russian .......
for a French speaker - learn Spanish, English, Italian, German.........
if an individual in USA knows, lets say for example, Hebrew, he is "educated" but only arround his jewish cultural knowledge.
Hopefully knowing more than one language , no matter which one, will make an individual more " educated" .
It depends on the individual's nationality:
for an Spanish speaker - choose to learn French, Portuguese, Italian, Catalan..German, English.
for a USA English speaker - learn French, Spanish, or any other language from your relatives.
for a Portuguese speaker - learn Spanish, English,
for a German speaker - learn French, Spanish, English
for a Chinese speaker - Japanese, Korean, English, Russian .......
for a French speaker - learn Spanish, English, Italian, German.........
if an individual in USA knows, lets say for example, Hebrew, he is "educated" but only arround his jewish cultural knowledge.
Hopefully knowing more than one language , no matter which one, will make an individual more " educated" .
If you're an Anglophone: learn Afrikaans!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQVa3isBt8Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQVa3isBt8Y
Despite my misgivings towards my own country, and the problems we are facing, we own you little iberians Franco. What source do you refer when you make outrageous remarks such as Italy's GDP is less than Spain??? By most definitions of GDP, Italy is always one or two above Spain (see wikipedia among others). I'm not even goign to mention the g8 and all that.
Italy is nearly half the landmass with little natural resources, with the mafia problem endemic in our culture, and the north/south disparity, which does not help matters.
Despite this we are still richer economically and, not to brag, but culturally too. Remember who it was that dragged you out of the stinking middle ages, little cousins. Ha!
Oh, and guess who has the highest number of world heritage sites, bar none? yep-Italy.
IF there is one other culture I bow down to, it is the Greek, to whom we owe the success of our western civilisation.
Italy is nearly half the landmass with little natural resources, with the mafia problem endemic in our culture, and the north/south disparity, which does not help matters.
Despite this we are still richer economically and, not to brag, but culturally too. Remember who it was that dragged you out of the stinking middle ages, little cousins. Ha!
Oh, and guess who has the highest number of world heritage sites, bar none? yep-Italy.
IF there is one other culture I bow down to, it is the Greek, to whom we owe the success of our western civilisation.
The Italian Renaissance followed on the heels of the Middle Ages, and was spawned by the birth of the philosophy of humanism, which emphasized the importance of individual achievement in a wide range of fields. The early humanists, such as writer Francesco Petrarch, studied the works of the ancient Greeks and Romans for inspiration and ideology, mixing the philosophies of Plato and other ancient thinkers with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. Under the influence of the humanists, literature and the arts climbed to new levels of importance.
Though it eventually spread through Europe, the Renaissance began in the great city-states of Italy. Italian merchants and political officials supported and commissioned the great artists of the day, thus the products of the Renaissance grew up inside their walls. The most powerful city-states were Florence, The Papal States (centered in Rome), Venice, and Milan. Each of these states grew up with its own distinctive character, very much due to the different forms of government that presided over each. Florence, considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, grew powerful as a wool-trading post, and remained powerful throughout the Renaissance due to the leadership of the Medici family, who maintained the city's financial strength and were intelligent and generous patrons of the arts. The Pope, who had the responsibility of running the Catholic Church as well, ruled Rome. As the power of the northern city-states grew, the Papacy increasingly became the seat of an international politician rather than a spiritual leader, and many pontiffs fell prey to the vices of corruption and nepotism that often accompanied a position of such power. Nevertheless, Rome, the victim of a decline that had destroyed the ancient city during the Middle Ages, flourished once again under papal leadership during the Renaissance. Venice and Milan also grew wealthy and powerful, playing large roles in Italian politics and attracting many artists and writers to their gilded streets. Venice was ruled by oligarchy in the hands of its Great Council of noble families, and Milan by a strong monarchy that produced a line of powerful dukes.
Perhaps the most prominent feature of the Renaissance was the furthering of the arts, and the advancement of new techniques and styles. During the early Renaissance, painters such as Giotto, and sculptors such as Ghiberti experimented with techniques to better portray perspective. Their methods were rapidly perfected and built upon by other artists of the early Renaissance such as Botticelli and Donatello. However, the apex of artistic talent and production came later, during what is known as the High Renaissance, in the form of Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, and Michaelangelo, who remain the best known artists of the Renaissance. The Renaissance also saw the invention of printing in Europe and the rise of literature as an important aspect in everyday life. The Italian writers Boccaccio, Pico, and Niccolo Machiavelli were able to distribute their works much more easily and cheaply because of the rise of the printed book.
Though it eventually spread through Europe, the Renaissance began in the great city-states of Italy. Italian merchants and political officials supported and commissioned the great artists of the day, thus the products of the Renaissance grew up inside their walls. The most powerful city-states were Florence, The Papal States (centered in Rome), Venice, and Milan. Each of these states grew up with its own distinctive character, very much due to the different forms of government that presided over each. Florence, considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, grew powerful as a wool-trading post, and remained powerful throughout the Renaissance due to the leadership of the Medici family, who maintained the city's financial strength and were intelligent and generous patrons of the arts. The Pope, who had the responsibility of running the Catholic Church as well, ruled Rome. As the power of the northern city-states grew, the Papacy increasingly became the seat of an international politician rather than a spiritual leader, and many pontiffs fell prey to the vices of corruption and nepotism that often accompanied a position of such power. Nevertheless, Rome, the victim of a decline that had destroyed the ancient city during the Middle Ages, flourished once again under papal leadership during the Renaissance. Venice and Milan also grew wealthy and powerful, playing large roles in Italian politics and attracting many artists and writers to their gilded streets. Venice was ruled by oligarchy in the hands of its Great Council of noble families, and Milan by a strong monarchy that produced a line of powerful dukes.
Perhaps the most prominent feature of the Renaissance was the furthering of the arts, and the advancement of new techniques and styles. During the early Renaissance, painters such as Giotto, and sculptors such as Ghiberti experimented with techniques to better portray perspective. Their methods were rapidly perfected and built upon by other artists of the early Renaissance such as Botticelli and Donatello. However, the apex of artistic talent and production came later, during what is known as the High Renaissance, in the form of Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, and Michaelangelo, who remain the best known artists of the Renaissance. The Renaissance also saw the invention of printing in Europe and the rise of literature as an important aspect in everyday life. The Italian writers Boccaccio, Pico, and Niccolo Machiavelli were able to distribute their works much more easily and cheaply because of the rise of the printed book.
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the era, starting in the early 17th century in Italy, that took the humanist Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical, theatrical, sculptural fashion, expressing the triumph of absolutist church and state. The style was characterized by new architectural concerns for color, light and shade, sculptural values and intensity. Whereas the Renaissance drew on the wealth and power of the Italian courts, and was a blend of secular and religious forces, the Baroque was, initially at least, directly linked to the Counter-Reformation, a movement within the Catholic Church to reform itself in response to the Protestant Reformation. The Council of Trent (1545–1563) is usually given as the beginning of the Counter-Reformation.
I definitely respect the achievements of the ancient Greeks and Romans. But there was a downfall in their cultures and achievements in the modern era, and it's possible that modern Greeks and to an extent Italians aren't exactly the same people that the ancients were, something that many people just assume or take for granted. But still, they're great countries today, despite the economic hardships of recent times, and the west carries on their legacy to this day.
The downfall of italian culture started after the country's unification in 1861. it should have been dealt with completetly different. prior to that, we can talk about great cultural standards, known and shared europe-wide.
I definitely respect the achievements of the ancient Greeks and Romans. But there was a downfall in their cultures and achievements in the modern era
idiot, take a look at the previous posts. they were not talking about the Romans. Italian Renaissance with its great Italian cities full or art and worldwide famous artists is only comparable to ancient Greek poleis (cities).
No other European country can boast a period like this in the fields of art, literature and culture.
idiot, take a look at the previous posts. they were not talking about the Romans. Italian Renaissance with its great Italian cities full or art and worldwide famous artists is only comparable to ancient Greek poleis (cities).
No other European country can boast a period like this in the fields of art, literature and culture.
The downfall of italian culture started after the country's unification in 1861
achievements in the modern era
completely false
Italy after its unification was a poor agricultural country (just a bit richer than Spain and Portugal) and it managed to become the 5th most industrialized country in the world in the eighties, even overcoming Great Britain. That's why Italy is member of the G8.
achievements in the modern era
completely false
Italy after its unification was a poor agricultural country (just a bit richer than Spain and Portugal) and it managed to become the 5th most industrialized country in the world in the eighties, even overcoming Great Britain. That's why Italy is member of the G8.
Reality, can you actually read and understand english?
"The downfall of italian culture started after the country's unification in 1861
achievements in the modern era"
The opinion is clearly mentioning the cultural aspects, not the economic ones. Read and think before posting something every 2 year old knows.
Of course Italy was manily agricultural before the unification. Most countries were! They only started getting industrialised in the 1800's.
What a pointless post.
"The downfall of italian culture started after the country's unification in 1861
achievements in the modern era"
The opinion is clearly mentioning the cultural aspects, not the economic ones. Read and think before posting something every 2 year old knows.
Of course Italy was manily agricultural before the unification. Most countries were! They only started getting industrialised in the 1800's.
What a pointless post.