Did you know these interesting facts about Italy?

Italy is famous for its sports cars (Ferrari, Lamborghini), and for the Vespa motor scooter.

The Roman army was undoubtedly the best in the ancient world.

Archimedes, one of the world's most famous mathematicians, was born in Sicily.

Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet was set in Verona, Italy.

Niccolo Machiavelli, the famous political scientist and author of 'The Prince' is Italian.

Leonardo da Vinci (1452- 1519) the famous Renaissance painter was also a sculptor, architect, engineer and scientist.

Michelangelo (1475-1564) who painted the Sistine Chapel was also a sculptor and architect.

Spartacus the slave, fought as a gladiator in the Roman Colosseum. He miraculously escaped, then went on to lead a rebellion but was eventually killed in battle in 71BC.

The city of Pompeii was completely buried when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD.

St Peter, one of the twelve Apostles, was the first of two hundred and sixty-five Popes.

The Shroud of Turin is believed by many to be the burial cloth of none other than Jesus Christ.

During the fourteenth century the Bubonic Plague, known as the "Black Death", killed one-third of the Italian population.

Galileo Galilei, the famous mathematician and astronomer was born in Pisa, Italy in the year 1564.

Italy is the birthplace of Antonio Stradivari (1644-1737) - a designer of musical instruments, most famous for his (now priceless) violins.