European Cities Ending in "A" - Italian or Not? Quiz

Answer:

In Italian grammar, cities are feminine, so it is not surprising that so many Italian city names end with the letter "A" - the most common feminine ending. All the Italian cities listed here are provincial capitals; two of them are also regional capitals.

Located in southern Lombardy, one of the regions of northern Italy, Mantua (Mantova in Italian) is one of Italy's most important Renaissance cities, and the birthplace of Latin poet Virgil. Padua (Padova), in central Veneto, not far from Venice, is the seat of one of Europe's oldest universities; it is also associated with St Anthony, who is buried in the imposing medieval basilica dedicated to him. Close to the Adriatic coast, Ravenna is part of the Emilia-Romagna region; a major centre of power in the Early Middle Ages, it is globally known for the magnificent Byzantine mosaics found in a number of its churches. Parma, in central Emilia-Romagna, is much more than just the place of origin of delicious Parmesan (Parmigiano) cheese and prosciutto: it also boasts a number of outstanding monuments from various eras, and one of Italy's foremost opera houses, the Teatro Regio.

The two regional capitals, Perugia (Umbria) and Ancona (Marche), are both located in central Italy. The medieval hilltop city of Perugia is the capital of the beautiful, landlocked region of Umbria, famous for its green landscape and picturesque small towns. Ancona, on the other hand, is a seaport on the Adriatic coast, and the capital of the Marche region; it is an ancient city with important monuments, and regular ferry connections with Croatia, Albania, and Greece. Lucca, in northern Tuscany, lies about 30 km (18 mi) north of Pisa: its historic centre is completely encircled by intact 16th-century walls, now a tree-lined pedestrian promenade.

Located north of Naples, in the Campania region of southern Italy, Caserta is notable for its massive 18th-century Royal Palace and stunning gardens, as well as the production of buffalo mozzarella in most of its province. Matera, in Basilicata, owes its worldwide fame to its complex of ancient cave dwellings (known as "Sassi", i.e. stones), which have often been used as a filming location. The third-largest city in Sicily, Messina lies on the strait that bears its name, separating Sicily from mainland Italy. Almost completely destroyed by a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami at the end of 1908, it was rebuilt in the 20th century.

Of the non-Italian cities ending in "A", four are national capitals of Central or Eastern European countries: Bratislava (Slovakia), Sofia (Bulgaria), Podgorica (Montenegro), and Tirana (Albania). Timişoara is one of the largest cities in Romania; Odessa is an Ukrainian port on the Black Sea; Larissa is located in western Greece, and Antalya in southern Turkey. Coimbra and Granada are located in the Iberian Peninsula - respectively in Portugal and Spain. Drogheda is in Ireland, north of Dublin, while Jena is in eastern Germany, and Breda in the southern Netherlands. Finally, Geneva is the English name of the second-largest city in Switzerland - called Genève in French.

If you have some familiarity with the Italian language, the spelling of some of the non-Italian city names may have helped you in your choice - as in the case of Antalya and Jena. In fact, the Italian alphabet includes neither "Y" nor "J", unless it is in words of foreign origin.