An Italian Vacation Trivia Quiz

Answer: Leonardo da Vinci

Fiumicino (which means 'little river' in Italian) is the old name for what is now generally called Leonardo da Vinci Airport. The airport is located sixteen miles (twenty-six kilometres) from Rome's city center, so it's just a 45 minute cab ride from the city (or 30 minutes, if your cab driver is particularly insane.) I surely hope you know who Leonardo is!

Answer: Santa Maria del Fiore

The awesome red-tiled brick dome (Duomo) was built by Filippo Brunelleschi in the 15th century. It served as the model for future domes in Rome (Michelangelo's dome at St. Peters) and Washington, D.C. (the U.S. Capitol building). Sitting aside the Santa Maria del Fiore is the Florentine Baptistry, with brass doors designed by Ghiberti that Michelangelo deemed 'The Gates of Paradise'. Also attached to the cathedral is a campanile, designed by Giotto.

Answer: Chianti

Although all of these wines originate in Italy, Chianti is the specialty of the Tuscan region. Siena and Florence were great rivals in the 14th and 15th centuries within this region, having fought several times on the battlefield. The rivalry extended to the canvas, where the Sienese greats Duccio, the Lorenzetti Brothers and Simone Martini rivaled Giotto, Cimabue and Donatello in their aesthetic abilities.

Answer: Mortadella

Mortadella is a thick sausage with fatty parts, sometimes containing pistachio nuts and peppercorns. It, along with Bolognese sauce, is perhaps Bologna's most famous culinary product. The city of Bologna strikes the perfect balance between Renaissance and modern, and is certainly worth a visit. You can see Europe's oldest university there.

Answer: Theodoric

Fittingly, Theodoric, who reigned in Ravenna for over 30 years, had his tomb located within the city confines. Incredibly elaborate mosaics, many of which were commissioned by the that good emperor, may be found in a number of locations throughout the town. If you go, which I recommend you do, be sure to visit the Basilica di S. Vitale, the Basilica di S. Apollinare Nuovo, Galla Placidia's Mausoleum and the Neonian Baptistery.

Answer: Leonardo's 'The Last Supper'

Leonardo's 'The Last Supper' can be found in the refectory connected to the Cathedral of S. Maria della Grazie. Be sure to make your reservations early during tourist season! Milan also features the opera house La Scala, its own Duomo (the third largest cathedral in Christendom) and the Pinacoteca di Brera, which contains Andrea Mantegna's 'The Dead Christ'.

Answer: The Bridge of Sighs

Some of the bridges that cross the Grand Canal are the marble Ponte Rialto,
the Ponte Accademia, made entirely of wood, and the stone Ponte degli Scalzi, near the train station. The Bridge of Sighs connects the New Prisons to the Palazzo Ducale, and is not for public use (nor does it cross the Grand Canal.) Venice is lovely to behold by boat, but even better by foot...but watch your step, the city contains few public parks for dogs, if you understand my meaning.

Answer: Giotto

Enrico Scrovegni, the scion of a powerful banking family in Padua, commissioned Giotto, the best-known and most well-beloved painter of the time, to paint a series of frescos on the walls of the Scrovegni family's chapel. Giotto's series of frescos in the Arena Chapel (so-called because of the ancient Roman arena attached to the church) are often marked as the beginning of the modern age of art. You must see these frescos some time in your life!

Answer: It houses Michelangelo's 'Pieta'

Michelangelo's 'Pieta' (he actually did more than one 'Pieta', but I'm referring to his most famous piece by that name) is kept a short distance away in St. Peters in the Vatican. The Pantheon, built originally by Augustus' general Agrippa, and then rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian in the year 126 A.D., served originally as a temple for all the Roman gods (thus its name, which means 'all gods'). Later, it was converted to a Christian church, and hence preserved throughout the long ages by Christians as a holy site.

Answer: Prego

'Grazie' means 'thank you', while 'prego' is the word for 'you're welcome' (not just a canned spaghetti sauce!) In general, Italians are very polite...you may hear 100 grazies and pregos for each day you stay in Italy. Let's hope we can return there soon enough.