Alexa
Ten-year-old Alexa lives in San Rio, a small town in Italy, the European country that’s shaped like a boot.
“Italy is famous for good food (pasta!), art, and fashion. My hometown is in the area known for parmesan cheese and balsamic vinegar.”
“Last month I had my dance recital1 in this beautiful old theater in Correggio. There are amazing paintings on the ceilings, called frescos2, and gold balconies!”
Home & Family
“Here’s my family! My brother Dylan makes me laugh—he’s a real clown3. We fight sometimes, too—mostly when he messes up my room. Do you like my dad’s motor scooter4? It’s a fun way to get to school!”
“This is my bulldog5, Cluseau, and my horse, Tex Ⅲ. Every morning Cluseau jumps on my bed and smothers6 me with kisses! I ride Tex English saddle, and hope to someday do show-jumping7 like my mom.”
Fashion
Italy is high fashion! Home to some of the world’s most famous designers—including Prada, Gucci, and Versace—the country is also famous for producing the very best handbags and shoes.
“Right now a big fad8 for kids is weaving strands of colored plastic into key chains. We hang them on our backpacks along with Tamagotchis9, which are popular now, too.”
Food
Instead of a cake with candles, Italian kids like to have a big French bread filled with Nutella, a chocolate-hazelnut10 spread.
Holidays
“Every spring my town celebrates carnivals11. Everyone dresses up in costume and there’s a big parade. Each elementary school class picks a theme and builds a float12. Local farmers pull the floats with tractors, and we all dance and throw confetti13 and candies to the people watching.”
“My favorite holiday is Christmas. Some Italian families put up Christmas trees, but most set up a manger14. In our part of Italy, Santa Lucia, the blind saint, leaves treats and toys for children on December 13, but in most of Italy the good witch, La Befana, fills children’s stockings with treats on January 6.”
Curiosities & Facts
★Who hasn’t heard of the leaning Tower of Pisa? The famous bell tower leans slightly less today than it did in 1990, when engineers began work to stabilize15 the tower in order to save it from falling over.
★Pets rule in Italy! Laws in one town require dog owners to give their pets spacious16 doghouses. In another, owners have to walk their dogs at least three times a day. There are laws against dyeing pets’ fur, too.
★The Italian Renaissance17 produced some of the world’s all-time18 great artists, including Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci. Leonardo painted the famous Mona Lisa.
★Long ago, men were forced to fight wild animals to the death in Rome’s Colosseum, an arena19 that sat 50,000 spectators.
★In the 17th century, Italian scientist Galileo was imprisoned20 by the Catholic Church for stating that the Earth revolves around the sun.
阿列克萨
10岁的阿列克萨生活在三丽鸥——意大利一小镇。意大利，这个欧洲国家的地形就像一只靴子。
“意大利以美食（意大利面！）、艺术和时尚闻名于世。我的家乡有名特产就是帕玛森芝士和意大利陈年香醋了。”
“上个月我到科雷吉欧镇那个美丽的老剧院进行了一场舞蹈演出。天花板上有许多不可思议的绘画，叫做壁画，还有金碧辉煌的楼厅。”
我爱我家
“这就是我的全家！我的弟弟迪伦总是逗我开怀大笑——他是一个十足的小丑。我们有时候也会打架
——多数时候是因为他把我的房间弄得乱七八糟。你喜欢我爸爸的小型摩托车吗？乘摩托车上学真好玩！”
“这是我的斗牛犬克鲁索，还有我的马儿特克斯3号。每天早上克鲁索会跳到我的床上，吻得我透不过气来！我骑在特克斯的英式马鞍上，希望有一天能像我妈妈那样进行骑马越障表演。”
时尚
意大利是超级时尚王国！作为全球最著名设计师的故乡——包括普拉达、古奇和范思哲——意大利还因其制作最好的手提包和鞋子而享誉全球。
“时下小孩子们最流行的就是将五颜六色的塑料绳编织成钥匙链。我们将它们和现在同样流行的电子鸡一起挂在背包上。”
美食
意大利的孩子不在蛋糕上插蜡烛，而喜欢在大大的棍子面包（法国面包）上涂满能多益——一种巧克力榛子酱。
节日
“每年春天镇上都会举行狂欢节的庆祝活动。人们穿着节日盛装，举行盛大的游行。小学每个班都要选一个主题，打造一辆彩车。当地农民用拖拉机拉着彩车游行。我们一边跳舞，一边向围观的人群抛撒彩纸和糖果。”
“我最喜爱的节日是圣诞节。一些意大利人家会装饰圣诞树，但大多数人家则会预备一个马槽。在我们镇上，失明的桑塔·露琪亚圣女会在12月13日那天给孩子们留下糖果和玩具；但是在意大利其它大部分地区，是好心的巫婆拉·贝凡娜在1月6日那天往孩子们的长袜里装满糖果。”
奇闻轶事
★谁没有听说过比萨斜塔呢？目前这个著名钟楼没有1990年那么斜了。工程师们早在那时就开始加固塔楼，以防止其倒塌。
★宠物“横行”意大利！有一个城镇的法律要求狗主人为宠物提供宽敞的狗窝。另一个城镇规定，狗主人每天至少要出门遛三次狗。还有一些城镇的法律禁止给宠物“染发”。
★意大利文艺复兴时期产生了一批世界上空前绝后的伟大艺术家，包括米开朗基罗和莱昂纳多·达·芬奇。莱昂纳多绘出传世名作《蒙娜丽莎的微笑》。
★很久以前，人们被迫在罗马竞技场与野兽进行殊死搏斗。这个竞技场可容纳50,000名观众。
★17世纪，意大利科学家伽利略因为宣称地球围绕太阳旋转而被天主教会监禁。
1. recital n. 表演会
2. fresco n. 壁画
3. clown [klaun] n. 小丑
4. motor scooter 小型摩托车
5. bulldog n. 英国斗牛犬
6. smother v. 窒息
7. show-jumping 骑马越障表演
8. fad n. 时尚
9. Tamagotchi 电子鸡，源自日语译音tah-muh-gah-chee
10. hazelnut n. 榛子仁
11. carnival n. 狂欢节
12. float n. 彩车
13. confetti n. 五彩纸屑
14. manger n. 马槽
15. stabilize v. 稳定
16. spacious adj. 宽敞的
17. Italian Renaissance: 意大利文艺复兴，14世纪末从意大利北部发源，15世纪末达到全盛，产生了一大批文化艺术方面的杰出成就。
18. all-time 空前的
19. arena n. 竞技场
20. imprison v. 监禁，关押