Bagley

Jacob Bagley

Mrs. Raymond

uwRT

1103-E03

October

B,2Al4
Dreams of Italy

Italy has been home to many important events throughout history. Some credit it with
being the birthplace of the renaissance movemento or the homeland forthe incredible Roman

Empire. Some remember it as the setting of many Shakespearean plays such as the iconic Romeo
and Juliet. While others,like myself,love Italy for
reason to appreciate Italy, there is much more

it's amanngcuisine. While

those are all good

and knowledge belowthe surface of

it

often romanticized appearance.

The Coliseunl the Leaning Towy'r of Pis4 or the Canals of Venice might be the most
famous remnants of Italian history
most important to ltaly. Leonardo
man. He was ao incredible i

Wright Brothers, and

but it's really the things that we can't see today that are

{a Vinci,

who was born in Vinci Italy, was ,&e Renaissance

and artist. He designed flying machines 400 years before the

of the world's most famous paintings, Mona Lisa. His

knowledge made him one of the most influential people in history, and his ingenuity still shines
a, \,

It'

bright today.
Apart from the famous sites and people, many other aspects are instantly recognizable.
Their national flag can probably be seen flying at your loealpizzeia down the sffeet. The red,

white and green flag is almost instantly recognizable (unless shown next to the Irish flag

of

course) and has a much younger history than one might realize. While the color scheme of red,

white and green originally did not show up until the late 1700's. An eagle was displayed in the

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Bagley

middle white stripe during Napoleons reign and an axe was displayed during the Fascist's
takeover. It wasn't until 1946 that all of Italy adopted the flag that we see today. There are
several interpretations of what the flag means, but one that can be easily argued is that the green
represents Italy's beautifi.rl landscape. The white represents the snow-covered Alps to the
and the red stands for the bloodshed that brought the independence of Italy as a

I have always loved Italy. Before I everr

reatizedttt;;; ftd;

nation

in me,

nor$

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visit Italy. I loved every aspect of the culture, from the food to the Ferrari's. I dream of living in
Italy one day, and even though some of my ancestors were &om Italy, it would be impossihle for
me obtain Italian citizenship througfu them. I could obtain Italian citizenship if my ancestor had
come to America after 1948, but since he came iu
have recent Italian blood in me.

fte early 1700's I am unable to claiqthat I

I would either have to have been horn on Italian soil, or marry an

Italian citizen. And while it's too late for me to be born in Italy (if only Ais whole life were a
dream and

I could wake up in Milan) I could obtain citizensirip though through naturalization. I

would have to legally live in Italy for l0 years,'and after that (assuming all paperwork checks
out) I could become an Italian citizen. This may not seem like a viable solution now; it would
honestly be a dream come true if I could live in Italy for apart of my tife.

illtj"

160\,

Bagley
Works Cited
"Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci.' Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2014. Web. I

"History of the Italian Flag." Life in ltoly.N.p.20t2. \Meb l1 Oct. 2014.

"Citizenship" Farnesinaw3c. zll4.Web.

I Ost. 2014

Oct. 2014.