History and Culture of Italy

The history of Italy is long and rich.  It began with the settlement of the Italian peninsula by the Etruscans. The land was later occupied by the Romans, Barbarians, Byzantines, Lombards, and others. Italy has been home to composers Niccolo Paganini and Gaetano Donizetti, talented artists like Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, and influential social, political and religious figures including Mussolini, Machiavelli, Victor Emmanuel, and every single Pope throughout history.

Students can do research and make models or drawings of the numerous landmarks throughout Italy. Using clay, Model Magic, Sculpey or a similar material, have students create a small model of some of Italy’s most important sites including the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, Giotto’s Tower, the Ponte Vecchio and the canals of Venice. You may also choose to have them write a brief report on the site to reflect their research.

Have an Italian Extravaganza in which all of these figures come together to share their ideas, inventions, artistic creations, and writings. Assign each student a historical figure such as Mussolini, Leonardo da Vinci, Pope Benedict XVI, Caravaggio, Marco Polo, Julius Caesar, and the de Medicis. Have them dress in character, deliver a brief speech introducing themselves and then allow them to mingle with the other historical figures whom they might not have met previously.

Italian history can be included in a geography, world history, art history or military history curriculum. Below, you will find some interdisciplinary and collaborative lesson plans that can help your students explore Italy’s rich history and artistic past.

History and Culture of Italy Lesson Plans:

Finding Value in the Renaissance

This lesson provides many excellent opportunities to connect math and the arts. Students  become acquainted with Roman numerals, the Fibonacci sequence, and the concept of royal patronage of the arts. Word problems are offered as is a background article.

On the Road with Marco Polo: A Boy in 13th Century Venice

For those teachers covering the explorers, this lesson offers an in-depth look at Marco Polo, the young Venetian explorer. Students talk about thirteenth century Venice, Medieval trade routes, and examine Marco Polo’s life and explorations. Students engage in extensive map work throughout the course of this lesson and those related.

The Medici Popes

In conjunction with its series "Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance" PBS offers this exemplary set of lessons. Students develop an understanding of the complexities of the relationships between church and state in Renaissance Italy. Students are encouraged to make connections with modern leaders, both political and religious, and to analyze the shift in roles and responsibilities over time.

The Rise of Facism

No study of Italian history is complete without an analysis of the country’s role in World War II. This lesson teaches students about the rise of Fascism in early twentieth century Europe, and how it influences the nation of Italy. Students create a timeline and become familiar with the chronology of events which illustrate Italy’s role in the war.