Federal income tax rates in Italy vary from 23% on the lowest income to a high of 43% over $56,000 earned in a year.
Regional income tax depends on the region of residence. The regional income tax rate ranges from 1.23% to 3.33%.
Italian Popular Music
The Sabremos Festival in Italy has been held since the end of WWII. It was the precursor to Eurovision.
The Italian winner of Eurovision in 2021 is very popular in Europe. ZITTI E BUONI by Måneskin. They also sing MAMMAMIA.
For the current Eurovision the Italian submission is Volevo Essere Un Duro sang by Lucio Corsi.
Tutti L’italia will be sung by Gabry Ponte from San Marino, an independent country surrounded by Italy.
Estonia submitted a song in Italian this year but is making fun of Italy and not even pronouncing it correctly. Espresso Macchiato by Tommy Cash.
So there are three submissions in Italian.
Il Volo, an Italian operatic pop trio, sings classic opera like ‘O Sole Mio. The Italian is Neopolitan which comes from Naples. We listened to it while driving through the countryside. Elvis Presley made this tune famous and recognizable with his song It’s Now or Never.
Music Neomelodica is a new music genre which is looked down upon by the people of northern Italy much like rap was when it came out. The sound is very dramatic and nostalgic.
Here is an example: Un Nuovo Bacío by Gigi D’Alessio. Our guide, Andrea, says that this song is great for karaoke since it is very singable.
The Sicilian by Mario Puzo is a recommended movie.
Sicily has 150 active archeology sites.
Sicilians have been planting olive trees since Greek times. The Greeks considered olive trees to be a gift from the Gods, especially Athena.
Archaeological Museum of Agrigento
Flat bottom ships had sand put in the bottom to prevent the breaking of wine and olive oil jars.
Cremation was more expensive than burying.
The centerpiece of the museum was one of the giant Atlases that originally held up the massive Temple of Zeus that we visited later.
The Greek key, also known as the meander, is a decorative motif consisting of a repeating, interlocking, maze-like pattern. It is a continuous, winding design often used in architecture, pottery, textiles, and other art forms.
The Greek statue represents the perfect boy. This Marble state is made from marble from Athens and was found in a cistern.
This town was called Girgenti until Mussolini renamed it for a more Italian name in 1927. He wanted to Make Italy Great Again. Sound familiar?
Temples were built to last forever and placed on the highest ground for better defense. The acropolis is the high place. Temples face the rising sun.
People came to the temple for free food. Profane is the name for the area outside the temple where the common people would gather. Only the priests were allowed inside.
Valley of the Temples
The UNESCO site was planned to be the grandest Greek City. It was built in the 5th century BC which was the Greek golden age.
Small boats followed along the shore. When seaman learned that the northern star was fixed and could be used for navigation, they ventured out further to sea.
There wasn’t enough food for a growing population in Rhodes and Crete so they came to Sicily.
Fifteen temples were built in 74 years. They did not use cement. That was used later on Roman structures. They used holes and dowels, ramps to transport and then pulleys to put into place. A u-shaped groove was used to hoist the heavy blocks. They used the same design because they were under pressure to build. There was no time for innovation.
The Temple of Concordia had 6×13 columns and was constructed in 469 BC. About the time that archeologists located this temple, Washington DC was being built, and this served as an inspiration. It was conventionally named after Concordia, the Roman goddess of harmony, for the Roman-era Latin inscription found nearby, which is unrelated to it. Christians took over the temple so it was maintained. It is the best preserved Doric temple in the world.
When the dirt was removed from around the columns, they were fluted from top to bottom. Then they put on the plaster. And then they were brightly painted.
We stayed in a beautiful 13th century hotel on the outskirts of Agrigento.
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