Italy
Background
Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the regional states
of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united
under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government
came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established
a Fascist dictatorship. His alliance with Nazi Germany led
to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced
the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy was
a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community
(EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and
political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union
in 1999. Persistent problems include illegal immigration, organized
crime, corruption, high unemployment, sluggish economic growth,
and the low incomes and technical standards of southern Italy
compared with the prosperous north.
Land boundaries:
total: 1,932.2 km
border countries: Austria 430 km, France 488 km, Holy See (Vatican
City) 3.2 km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 232 km, Switzerland 740
km
Languages
Italian (official), German (parts of Trentino-Alto Adige region
are predominantly German speaking), French (small French-speaking
minority in Valle d'Aosta region), Slovene (Slovene-speaking
minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area)
Chiesa e convento di Sant Anna
Chiesa e convento di Sant Anna was built for the Benedictine
nuns in 1406. The Church was consecrated in 1426. Later restoration
work was completed by Girolamo Ammannati. The Pisan brothers
Giueseppe and Francesco Melani, architects and painters, recostructed
the church between 1741 and 1747. The church and convent of
Saint Girolamo of the Gesuati was incorporated into the complex
from 1668. In 1786, the convent was surpressed and became a
convent school in 1809.
The church is aisless and is home to paintings by Tommaso
Tommasi, Giuseppi Grisoni and Antonio Luchi.
Graffitti and frescoes with the "Life of the Blessed Filippo
Gambacorti" (CXV/XVI) can be found in the cloister.
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