When it comes to visiting places, both Italy and the United States have plenty of things to see and

go. In Rome, Italy there is the Coliseum, a huge arena where gladiators used to fight and kill each other. The Vatican City is another sight to see whether or not you are a religious person, but the St. Peter's Basilica and the Square is a sight that will make your faith stronger. In the United States, we have great landscapes such as the Grand Canyon in Arizona or Mount Rushmore, a craved mountain with the faces of Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson and Roosevelt, will make one wonder, how could man do this? If you are in the mood for amusement, the best and happiest place to go is Disneyland, a park based of the characters such as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck where children want to live and adults feel like children in Anaheim, California. The United States and Italy are two countries that have a strong religious background. Although we are similar in many ways when it comes to religious views, the differences are just as big. In Italy, the main religion is Christianity, but the main type of Christianity is Catholicism. There is a difference though in Catholicism; in Sicily and other southern regions of Italy, there is a church called the Italo-Albanian Catholic Church, which is part of the Eastern Rite Church. Eastern Rite Catholicism in Italy, make-up about 0.2% of the country and have about 100,000 members. Roman Catholicism is the highest form of Christian religion and ranges about 87.6% of the entire country with 51,500,000 practicing members. In the United States, Christianity is also the dominating religion, but it breaks down to many types of Christianity. About 78.5% of Americans are Christian, but 51.3% are Protestant, 23.9% are Roman Catholic, 1.7% are Mormon and 1.6% are Other Christian. In both countries, they are other kinds of religions, but they are not many. For instance, in the United States, 1.7% are Jewish, 0.7% Buddhist, and 0.6% are Muslim. In Italy, they number of other denominations

is also low, such as 1.3% are Protestants, 1.9% are Muslims, 0.3% are Buddhists, 0.2% are Hindus, 0.1% are Sikhs and 0.1% are Jewish. In the United States, we have many types of foods, but they come from different regions. In the East, seafood is the main dish, such as lobsters, crabs, clams, fish and mussels. As for soups, chowder is the main soup, but it is served with clams, corn or fish. In the South, the food is considered comfort food which means the food is very tasty, but unhealthy. Dishes include fried chicken, chicken dumplings, mashed potatoes, biscuits, cornbread, grits and desserts that would make anyone salivate at the mouth. In the West, many of the dishes have a Latin influence such as tamales, tostadas, menudo, pozole, and other Hispanic dishes. But the main foods are not exactly dishes, but more like sides. In California, avocadoes, strawberries, tomatoes and other organic foods are very popular and are grown there. In Italy, food is just as important as medicine is. Just like in the United States, there are also different kinds of foods from different regions. In Venice, risotto is a popular dish which contains seafood and vegetables. A dessert called, tiramisu is one of the most popular desserts in Italy, it is made with chocolate, mascarpone, and dark-coffee-dipped savoiardi, or Italian biscuits. In Tuscany, Pinzimonio is a fresh, raw or slightly lightened vegetables served with seasoned olive oil for dipping. Other dishes popular in this region, is Bistecca alla fiorentina, a grilled T-bone steak also called bistecca alla florentina. Fegatelli di maiale is pig's liver that is stuffed into a pig's stomach and baked in a slow oven with stock and red wine. In Naples, pasta and pizza was created is the region of Naples and is one of the oldest foods in Italy. Although pasta was not created in Naples, but it has one of the best grades available in Italy. The most popular pasta dishes include the classic spaghetti and linguine, long pipe-shaped pasta, broken by hand before cooking and usually topped with Neapolitan rag. Some Italian foods are

Americanized such as pizza. Italians do not put cheese; instead they add more meat, whereas Americans do have cheese and meat. Food is very important in both countries. Some holidays are common in both countries such as Christmas, Easter, New Years Day, and Labor Day; although they fall on different days and All Saints Day, but this holiday in the United States is mostly for American Catholics. Public holidays celebrated in the United States are just as important as the bigger holidays. For instance, Thanksgiving Day is celebrated during November and has been an annual tradition in the United States since 1863. It was historically a religious observation to give thanks to God, but it is thought that the first Thanksgiving was celebrated by the Pilgrims and Native Americans, which lasted days providing enough food all of them. Halloween is another American tradition which includes trick-or-treating, wearing costumes, carving jack-o'-lanterns, committing pranks, telling frightening stories, and watching horror films. Fourth of July is a national holiday which honors the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from England. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a holiday marking the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It is celebrated on the third Monday of January every year, which is around the time of King's birthday. In Italy, their holidays are mostly based on religious events, such as the Feast of St. Joseph, a feast day of Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Saint Joseph's Day is the Patronal Feast day for persons named Joseph, Josephine, schools and parishes who bear his name, and for carpenters. It is also Father's Day in some Catholic countries, mainly Spain, Portugal, and Italy. All Saints Day is the day commemorates all those who have attained the beatific vision in Heaven. It is a national holiday in many historically Catholic countries, like Italy. Another important holiday in Italy is its own independence day, but it is called Festa della

Repubblica or better called Republic Day in English. It is celebrated in Italy on the second of June each year. This day celebrates the suffrage in 1946, in which the Italian people were called to decide on the form of government, following the Second World War and the fall of Fascism.