2. MARCO POLO
 He
was a great explorer and jounalist.
 He was born in 1254, in Venice, Italy to a wealthy
merchant family.
 He travelled with his family from Europe to Asia from
1271 to 1295. He remained in China for 17 years. There,
he met the famous Mongol leader Kublai Khan.
 He wrote the book “The Travels of Marco Polo” where
he describes his travels and experiences.

3. Christopher Columbus
 He
was a great explorer and navigator born in 1451 in
Genoa, Italy. He died in 1506 in Spain.
 His first voyage into the Atlantic Ocean at the age of 25
nearly cost him his life. His ship was attacked and burned.
 In 1492 Columbus left Spain in the Santa Maria, sailed
west, crossed the Atlantic and discovered America.

4. Michelangelo
 He
was an architect, a painter, a sculptor and a poet.
 He was born in 1475, in Caprese, Italy. He lived most of his
life in Rome where he died in 1564.
 He had a remarkable career as an artist in the Italian
Renaissance.
 His works include the “David” and “Pieta” statues and the
ceiling paintings of Rome’s Sistine Chapel, including the “Last
Judgment”.

5. Leonardo da Vinci
 He
was a mathematician, artist, inventor, musician and
writer!
 He was born in 1452 in Vinci, Italy and died in Amboise,
France.
 He was concerned with the laws of science and nature and
his ideas and work have influenced many artists.
 Some of his works are: “Virgin of the Rocks”, “The Last
Supper”, “Leda and the Swan”, “Mona Lisa”, etc.

6. Enzo Ferrari
 He
was a motor racing driver and the founder of the
Scuderia Ferrari Grand Prix motor racing team.
 He was born in Modena, Italy in 1898 and died in 1988.
 At the age of 10 he decided to be a racing driver and
participated in many car races in his life. He started his
career with Alfa Romeo.

7. Roberto Benigni
 He
is an actor and a writer, born in Tuscany, Italy , in 1952.
 He is well known for the films “La vie est belle”, “La tigre e
la neve” and “Pinocchio”.
 He is the first actor to win a Best Actor Oscar for a nonEnglish speaking role.
 He has become one of the opponents to Silvio Berlusconi’s
government and policy in Italy.

8. Giorgio Armani
 He
is a famous fashion designer and formed his company
“Armani”.
 He was born in Piacenza, in 1934 and at first he wanted to be
a doctor but he gave up and started a career as a designer.
 He has designed many stage outfits for superstars and the
costumes for more than 100 films.
 He is interested in sports and
 an Inter Milan fan.

9. Monica Belluci
 She
is a very beautiful actress born in 1964 in Citta di
Castello, Umbria.
 She attended the University of Perugia to be a lawyer and at
the same time he worked as a model to earn money.
 She is best known for her roles in the “Matrix Reloaded’ and
“The Passion of the Christ”.
 She is married to the French actor Vincent Cassel and they
have two daughters,

10. Valentino Rossi
 He
is a professional motorcycle racer born in Urbino,
Morche, in 1979.
 His father was a motorcycle racer, too and has helped him a
lot with his career.
 He has nine Grand Prix World Championships.
 He started with Aprilia, then moved to Honda, after that
moved to Yamaha, Then to Ducati and now he has rejoined
Yamaha.

11. Domeniko Dolce
Stefano Gabbana
 They
are fashion designers.
 They founded the luxury industry fashion “Dolce+Gabbana”
in 1982 and in 1985 they presented their first women’s
collection in Milan.
 Their products are: clothing, footwear, handbags, sunglasses,
watches, jewellery, perfumes and cosmetics.

12. Ferruccio Lamborghini
 He
was born in 1916 near Modena.
 He liked engines from an early age.
 First, he set up a small car and motorcycle repair shop. Then
he built tractors, heaters and air conditioning units.
 He was a successful businessman.
 At last he decided to build cars and his first car was ready in
1963 and was a great success.

13. “Euro friends”
By
the Greek etwinning team
21st Junior High School of Athens