Lesson video

Hello, geographers, it's Mr. Robertson here, and I'm really excited that we are here at Lesson 3 of Europe.

What is life like in northern Italy? In our first lesson, we looked at the location of northern Italy, and we planned a route there.

In our last lesson, we began to look at the human and the physical features of northern Italy.

Today, we focus right down on village life in northern Italy.

So are we ready to go and investigate these villages of northern Italy? Have we got on our geography caps? Are we all kitted out in our explorer rucksacks? And are we ready to go? By the end of today's lesson, you will be able to use different sources of information to investigate and compare different villages in northern Italy.

As always, we have some keywords today.

I will say the keyword first, and then I'd like you to repeat it back to me.

So our first word is climate.

Perfect.

Next, we have weather.

That's good to me.

Settlement.

Perfect.

Population.

Amazing.

And, finally, latitude.

Really good.

Some of these keywords have come up before.

Let's find out what they mean, shall we? So climate is an average of weather conditions such as rain, sun, and wind in a place taken over a long period of time.

And by that, we mean usually 30 years or more.

Weather of a place is the day-to-day condition of the atmosphere.

For example, whether it's sunny, snowing, warm, et cetera.

Settlements are places where groups of people live and work.

The population is the total number of people living in a particular area.

And lines of latitude are imaginary lines on Earth showing the position north and south of the Equator, measured in degrees.

We're going to be using all these keywords as we progress through this lesson.

So our lesson today is all about village life in northern Italy, and this lesson has got three parts.

For the first part, we're going to look at this question, what are the villages like in northern Italy? Secondly, we're going to move on to, how does the climate vary in northern Italy? And, finally, we're going to say, we're going to ask, how do villages in northern Italy differ? So lots to do.

Really excited to get going.

Are we ready? Let's go! So before we begin our investigation, we're going to ask a question.

Here are some photographs, and these are photographs of villages that can be found in northern Italy.

But what is a village? What do we mean by this geographical term? I want you to look at the pictures for some clues, and then I'm gonna ask you to turn to your geography buddy and see what you can come up with.

So look carefully at those photographs.

Think about the word village.

What might a village be? Pause the video, have a think.

Oh, some brilliant ideas coming back.

Yes, I can hear people talking about houses.

I can hear people talking about size.

We're doing really, really well.

Let's investigate this in a bit more detail.

So villages are small settlements often found in rural areas, and by rural I mean areas that are not in large cities or towns but are out in the countryside.

A village usually has houses, some shops, possibly a primary school.

You might live in a village yourselves whilst you're doing this lesson, and you might want to think, "Ooh, what do I have in my village?" There might be other facilities such as a playground, health centre, or a place of worship.

So villages can have a small amount of services, just houses, maybe a primary school, shop or playground, or they might have a number of these.

Populations of villages can vary from a few hundred to a few thousand.

If you live in a village, I wonder whether it's a small village or a large village.

We can use different sources of information such as maps, climate data, and photographs to investigate what a place is like.

If you look carefully at the screen, we can see an example of a digital map on the left of your screen there.

We could see an example of a climate map with some climate data on, and we could see an aerial photograph as well.

And all of these different sources can help us understand what a place is like.

Question I'd like you to ponder.

Do you think all villages in northern Italy are the same? And if you don't, what might be the reasons for any differences? Use this opportunity to talk to your geography buddy.

Pause the video and think about that question.

Some of the photographs and maps here might help you.

Oh, some really interesting ideas coming in here.

I can hear people saying that climate might create some differences.

Some of the people saying that villages might be in different parts of northern Italy, and if we look to different photographs we might notice some differences.

That's some really great ideas.

Let's look at this in a bit more depth.

Things such as location, climate, and the physical landscape will affect what a village is like.

You could see from these two photographs that these villages are in very different places.

They're going to experience very different climates.

One there is deep in a snowy valley, and the other is on a coast.

And the physical landscape will affect it as well.

So all of these things, location, climate, physical landscape, will affect what the village is like.

And that's why villages can be so diverse.

Okay, let's check what we've understood so far.

A true or false question for you now.

True or false, all villages are exactly the same? What do you think? Pause the video and have a think.

Let's find out what you thought.

It's false.

Of course, all villages are not exactly the same, but why are they not exactly the same? I'm going to offer you two different justifications now, and I'd like you to think which of these is the most reasonable.

So justification A is that some villages will have lots of facilities such as a large supermarket, a railway station, and a hospital.

And justification B is that things such as the climate and physical landscape will be different from village to village.

Which of these do you think is a more reasonable answer? Pause the video and have a think.

Oh, amazing geographical thinking, geographers.

The answer's B, isn't it? Climate and the physical landscape will be different from village to village, which means that villages aren't exactly the same.

It's true that some villages will have lots of facilities and some villages won't, but that's not the geographical reason we were looking for here.

So well done if you said answer B.

So we're going to look at our first practise task now.

Here we have two photographs of two different villages in northern Italy.

For your first task, I'd like you to think about what differences between them can you see.

I'd like you to discuss your ideas with others and share them and see how many differences you can come up with.

Let's put on our geographical spotting caps and really use what we know to think about this question.

Pause the video, and good luck, geographers.

Wow, what an incredible array of things you came up with.

Here are some ideas that I've come up with.

So I've noticed that this village is surrounded by mountains.

That's made me speculate that it might be at quite a high altitude because I know that mountains are found at a high altitude.

I've gone on to speculate that it might get very cold in the winter because mountains in high altitudes often do.

And I've also speculated that it might be quite difficult to get to or from because it might have some very narrow, winding, hairpin roads to get up to it.

I wonder if you came up with any similar ideas or if you came up with some ideas of your own.

Now, this village is quite different, isn't it? I've speculated here that this village might be on the coast because in this photograph I think I can see the sea.

I've also speculated that it might be warmer in winter because it's closer to the sea and it's at a lower altitude.

And I've also speculated that some people might catch fish for a living because, by the sea, often places like this have grown up as fishing villages.

Did you think of those answers too? Did you come up with any of your own ideas? Brilliant geographical speculating for everything that you've come up with.

So we're gonna move on to the next part of this lesson.

And in this lesson, we're going to carry on thinking about villages in northern Italy, but we're going to think specifically about how the climate varies in northern Italy.

Let's go! Let's just refresh our understanding of some key terms. So when we talk about weather, we are describing the day-to-day conditions in a particular place, such as the temperature or whether it's raining or sunny.

What's the weather like with you today? Maybe you might want to look out the window now and have a look.

Maybe you've just had playtime or you've just come in from home, and you know what the weather's like.

Pause the video, talk to the person next to you.

How would you describe the weather today in your local area? Oh, I could hear a range of different weathers.

Jun's also been doing some thinking about the weather.

He says it's cold and raining today.

Is it cold and raining today with you? Oh, I hope it isn't.

I hope it's either really sunny, or maybe it's snowing.

So weather is about the day-to-day conditions, but climate is what the average weather conditions in a place are like over a longer period of time.

And by a longer period of time, geographers usually mean about 30 years or so.

So the weather might change on a day-to-day basis.

It might be sunny one day, it might have a shower the next day, it might be sunny again the next day.

But the climate is about the average weather.

What do you think the climate is like in northern Italy? You might want to use that photograph to help you.

Think about what you already know about northern Italy.

Pause the video, talk to the person next to you.

Oh, well done, geographers.

I'm hearing some really interesting ideas about what you think the climate is like in northern Italy.

Let's see how right you are and investigate this a little further.

So here you can see a map.

On the map is showing some climate regions in Europe.

We've circled Italy, so you can look carefully.

Looking at this, you can see that the climate in Italy varies.

You can see that part of Italy has got a temperate climate, but the majority of Italy has a Mediterranean climate.

So the climate in northern Italy is similar to but different from the climate in the south of Italy.

Why do you think that might be? Yes, I can hear you thinking that we've got two different climate regions, haven't we? The temperate climate in the north and the Mediterranean climate in the south.

And so that's gonna help understand and explain why we have this different climate in northern and southern Italy.

Another fact which is going to affect climate is latitude.

Now, latitude describes how far north or south of a place is from the Equator.

Look at the map in front of you.

Can you see the Equator? Yes, that's right.

It's the line, the imaginary line, around the centre of the Earth.

If you look carefully, you can see it goes through the middle of Africa, through the northern area of South America, and through the islands of Indonesia.

That is the Equator.

How far north or south you are from the Equator can be shown by lines of latitude.

And we've got the tropics there, the Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn on the map.

And also right at the top in the north, the Arctic Circle and in the far south, the Antarctic Circle.

And these lines of latitude also link to the different climate zones that we find in our world.

Hotter climates are found nearer the Equator.

And you can see that on your map with the red and orange colours.

Cooler climates are found towards the poles, and you can see that in the Arctic, Antarctic circle, we've got the dark blue, and then the dark greens are cooler climates as well.

But climate's also affected by other factors as well apart from the latitude that a place is.

It can also be affected by the altitude.

By altitude, we mean the height above the sea level.

So for example, a settlement on a very high altitude is going to have a much colder climate than one at a lower altitude.

Climate is also affected by terrain, and by that we mean the shape of the land, how hilly it is.

So for example, a settlement in a north-facing slope will be in shadow a lot.

It might be a bit cooler than settlements on a south-facing slope, which will get more sun.

And climate also affected by distance from the ocean.

Generally, places closer to an ocean will have a milder climate than places which are far from the ocean.

So as well as latitude, these three factors, altitude, terrain, and distance from the ocean will also affect the climate of an area.

So let's check our understanding from everything we've just learned.

I've got another true or false question for you now.

The climate in northern Italy is generally cooler than the climate in the south of Italy.

Is that true or false? Think about what we've learned so far.

Pause the video, have a think.

Oh, brilliant thinking, geographers.

Yes, it's true, isn't it? The climate in northern Italy is generally cooler than the climate in the south of Italy.

But why is that the case? I'm going to give you two possible answers here, and I'd like you to think which one makes most sense, thinking about everything we've learned in this lesson so far.

So justification A is the north of Italy is further away from the Equator, and justification B is all of northern Italy is covered in mountains.

Which of these makes most sense? Pause the video, have a think.

Oh, really good thinking, geographers.

Yes, it's A, isn't it? The north of Italy is further away from the Equator, and that means it will be cooler than the south of Italy, which is closer to the Equator.

Now, it is true that there are mountains in northern Italy, but it's not true that all of northern Italy is covered in mountains, so answer B doesn't really make sense.

Well done if you got that right.

So as we've said, northern Italy is generally cooler than the south of Italy, but actually the climate within northern Italy also varies.

We're going to be looking at two particular villages for the rest of this lesson.

We're going to be looking at the village of Ortisei, which is marked on your map, and the village of Vernassa, which is marked on your map.

Look at the two locations.

How do you think the climate might be different between these two villages? What might the climate be like in Ortisei, and what might the climate be like in Vernassa? Pause the video and have a think.

Oh, amazing geographical thinking.

I can hear people talking about Vernassa being a bit further south and nearer the coast.

I can hear people talking about the fact that there are mountains near Ortisei, and so that might affect what they're like as well.

Let's investigate this a bit further.

So Ortisei is a village in the Dolomites, a mountain region in northern Italy.

The village is at a high altitude and has an alpine climate, and that means that winters can be very cold with lots of snow.

And you could see the photograph of winter in Ortisei there.

Doesn't that look amazing? Imagine finishing school and being able to go out and ski.

Wouldn't that be absolutely amazing? I'd absolutely love that.

I love skiing and I love snow.

By contrast, Vernassa is a village further south on the western coast of northern Italy.

Large bodies of water such as the Ligurian Sea, if you remember, we plotted that on our map in our last lesson, affect what the climate is like.

And because of the Ligurian Sea, it means the winters aren't as cold and the summers are hot and dry.

Look at that incredible photograph there.

Can you see that beautiful sparkling ocean? And can you see the harbour with that turquoise water? Imagine being able to finish school and take a stroll or maybe to have a swim in that amazing clear water.

Oh, I think that looks like an absolutely fabulous place to live as well.

Okay, I would like you to check what we've learned so far.

I would like you to name a factor that can affect what the climate of a place is like.

Think back to what we've been talking about over the last bit of this lesson.

Can you remember any of the factors that can affect climate? Pause the video and have a think, geographers.

Oh, I've heard some fantastic ideas there.

Let's see how we got on.

So all of these can affect the climate.

Firstly, the distance from the Equator affects the climate.

Secondly, the altitude, the height above sea level can affect climate.

Thirdly, the terrain, the shape of the land can affect climate.

And, finally, the distance from the ocean.

How many of those did you remember? Well done if you managed to get some of them.

Brilliant work.

So this is our practise task connected to climate.

I would like you, on your map, to locate the two villages we've talked about, Ortisei in the Dolomites and Vernassa on the west coast.

I'd like you to annotate your map to explain how the climate is likely to differ and the reason for those differences.

Why is the climate like it is going to be in Ortisei, and why is it like it is in Vernassa? Off you go, geographers.

Good luck.

Well, what a brilliant amount of thinking you've done.

Firstly, have you managed to locate your villages accurately? You can see I put a red star where Ortisei is up in the northeast of Italy in the Dolomites, and a red star for Vernassa in the southwest edge of northern Italy.

For Ortisei, I've said it has a cold climate, as it is at a high altitude, and that means it is colder and has lots of snow in winter.

Do you remember that photograph of the ski slopes? On the other hand, Vernassa is on the western coast, it's close to the Ligurian Sea, and because of this, it has milder winters and hot, dry summers.

I wonder if you put something similar to that, and well done if you were able to annotate your map with some accurate information about the climate in those two villages.

So we're onto the final part of our lesson now.

In this lesson, in this part of the lesson, we're going to be answering this question.

How do villages in northern Italy differ? Let's go! So recapping what we said in the second part of the lesson, the location, physical landscape, and climate will affect what life is like in each place.

There might be differences in the types of housing, what the surrounding land is used for, and the jobs that people do.

And that makes sense, doesn't it? Because if you are living up in the Alps like the village of Ortisei with a cold climate and a severe winter, your houses are going to be quite different and you're gonna do different jobs and use the land differently than in Vernassa on the coast where it's much milder and there's going to be different ways you can use the land.

Ortisei is located in the Dolomites.

It's famous for woodcarving, and there are many beautiful wooden sculptures and buildings in the village.

You might want to spend some time investigating them, and you might want to look on the internet to see if you could find examples of the buildings and sculptures in Ortisei.

Mountaineers use Ortisei as a starting point for their tours, and today it's popular with tourists for skiing and hiking holidays.

So that means that in winter you might go skiing, but in summer and spring when the snow's melted, you can go for some amazing walks in the mountains.

Vernassa is a village further south on the western coast of northern Italy.

It has a small harbour for boats, as fishing used to be the main industry.

You can see the harbour, can't you, at the bottom of the photograph? And you can imagine at its height that would've been filled with boats, people going out fishing.

It's famous for its beautiful coastline and views, colourful houses, cafes, and restaurants.

We all know how incredible Italian food is, don't we? Many tourists visit each year, and there are no cars allowed in the village.

So I can imagine it must be really amazing to walk around those narrow streets not having to worry about cars, looking at the beautiful coloured houses and having a really great bowl of pasta in one of the restaurants.

The surrounding land is used to grow olives, and it's very steep, and we can see how steep it is.

And, of course, olives make really beautiful olive oil, which is really essential in Italian cooking, and also they're very nice themselves just to eat.

Which of these statements is true for Ortisei and Vernassa? A, the surrounding land is very steep.

B, there is snow in the winter.

C, tourism provides jobs for people, or, D, there are beautiful buildings.

Which of these is true for both of the villages? Pause the video, have a think.

Oh, brilliant.

I know that we're gonna do fantastically well here.

Yes, it's A, the surrounding land is very steep because it was steep in Ortisei around because of the mountains, but also because of the steep coastline in Vernassa.

C, tourism provides jobs for people.

People might work in the skiing and hiking industry in Ortisei, and also in the restaurants and all the work in that beautiful coastline.

D, there are beautiful buildings in both, aren't there? There were the sculptures and handcrafted wooden buildings on Ortisei and the amazing coloured stone buildings in Vernassa.

B, of course, there's only really properly going to be snow in the winter in Ortisei.

Vernassa has a milder climate, so it's not really going to get snow.

Okay, so this is your final practise task.

I'd like you to think about all we've learned about these two very different villages in northern Italy.

And then I'd like you to write a paragraph to explain which of these villages you would like to live in the most and why.

Oh, what a difficult question.

I'd kind of like to live in both.

Now, when you write this paragraph, think about everything you've learned.

You might want to talk about the sort of physical environment, what it's like there and which one you might prefer.

You might want to think about the things that you might do in the village, and you might also want to think about the climate.

How many of those ideas can you put into your paragraph to tell me which of them you would most like to live in and why? I can't wait to hear what you've come up with.

Good luck, geographers.

Oh, what a lot of amazing writing you've done.

Wow, thank you.

Here's an example answer that I wrote.

I would like to live in Vernassa.

This is because it is a beautiful village with winding streets.

It is near to a sandy beach and a sea to go swimming in.

There are lots of nice cafes to visit and get jobs in.

The views are beautiful, and having no cars will make the air less polluted.

Also, I like hot, sunny weather.

Can you see what I've tried to do in this answer? I've used some of my geographical knowledge of the place by describing the village and the streets.

I've referenced the fact it's near the coast by talking about the sandy beach and the sea.

I've used what I know about the jobs and talked about the nice cafes, and I've talked about idea of no cars being with less pollution and the climate being hot and sunny.

What was your paragraph like? If you'd like to live in Vernassa, have you mentioned some of these things? If you want to live in Ortisei, did you talk about something else? Did you talk about the amazing skiing or the beautiful handcrafted wooden villages or the wonderful steep slopes covered in trees? Whatever it was you did, I hope you enjoyed writing your geographical paragraph.

Let's sum up what we've learned today about village life in northern Italy.

We found out that a range of resources, including photographs and climate data, can be used to investigate what a locality is like.

We've learned that different factors such as weather and climate, location and the physical landscape, can affect what life in a village is like.

We've learned that these factors can affect the size of a settlement and its population.

And, finally, we've learned there may be different reasons why someone would like to live in a particular locality.

I've really enjoyed learning about village life in northern Italy, and I look forward to our next lesson when we're going to be thinking about living in a town or city.