The Italian Language

• Italian is a Romance language spoken by about 65 million people in Italy and worldwide.
• It is the closest language to Latin in terms of vocabulary.
• Italian is known for its musicality and has influenced many other languages, especially in the arts.

About Fortitude Valley

Fortitude Valley (also known simply as "The Valley") is a suburb of central Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. The suburb lies immediately northeast of the Brisbane central business district, and is one of the hubs of Brisbane's nightlife, renowned for its Nightclubs, bars and adult entertainment. At the 2011 Australian Census Fortitude Valley recorded a population of 5,615.

In the 1950s, the suburb was the largest shopping precinct outside of a central business district in Australia. Scottish immigrants from the ship SS Fortitude arrived in Brisbane in 1849, enticed by Rev Dr John Dunmore Lang on the promise of free land grants. Denied land, the immigrants set up camp in Bowen Hills. A number of the immigrants moved on and settled the suburb, naming it after the ship on which they arrived. A post office was established in 1887.

1891 saw the train line extended from the Brisbane central business district into Fortitude Valley, and Thomas Beirne opened a business on Brunswick Street. His business thrived and, after extension, he travelled to England in 1896, leaving his manager of two years, James McWhirter, in charge. Soon after his return, McWhirter established a competing drapery business opposite Beirne's in 1898. Beirne and McWhirter became keen rivals and are credited with establishing the Valley as a hub of commerce from the late 1890s.

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