As our one year anniversary of retiring in Italy (October 1) rapidly approaches, I was thinking about what I have learned in the past year. Following is my top 20 in no particular order:
1. Unless it is so warm that Seattleites would be complaining about a heat wave, Italians think it is cold and wear warm jackets, scarfs, hats and gloves.
2. A corollary to number 1: Unless it is at least 90 degrees, Italians will ask you to shut the window on the train or bus because
3. Italians believe that sitting in a breeze will give you a cold.
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| The Italians are in the warm coats and scarfs, Tom and I were wearing t-shirts! |
4. If you go out with wet hair, a nonna will scold you and tell you that you will catch a cold.
5. Unless you are at a street market (and maybe not even then) NEVER pick up the merchandise while shopping. Let the attendant do that for you.
6. Never rely on an Italian website for information about bus/train schedules, opening hours, etc. because the websites are often out of date. Example: showing up in Torino for the 4:30 bus listed on the online schedule to be told "solemente nel'estate" (only in summer).
7. Grey's Anatomy is on Italian TV every night, and is actually more interesting dubbed in Italian.
8. Italians do not wait in line. Channel your inner Italian to elbow your way onto crowded buses, elevators, etc. If you stand aside politely, you will never get on board. When entering a store, bank, office--look for a machine dispensing numbers which have become very common as a solution for the anti-queuing mentality.
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| No lines, no numbers= chaos getting into the giostra di Saracino |
9. Italians have a different concept of personal space. In the U.S. we like a large personal space zone and don't want that invaded, but Italians are more up close and personal. It isn't rude for an Italian to bump someone on the sidewalk or in a store--they don't consider incidental contact a problem the way Americans do. They walk straight at you on the sidewalk and it feels like they will mow you down, but they will go around you if you don't move out of the way.
10. "Italia's Got Talent" does not in any way establish the veracity of the title. And made in Italy TV is actually worse than US tv--who would have thought it possible?
11. Italians have opinions about U.S. government and foreign policy which they are very willing to share, and many will warm up to you if you mention how much you disliked Bush. They know far more about the US than the average american knows about Italy. They like Obama so you don't have to pretend to be from Canada anymore.
12. Italians have two ways of talking: loud and louder. Even at 2 am conversations are held full volume on the street. And there is lots of singing.
13. Pizza and pasta at a hole in the wall in Italy is better than the same dishes at an expensive restaurant in the US.
14. Italians are loyal to their portion of their home town first (their contrada or quartiere) then to their town, then their area. They generally think that their birthplace is the piu bello (most beautiful) and you should always agree whether you do or not. The answer to "Do you like Tuscany or Umbria better" depends on whether the questioner is from Tuscany or Umbria, not on which you personally prefer.
15. Thankfully, Starbucks will never make any inroads here. The 1.10 euro espresso (price government regulated) at the bars all over Italy is better than Star$$s' high priced choices.
16. The combination of US banking regulations and Italian laws make it virtually impossible for a US citizen without dual citizenship to open a bank account, but the Charles Schwab bank card allows you to withdraw enough cash without any transaction or ATM fees.
17. Beer with pizza, wine with everything else! But Italians generally drink only 1 glass of wine at dinner--at most 2--not the whole bottle in one sitting.
18. When they accept you, they will do anything and everything for you and it is great!
19. There is always a sagra or a festa some-where! And there will be food and wine!
And, finally,
20. Call it a siesta and naps are not just for kids!
Can't wait to see what we learn in the next year (maybe how to fix the spacing on the blog). I bet it will involve food and wine.
Ciao i miei amici.
