I feel I've done my fair share of Italian bashing over on the common in America thread so in order to redress the balance (and cheer up Carole B) I thought I'd post some of the things I love about Italy that I didn't even know about before I arrived.



Ciobar - oh my word hot chocolate to die for
Nuns - the sweetest people on earth
Men in tight fitting swimwear -
and of course my wonderful abruzzesi daughter

Two more:

courtesy
and the fact you're not expected to hurry your after-lunch coffee

First of all - thank you Yael for noticing that the othr day I 'was a bit down'! It was purely transitory.
But yesterday was fine, and today..well days like today are one of the (many) things that I love about this wonderful country. By that I mean - it's a crisp autumn morning, the sun is 'shining its socks off', I am sitting at an open window upstairs doing my ironing (ugh), but...the view of the mountains that I have is to die for on a clear day like today. I can see a long way up the Valtellina and the Val Chiavenna, There's a mountain in the far distance (that I know is in Switzerland) that now has a 'sprinkling' of snow on the top.
In fact if this weather holds after lunch then I might (another thing I love) just take a leisurely drive up into Switzerland for the afternoon.
With joys like this, who needs the smog and rush here, rush there of 'city living'?

I've done my share of Italy bashing too. I guess I'm going through major culture shock. So - to redress the balance, I like:

Cheap airfares and short distances between countries! I love the fact that I'm in Europe so can very easily hop on a RyanAir flight and go to Sweden to visit the relos or the UK to visit friends there or France to visit my friend in Paris. And the flights are not only cheap but short.

It's also only a short train ride to Umbria or Le Marche to check out a hill town or two.

I also love those little water fountains which we have everywhere in Rome. The water is yummy and it's so civilised to just be able to stop off for a swig whenever you get thirsty.

quote:

Originally posted by English teacher:
courtesy

I second that.

I love the fact the pooch can go just about anywhere with us.

Thank you Yael, this is a very good idea. And very therapeutic.
Time -- not only for lovely afternoon coffee but to savour even the simplest things, like an evening stroll along the river
Cell phone service -- it's the best. Who knew?!
Street markets - buying my vegetables fresh every day from Signora Rosa and her family.
Am in NY and very homesick, and miss my mercato.

CAROLE glad you are feeling better. I was thinking about you and hoping you were.

Unexpected things I love...

What seems to be non stop sun
The people are respectful & nice (Ok I know customer care doesn't exist)
I feel more free to do what I want here
Long holidays are practically compulsary
I can have a glass of wine during lunch without the fear of being fired if my boss smells alcohol on me!
Being late for appointments is tolerated (however I'm always early)
The corner shop letting me owe them the odd € if I haven't enough cash with me
People recognising me on return visits to bars etc... (in Milan!)
No pub culture (as a Brit I found this quite hard at 1st)
Nice teenagers who don't terrify me if they're in a group
Going out for an evening & not having to worry if there will be any trouble in the pub/bar etc..
kids are real kids, not mini adults
Seeing families (that they still exist)
no self analysis obsession which I find is rife in UK
People are happy without anti depressants!
Seeing men be as emotional as women ( I had never seen a man cry 'til I came here)
traditions still in existance
Almost no 'ready meals ' or sauce in a jar in the supermarket ( ok so there are a few but not many)
Having to cook daily with fresh ingredients
no 24 hour or 7-11 shops
Less materialistic people
Not living on credit

I too moan about living here, but in reality I consider this to be home after 4 years & would /could never live back in UK

Ahhh the things I miss...

The way men take care of women, and vice versa.

The way Italy made me feel that whatever I was doing it was enough, and gave me a chance to just sit back and be happy.

People smiling and not having to fake it.

Being the only blonde girl in town.

Fresh food.

500 euro a month for a 2 bedroom apartment, Boston has become the most expensive city in the US.

Espresso.

spremuta d'arancia rosso

inexpensive delicious fresh food

a glass of bubbly is usual for a cocktail

castles

functional, affordable rail system

no football (american football i mean)

a nice blend of modernism and tradition

free munchies during "cocktail hour" that actually are edible and not peanuts

the prevalence of hazelnuts

i could go on and on

I was starting to scream at that other thread - "If you wanted all those things so badly where you cam from why did you move!"

When people ask why we will be moving to Italia the things listed here are what we tell them. I find it gives life a much better outlook to focus on the positive.

You can get a real cafe...it isn't supersized.
You can look at buildings that are hundreds, even thousands of years old.
People will move over to the side of the road if they are driving too slow.
You can go to the bakery and buy 1 roll if that is all you want.

Isn't it strange?
I listed a couple of things that I love about being here in Italy, and then everyone else piled in with a whole load more. Well what is strange is that these are all things I love here too! But hey... am I now taking them for granted?. I suppose if anyone asked me what I didn't like nowadays I would have to list all the opposites of what I love here and that I've put up with in the other places that I've lived.
Does that make sense? I hope I never become too blasee about life here. It deserves more than that.

yes carole, that does make sense. and well said too!

all tiles, no carpets

cheap haircuts/treatments (compared to NY)

Strangely enough - I don't really think my life in Rome is that different from my life in New York. My family growing up, and now I, always cook for ourselves with fresh ingredients. I always ate really well. It would not occur to me in a million years to buy spaghetti sauce in a jar or eat junk food (call me a snob - but this is just how I was brought up). I've never owned a car or been to a "real" mall (don't have 'em in New York either!), I walked everywhere in New York too.


Heh heh - just had to share this (and it kind of relates to having a positive attitude about Italy). I also am one of the rare natural blondes in Italy. I'm also nearly 6 feet tall (OK and I have big boobs - which actually is not such a great thing... ). So I get tons of harassment from the Italian guys. The first time I came here I cried whenever I came home and just couldn't cope with the rude, sexual comments all the time. This time, I'm trying to be more positive. I also listen to headphones and wear dark glasses when I walk around Rome which seems to cut down a lot on the amount of harassment.

Anyway - just now I was coming home from the supermarket with two heavy bags when I set them down for a second. A group of teenagers comes up and the boldest one says "I love you, I want to be your girlfriend - can I be your girlfriend???" (in halting English) I said "Actually, you are a boy - and would look really ugly in a dress" and walked off. The guy's mates all laughed and the boy looked embarassed. Hee hee. I think this could be my new sport. I will have to try the zingy comebacks more often - especially if they approach me in English. ANyway, it was refreshing that he did not just say what most Italian guys say (either in English or Italian):"let's go $%#^$^$#%@!" or some variation thereof.

other things i love: (as the day has gone on more have popped into my head)

not having to spell my (italian) last name a dozen times a day

i physically look like the locals (i don't look like a local where i grew up!)

inexpensive manicures/pedicures at virtually sterile salons

multi-course meals are normal

lengthy meals are normal

Feeling like you're being transported back in time!

riding my scooter past the collosseum!

cappucino's are only 77 cents and are delicious!

you can find a bar or newspaper kiosk at any street!

things are actually closed on Sundays, forcing you to relax a bit!

you meet so many people from different cultures and countries!

the cute nuns and priests walking down the street!

the fresh, unprocessed food everywhere!

Wow, I can't wait to get back there!

Cassi

I. LOVE. THIS. THREAD.

I second that. Helps to remember what you're fighting for.

Returning home after a year abroad to baci, embraci, and genuine affection from neighbors and friends.

Waking every morning to an eye-popping panorama of mountains through my bedroom window.

Everyone walking their darling caneglini in the evening.

Concerts, ballet, opera tickets at a fraction of the price and only a 30-minute commute from home.

Riding my bicicletta and not worrying about rednecks in pick-up trucks running me off the road.

The warm sun on the terrazo, the fresh cool air in the morning, gentle rain.

Pane, insalata, pesce, frutta, verdure

Piazza Vittorio Markets in Rome! (near where I live in the Piazza Vittorio neighbourhood). See my glowing review in Food and wine.

Having lengthly conversations with my favourite fruit and vege sellers at the mercato orientale in Genova over the relative merits of different types of eggplants etc... and asking for recipies for vegetables/fish/meat that I didn't even know existed before living here;

Going from being someone who managed to burn water to being a half-decent cook (or at least, so my generous wife says);

Talking to my neighbours (who are all contadini)...

Losing myself in the old town in Genova when I have spare time;

Making new (Italian) friends and appreciating their outlook on life and family;

Discovering the marvelous places that are in every corner of Italy...

Driving on the highway, or in the crazy traffic of Catania. Usually, it isn't me driving, and I enjoy the thrill, even if it is risky.

My boyfriend's mother's cooking. And how my boyfriend gets mad whenever I visit because I don't want to go out to eat. I would rather have what they make at home.

Seemed like time to move this thread up to the top of the list.

Just got home after six long weeks in NY, which seems unfortunately to be getting dirtier and smellier than ever in these Bloomberg times. It was great to be with my wonderful stateside friends, (I miss them a lot), and to eat lots of delicious ethnic foods....but it is so good to be home - and it really does feel like home now. It's taken a long time, and a lot of work and patience, but now I am greeted warmly in the neighborhood stores when I return to Torino - and, though sometimes I wonder why that should be so important, it means a lot. At times I wonder if my Romanian/Ukranian great grandparents experienced some of these same feelings when they moved to the US -- where their first friends were their Sicilian neighbors...??

UPTER in Rome (ie the Universita Popolare di Roma). I'm going to do some courses to improve my Italian and they are CHEAP.