We've just covered no less that 11 pages assiduously stating what we 'don't like' about things here in Italy!
Am I right, or am I right?????

Well I reckon it's about time we 'heard it for Italy' for a change.
So in light of that - here goes -

I'm glad that:

I don't have to wait days to see my local GP. I just arrive and wait my turn.
I don't have to book an appointment to have my hair done. I just turn up and wait my turn.
I don't have to pay for a load of fat etc. on the meat I buy. Iy is trimmed of waste before it is weighed.
In most supermarkets I can choose my own fruit and vegetables. They're not all pre-packed and I'm not served with 'rubbish' from the back of the counter.
I can get fresh baked bread (sometimes twice a day) from local bakers who bake on the premises!
I can still find service stations where they actually 'serve you with your fuel', and will wash your windscreen for you (and not at a traffic light).
My windows in the house all open 'inwards', so no more window cleaners bills.
New cars cost a third less here than in the UK (not that I'm in the market for one...)

Well that's just a few of my thoughts. So let's hear yours now. We've all - me included - chosen to live now (or at some time in the future) in this beautiful country - 'warts and all'. But we must have had some pretty good reasons for making this life altering choice. 'Cos if we didn't, then what the heck are we doing here?
So come on. I'll say it again - "Let's hear it now for Italy"!

Bueno!I am sure I will think of more but not being an EXPAT yet, I am looking for ward to living in a
non US area, #1
#2 to experience a slower lifestyle and really enjoy the uniqueness of Italy
#3 to become a member of and be accepted in a different society where you can be who you are and not be criticized, I do not plan on living in a large city
#4 and to not be sorry I made the decision to come to Italy to live.
I am sure there will be other things that I will not be sorry I left behind!

Ciao!MamaMia OurFutureItaly-Home :moped
My future transportation

quote:

CaroleB:
I don't have to book an appointment to have my hair done. I just turn up and wait my turn.
I don't have to pay for a load of fat etc. on the meat I buy. It is trimmed of waste before it is weighed.
In most supermarkets I can choose my own fruit and vegetables. They're not all pre-packed and I'm not served with 'rubbish' from the back of the counter.
I can get fresh baked bread (sometimes twice a day) from local bakers who bake on the premises!
I can still find service stations where they actually 'serve you with your fuel', and will wash your windscreen for you (and not at a traffic light).
My windows in the house all open 'inwards', so no more window cleaners bills.

Whoa, for a moment there, I thought you were talking about New Jersey where we still have all those things, honest.

Ok, Ok, I DO have to make an appointment with my GP, but if I'm ill, he'll generally see me within the hour. I won't begin to talk about the car prices which are generally obscene, but everything else you describe sounds just like home.

We love Italy, and we love New Jersey , and without a doubt after I join my husband as a retiree, we will spend a lot of time in both places. It's nice to know we won't be faced with too much culture shock. Actually, my husband, who is Italian, thinks New Jersey IS Italy.

(Just a note for those Americans out there who only know New Jersey from the turnpike (and the Sopranos), take a detour and explore our beautiful state. You'll be absolutely amazed.)

Emily

Edited quotation format only. A.T.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: AliceTwain,

I'm glad that:

The wine costs less then water, and it is good!

The bottled water is super cheap.

The gelato is delicious, and I can buy it every day (if I want, which I don't because then I would gain 200 pounds, but it is there...).

I can get in the car and go to some new beutiful ancient location, or another country, in an hour.

I have learned a foreign language.

I have seen David, Pisa, Venezia, Rome, Vatican City, Sistine Chapel, Cinque Terra, Pompeii, and numerous other beautiful treasures, and locations I always dreamed to see.

I survived Napoli. (hehe)

You can still go to the beach in Calabria and it is November.

My husband gets the whole month of August for holiday.

My health care is *free*.

My husband is Italian.

I love the fact that.....

Christmas starts in December & not in early November

The food & wine is soooo good , no additives, colouring etc.... and it's affordable.

Meals are not substituted by chocolate bars & crisps/chips

Materialism seems to be a lot less here (why are all my UK friends obsessed with designer label clothes?)

Traditions are still alive & kicking

Kids are politically aware (ask A UK kid about politics - I guarantee no idea)

The family still exists,they respect each other & eat together

I don't have to wait up to 12 months for a hospital visit

I can buy my contact lenses anywhere even if I haven't my prescription in my hand

I can eat out anywhere & it will be good & I can get a decent coffee any where at anytime of day (Espresso should be banned outside Italy, it's always like water, yuck)

Everyone uses plastic gloves to handle the fruit & veg in the supermarket

I feel safe when I go out, there aren't gangs fulled by alcohol causing fights. Road rage also seems to be non-existent

People are judged less by their appearance (if I have a nose ring in UK why am I considered to be a drug addict & unclean - of which I'm neither ???)

Swimming hats in the public swimmming pool are compulsary (sp?)

If I eat meat (beef/horse) which is raw/rare, people don't start saying I'll be ill.

It's ok to drink a glass of wine & jump in the car (let's face it everyone does it here, but my God, my UK friends act as if it's the biggest crime ever -I can understand If I've had a few drinks - but after one.....)

Sorry but I have to say this...smoking is still accepted, yes I know it's bad for me, but I'm not made to feel like a social outcast.

I'm much healthier & slimmer than in the UK & I eat 2x the amount of food (including more salt, sugar & oil....)

Plus all the things already mentioned

I love the fact that:

my house is 400 year old and the walls are of stone.

I can eat my own homegrown cherries, peaches, figs.

I am way more careful with energy resources and will never go back to being less careful.

I take less for granted and appreciate everything more.

I don't have to say things like: "the bottom line is..." and "let's benchmark the competition...." to make it through my business day.

Piemontese fast food is ravioli a plin and farinata.

My veggies grow without being coaxed.

My guests are astounded at the natural beauty of it all.

Coffee is served in real cups with real silverware.

People are warm and respectful of one another, say hello and smile easily.

Having a bottle of wine and some great antipasti with a friend will not break the bank.

Food in general has so much importance in daily life.

I can hear my neighbor Sergio accross the valley teaching his grandchildren about all the things in the garden. And they are interested.


diana

Diana, not to inject a negative tone into this wonderful thread, (because I love living in Italy, expat warts and all) let me just say one thing....re the warm respectful smiling thing: You are a lucky lady to live in a different part of Piemonte than some of the rest of us We will have to come visit you!!

Oh, a couple of things I missed, but sooooo important....(where I live anyway)!

The mountains!
The one practically in my 'back garden'-
Monte Legnone is 8560ft
Ben Nevis (UK) 4406ft
Snowdon (Wales) 3500ft (approx)
Scafell Pike (England) 3210ft

So I live next to a 'real mountain...not a 'pimple'.

And of course the Lakes - Windermere, Coniston Water etc. in England just can't compete with the beauty of the Italian Lakes.

Yes I'm lucky. Yes I'm happy. Who wouldn't be, living in a paradise such as we are all describing here?

Laurie, yes I have heard this...it could be our proximity to Liguria that makes people more relaxed? I don't know. It is also living in a small city vs. a big one...people here greet eachother. It is nice.

I want you guys to come and hang out with me!!

Diana

The wine, the food, the shopping!!, the people, skiing, the beaches in summer, the lifestyle...I love Italy!

I could go on about it all day.
My life over here is so much better than it ever was during the 6 years in the UK. That's why I had to come back...

And I love the way Italians are so passionate about everything!

I love this thread; and I love Italy. It has so much beauty packed into a small area. I love the traditions that are still maintained in so many areas, and I love speaking and hearing the melodious Italian language.

But where did all you guys live before? Mountains, gardens, sea, good food? You mean you didn't have this before? It's no wonder you moved to Italy!! :-)

I'm a bit biased as I grew up here and have lived here most of my life....but I do love it and although I had a great time in London, Italy is my home and and the one place that I walk around smiling all the time (not like London where I'm usually scowling because of the horrible trek into work on the tube and the price of bad food...).

I love having the butcher, baker and green grocer right across the road!! It is so much better than going to the supermarket...

Emily, you are right, we all had some of these things before, but here it all seems much more intense!! I lived in PA, SoCal, and NYC before coming to Italy...each of those areas offered offered part of the picture: the woods and countryside in Penna, the ocean and style in SoCal, , the restaurants and museums in NY...in Italy it is all mixed up and all of these wonderful things are together, in very bright technicolor...along with a history which is incredible....

di

Hey, Diana
where in PA did you live? I live north of Reading.

Milford, PA, in the Northeastern corner,about an hour and a half from NYC... my sis lives in downingtown, so I used to do the outlet shopping out in your area...

di

All the outlets in downtown Reading are gone. It's sad. There are some in West Reading but they are like the outlet malls you find everywhere now.

quote:

Originally posted by Emily:
.....But where did all you guys live before? Mountains, gardens, sea, good food? You mean you didn't have this before? It's no wonder you moved to Italy!! :-)

Well as far as the UK goes - have you ever seen the 'mountains' there? Yes they are beautiful, but I couldn't really describe them as 'majestic'. They're just too low. And the lakes are surrounded by 'hills'!!
The food? Well it's pretty good, if you're British and you know what to eat, but the whole thing 'just ain't Italy'!

I guess it's a little like comparing New Jersey with Hawaii... they're both the USA, but quite different. Well UK and Italy are both Europe!

And I like it here....

One thing I really like about Italy is that you have 3 generations mixing together on a regular basis

You're right Carole; I guess I've been spoiled. I live close to the Appalachians and in an area with many beautiful lakes and cascading waterfalls, yet less than two hours from the shore. As I look outside my window I am entranced by the magnificent autumn foliage; and when I get bored with nature, New York City is just an hour away.

And, of course, the northeast is populated with many Italian-Americans and fresh, still-warm, mozzarella, newly made sopprassata (SP) and freshly baked bread are readily available. No, it's not Italy, but it's quite nice.

Please don't misunderstand, though, I understand completely the fascination of Italy; and despite all I love about where I live, I intend to spend long periods of time there. Italy has a "magic" that I cannot quite define. Perhaps it's the sense that it was the home of my grandparents, the place where my husband was born and raised, or a place in which I can really practice my Italian--or maybe it's the gelato. Who knows! But I do understand why it works for so many of you.

Ciao, Emily

Well, not an expat----yet! But, in my stays there I like the following:

The fresh food aspect. like going into a restaurant knowingt he pasta was made today or the sauce is just about ready.

THe appreciation for time. My pace is forced to slow down while I am in Italy. No one rushes through dinner or lunch. No one rushes to get their shop open at 4 o'clock. (When you aren't trying to pay a bill, it is nice!)

The appreciation for the history steeped in every tradition, phrase, tales and places. Italy has kept hold of many more traditions. It is nice and creates a nice thread between generations of families and the country as a whole.

THe friendliness extended to people from shopowners and restaurant owners. For example, in shops they'll often throw in an extra roll or a couple of cookies for the kids just because. You certainly would never find that int he states. If you bring your kids into the shops, they practically sneer.

Emily said "Italy has a "magic" that I cannot quite define.

Exactly... I get a 'tingly' feeling in my bones and goose pimples when I'm nearing an Italian border on my way home... Maybe as I'm driving through the Mont Blanc or St. Gotthard tunnels into Italy, or as my plane is landing at Linate, Malpensa or Bergamo..... but that indefinable 'magic' feeling is always there!

My first call - every time - is to the nearest bar for a 'proper coffee' (espresso). That drunk - I know I'm home!

I have to say, Oregon is extremely beautiful, and I miss it on a daily basis. Italy is beautiful as well, depending on where you are. But life here in Milano... walking through a grafitti covered cement neighborhood stands no chance against the beauty of Corvallis and the willamette valley. I didn't move here for the view.

I'm a small town girl, I like country, I like green, mountains, hills, rivers, trees, flowers, nature! Milano is not a city that I would choose to live my whole life in. It's not a city I would choose to live more than a few years in. If I had my choice of where to live in Italy, it wouldnt be Milano. Take me back to Macerata, there I can look out and see the world around me in all its beauty.

Lori

Today as I returned from a rather strenuous morning at work, helping the Morrocan muratore wrestle a replacement possetto(sp) around the pozzo, my neighbor, Marcello, appeared in the yard with a bottle of his vino novello and 2 cups. It sure took the edge off my aching body! Have you ever tried the vino novello in the US? I don't think it exists. Adding to my satisfaction was the fact that I also helped with the vendemmia and the vines are right across from our casa. This was today's affirmation of why I am in Italy.

Bruce I believe it's the annoyingly fashionable beaujolais nouveau or however you spell it....yeah...novello's a lot nicer!!

Vino novello. Isn't that what they also call 'musto'?
I seem to remember a name something like that for the early pressings....
Carole B