10 things to know about Italian people

Attention: this post is based on my experience in Italy. I have lived in Milan and visited many other italian cities so I am aware of the regional differences.

Please read this with a sense of humor;)

Fontana de Trevi, Rome - September 2016

Culture and tradition awareness

"I haven'met, until today, a prouder people in their History and traditions. Italians are the product of multiplicity of people that originiated such an unique combination. Generally, they take pride in their country and like to tell others about Italy. "

Italians and fashion

"Both men and women take good care of their appearence. . They praise natural beauty but also take in considerationthe details in each outfit. Down the South, the style is stronger and more colorful, in the North, the style is a bit more casual chic. "

Expressive communiction

"A great part of talking italian is about the gestures and facial expressions. Some generations ago, the local would only speak in their regional's dialect (and there are more than 20). The Italian spoken today is actually a natural evolution of the italian spoken in Florence. "

The importance of family

"Italy is a country heavily influenced by catholic/christian tradition. Family is a very important part of the italian tradition. Italians are used to a very strong support system and often mention their families and how they miss them. "

Regional dialect

"A great part of the people I met can speak and understand the regional dialect and in many cases it is an essential part of talking to the elder. It almost seems, from someone outside of thar region, like code languange. They differ a lot between them and are the result of the History of each part of Italy. "

Supporters of exercising

"Even though the food is great and usually in big quantities, Italians balance that with a lot of exercising. There is alwas somenone in the park riding a bike, running or doing any other sports. "

Emotional people

"Italians are a very emotional people. They are always ready to complain if someone does not agree with something. Sometimes, the conversation escalates quickly but soon it all goes back to normal, and as they say "friends as usual"".

Italian Food

"They are always talking about food, what they want to eat, how they will prepare it... A great number of daily conversations are about food. It is rare to find someone that doesn't know how to do a Pasta Carbonara or an Amatriciana. Even though it may seem they exaggerate in putting the salt, sugar or olive oil, the fact is that the result is aways a heavenly made meal. "

Ponctuality

"Even though, in Milan, they always like to say they start working in time, the truth is that they are very relaxed in regards to being on time. Being 10 or 15 minutes late is actually considered acceptable and elegant. "

Hospitality

"So far, I have been welcomed with open arms in every city I visited. People are open to awsering your questions, they are kind and very helpful. Bad italian is not at all a barrier, actually they appreciate the effort you are making to speak their language."

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