Curiosities - Things that irritate me in Milan/Italy

Living in the midst of a different culture is never easy! To a greater or lesser extent, there is always something you can’t get used to. Fortunately, in the end, most of these situations turn out to be just funny stories to tell. In this post I want to list some of the everyday things that irritate ME here in Milan. I also want to make it clear that this is just my opinion that, obviously, it’s very much influenced by the cultural characteristics of southern Brazil. Some people I've talked to agree with what I think, so I think it should make some sense! Buuut, of course, you might think that it’s silly and that it would not make the slightest difference in your day-to-day life. Anyway, let’s go!

1. "Sellers" of bracelets, flowers and the like

These people are scattered in strategic points of the city. Most are in tourist places, such as the Castello Sforzesco and the Duomo, but also in places with considerable movement, such as in front of the universities (at Politecnico di Milano there are at least three of them, always somewhere that you’ll need to pass). Why is it annoying? Because they simply jump on top of you to get you to hold a handmade bracelet or flower, with the justification of being a gift... Of course, after that they will ask for money and it will be very difficult to get rid of them. Fortunately, those at Politecnico are very nice and kind, but there are some (especially in Castello) that are extremely invasive and if you give them the least chance you will end up with a bracelet (because they’ve already tied one onto your arm). Every day then, I have to walk to university, prepared with a "no, grazie"! I honestly do not know what profit comes out of it, I know they sell some other things that, to tell you the truth, I never stopped to look at. The only person I've seen so far actually buying one of these bracelets was a friend, who gave it to me as a gift for the day we spent together. All I know is that it looks like these guys are teleporting everywhere in the city! This week I was walking on the street with friends and one of them just came and hugged me, I almost died of fright! Other than these incidents, I've never had any problems. But it’s a bit annoying, yeah.

2. Ciao Bella!

For me, this is the phrase that most characterises my stay here. If you are a woman and you are walking through a place that has fairs or some kind of street vendor, it’s almost certain that they will call you this. Okay, at first it was cool. But there are lots of men here who have no clue, so after a while walking around with complete strangers shouting "bella bella bella" and "ciao bella" to get attention, it ends up getting a bit boring.

3. People smoking in your face

Okay, maybe you're the kind of person who doesn’t care about this, but for those who do care this is really a very uncomfortable subject around here. The Italians (I actually think Europeans in general) smoke a lot. There are people smoking indoors, in the streets, in the house, in the corridors of the university, everywhere (except for places where it really isn’t allowed). This is so different from Brazil, where the majority of smokers look for more secluded places. Not here, they puff in your face and do not even notice. In the streets there are lots of cigarettes lying on the floor and everyone has one in their mouth, from teenagers to old people. What is curious is that in Italy cigarettes are expensive, which, instead of reducing consumption, only provokes people to "make" it with tissue paper and tobacco.

4. Beggars

I think this must be a symptom of big cities, but it's still quite uncomfortable. In every place where there’s movement (metro stations, churches, sights, trains) there is someone asking for money. Usually with a sign saying "ho fame" (I'm hungry) on their neck, they stand still waiting for charity. Some situations are quite uncomfortable, as people with serious disabilities have to drag themselves to ask for money, others are comical. I saw beggars inside a train on a trip to Verona, I just didn't understand the consistency of asking for money inside a place where you had to pay to be. Today I saw a bearded gentleman, sitting in a chair at the subway station, with his classic "ho fame" sign and... talking on his cell phone! I'm not saying that many of these people do not go through real difficulties, but when you walk through the city you will see at least some peculiar situations

5. People blowing their noses

Okay, it may seem healing, but you can’t help noticing that people here are less than discreet when blowing their nose! While throughout my life, everyone has always been extremely discreet in doing so (avoiding any kind of noise or going to the bathroom), here they do it loud and clear. It does not matter if it's in the middle of a quiet class, in the street, in front of someone, you can always hear the pleasant sound of someone cleaning out their nasal mucus. You’ll see.

6. Dogs in shops

Pets are allowed in the shops. Not that it's an extremely annoying thing, but it turns out that you have to be careful not to step on some cute little puppy who decided to go shopping with his owner.

7. Way to cross the street

That's one thing I definitely have not gotten used to. Here people have the craze to play chicken in front of the cars to cross the street. Unlike what I was accustomed to, to wait a little while in the lane and cross when a car stopped, in Milan it's the opposite: you start to cross waiting for the car that is coming to stop. Fortunately, they do, but I still don’t have much confidence!

8. Returning home at night

I came to the sad conclusion that you need a car to live here properly. Yes, the public transport is very good and everything, however it’s very limited at certain times and locations. The meters stop working near midnight and often the bus is not a very viable option for the route. Unfortunately it is common for you to have to stop socialising after a certain hour because the question arises: but how am I going to return home afterwards?

Photo gallery