5 Observations about Italy

The themes that surprised us. On our recent vacation to Italy there were a few cultural themes that stood out.

1. Beatles Music.  It seemed as though everywhere we went the Beatles were playing. My husband even observed as we sat in a romantic patio of a restaurant that had we been eating at an Italian restaurant in the United States Italian music would be playing, but here in Italy it is the Beatles!
You hear them on public transportation, in restaurants, and even sometimes they sneak up on you at museums. It seems that either the country has a love for the Beatles or they think tourists do.

2. Eatily & Hospitality - You look around and you see signs that read "Eatily." Be careful that if you ask advice about a restaurant from a local that you don't disagree with his or her opinion. The Italians are passionate about their food.  They joke that they send the diluted versions of it to the states and elsewhere and label it as "Italian" as they keep the good stuff for themselves. Which seems likely as the balsamic vinegar I can purchase for $1.99 at our grocery store would cost 60 euros ($70) in Italy and ours is not nearly as sweet.  Our tour guide boasted that the mozzarella in Positana is the world's best and must be eaten within two hours of it being produced in order to be fully experienced. And everything is supposedly prepared fresh (I saw canned tomatoes when I peaked in one kitchen door), or at least not frozen. If you find the rare asterisk next to an item on the menu it means it has been frozen.

This focus on food naturally creates a culture of hospitality.  Guests are welcomed to the table as family.  Meals are lengthy as this time together is a priority of the day. To learn more about where to eat and what a restaurant meal is typically like visit my blog post on eating in Italy (to be posted on Sept. 30th).

3. Police & Pickpockets - It seems that everyone is watching their backs.  Pretty consistently I heard our hosts or a cashier say, "we must do it this way if we don't want to face a fine with the police." And all of the tour guidebooks warn of pickpockets.  Although the only one we encountered was pretty obvious - he wanted to "give you" a bracelet.  So be careful about becoming "marked." As our tour guide explained there is a saying in Italy that "opportunity makes a thief of everyone."

4. English - I was surprised at how prevalent  and well spoken the English language was in Italy. If it weren't for the cultural differences and the antiquity of everything around me, I could have easily forgotten that I was in a different country. In fact our language is so easily spoken by so many Italians it made it challenging for me to remember to show respect by greeting the people I met in their native tongue. "Buongiorno!" and "Buonasera!" "Good morning!" and "Good evening!"

5. Tourism - There are a lot of tourists in Italy.  From an outside perspective sometimes it is challenging to figure out who is a local and who isn't. The locals though can't stand tourists and yet they recognize how tourism is feeding the economy.  The main concern seems to be that tourists are consumers who don't seem to care for either the environment or day-to-day Italian culture. For the older generations we are seen as pesky invaders who are wearing down their infrastructure, absorbing their free time, and consuming that which is the best that should be theirs alone. The governments slow response to maintain things and use the tourist tax for the purposes for which it was created can be frustrating for the locals. So they embrace us because we are here--isn't that Italian hospitality!--while they desire to have their old ways back. So when traveling in Italy, remember that you are a guest in another person's home. Don't be demanding. Be kind. Let them set the rules. Please recycle in the appropriate canisters. And be aware of how our shared massive tourist footprint is impacting the environment around you.  The Italians are very concerned about global warming, so whether or not you agree, while in Italy - you should be concerned too.