Archive for August, 2009

Politics in Italy Unlike many other countries, politics has a very central role in our daily life. From early morning 40% of the main stories are about politics. If there is no news then a politician will be commenting on sport, art, a movie or other news events. We then talk about politics all day,... »

I was thinking to write about the Italian educational system – schools and University. - the Italians spend too many years (7-8 years) to get a degree which does not teach them how to do a job – high unemployment rates amongst young people after university - the exams are very different here as it is... »

O Bello! As summer arrives in full swing us Italians, like everyone, become aware of our pallid skins and slightly neglected physiques. My colleagues are heading off for a quick sunlamp and body wax tidy up before hitting the beach – but not my women colleagues, it’s the boys who are making the appointments at... »

Speak Italian, The Art of the Gesture Do you know what most amuses me about foreigners in Italy? How they try to socialise with the locals trying to communicate by copying the Italian hand sign language – the second official Italian language. Sometimes I feel embarrassed for them. They generally pick up the wrong gestures... »

Accents and dialects Italian schools do their best to teach young Italians how to write and speak correct Italian, but the real language is learnt in the family, in the street and at work. No matter how many grammar exercises we do to learn how to speak perfect Italian, if our relatives, friends and the members... »

Italian superiority Even if Europe is almost without frontiers, with a shared currency and a common future, the Italians still feel that their Northern European neighbours are very different. We respect and appreciate their characteristic orderliness, and consider them as paragons to follow. But we know that we will never be like them and honestly... »

Drinking in Italy Alarm bells sounded in the Italian popular press last week when statistics released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) showed that Italians have their first drink at 11-12 years of age – the youngest age in Europe, where the average is at 14 and a half. Comparisons with the rest of Europe showed... »

Speak up! According to a recent French parliamentary report, the French admit to being arrogant. So if the French are arrogant, what are the Italians? Setting aside the Mafiosi stereotype, I do think Italians behave in ways that are acceptable here, but to non-Italians make us seem loud, rambunctious, and even rude. The crux of the... »

To be or not be – serious about life We may be not that polite or courteous, but we like to make people laugh. There is always time for a good chuckle in Italy. Nearly every chat turns into a rhetorical, sarcastic and above all humourous exchange. Your neighbour, the local shopkeeper, and the man in... »

Sicily is the third world of Europe It has never been so clear as now – Sicily is part of the third world. Images of people shouting and fighting while queuing to get some water from public... »