I can think of many countries that have amazingly rich cultures, great food and an amzing history but there are very few (if any) that can top Italy's rich and diverse culture. I have been here for 12 years and I have never really been bored and I am really still discovering what this amazing country has to offer, I am still eating great food, talking to interesting people and having some crazy experiences along the way. There is an appreciation for beauty in this country that simply engulfes the visitor, from beautiful landscapes, beautiful people who dress beautifully to beautiful dishes that taste better than they look and beautiful sensations to be had, seen and felt- Italy really is the land of beauty!
What do you think...?

I have heard a lot about Italy, made friends with Italians I met abroad, but have never been there.

What I have discovered in the course of my travels, most of which has been in the orient, is that each country has its own positives and negatives. For the citizens, the culture of their country has either of two things : a cosy familiarity, or a jaded companionship.

For those who have come from the outside however, it almost always holds a certain charm, no matter how long the residence. There are always new and completely fascinating things to discover....I have told myself I shall visit Italy one day, and it is a promise to myself I hope to keep:cool: .

For me, Italy is a land of luscious history, splendid poetry, exotic architechture, a vibrant culture, of green vineyard vistas and ebullient wine, of bursting red tomatoes and peppers at a farmer's market, of a hundred types of pasta, of the smells of a bakery--fresh, strong coffee and frothy creams in the mornings, of the whiteness of winter and azure sea-side summers, of big families, of flirtatious men and earthy, sensuous women, of classic fashions, of a language that feels like butter on your tongue, of operas and folk dances, I could go on....but then, I guess all of that is mainly in my imagination:) .

I hope when I finally go there, the magic stays with me: I hope it is love at first sight.

For now, I have to do with reading about those who went there and never left. Please write more about Italy seen through your eyes....would love to read:) .

Bubbles,

I think your description of Italy sounds like a gorgeous dream... and it's also true! ;) The food... the men... the women... the music and architecture and art... the wines (oh yes, the wines)... the ancient history rising up from every field and piazza... and the language like butter on the tongue (great image, and so true).

Italy is all those things, and it can also boring, too hot or too cold, with trains that might not run on time, food that can taste like cardboard, men that can be pushy, filled with tourists (of which I am one!) and all the other things that a real place is.

I loved your discussion about how an outsider's view will inevitably be different than an insider's. On my first trip I found that Italy not only met but far far exceeded my expecatations. I had wondered if the anticipation of seeing all those things I spent so many years envisioning, reading about, yearning for, would lead me to a heart-rending fall from some imagined place of joy... but Italy did not disappoint in any way. And it has continued to be so even though with repeated visits I have begun to see the cracks in the surface, the darkness that sometimes resides side by side with the incredible Italian sun, and the frustrations that inevitably hit when you actually try to live in a place instead of just walk through.

With all its imperfections, though, Italy continues to amaze me.
When you visit, you will not be disappointed in the least!

Teresa

I think Italy is a very amazing country! Food, wine, women, art and so on.......the problem is we have to change our mind. I want to mean italy is a beautifull place but italians sometimes think they are the best in the world without do anything. In Italy if you are a doctor or an engineer or a lawyer you think you are the best one but maybe you can speak only italian and you haven't abroad experiences. Sometimes when you go abroad people adore you because you come from italy but now in italy many things are changed.
We have to stop living of the past glory of reinassance and we have to wake up.
I think we are very smart people but we haven't many opportunities to improve ourselves in italy so many of us have to go abroad to study or to work............the problem is that the best ones are leaving italy to go away in somewhere else place.
We are the nation of music but opera theatres each year risk to do not finish the season.
Museums are scarsely visited. Reserchers are underpaid and no money for culture and for universities.
This is italy now :-(

totatly agree!! my partner is from Venice and we go at least 5 times a year to visit his falmily. The reason we dont live there is the cost of property more than what the salary pays.
Its so unfair that you have to leave you birth place because the job opertunities are low. We miss his family and long to be there but how? rent a room and share.. been there. I love seeing the most amazing city in the world and it breaks my heart to leave, The culture and the life style is far more appealing than the uk..

I was struck in reading many of the posts on this Forum how much we can all learn from outsiders, especially as I read the last post from saporedisale in this subject.

I believe that often outsiders see only the extremes when they visit a new place -- the wonder and beauty and excitement, or the odd and different and 'bad' -- but never the middle things, the events and thoughts and ways that make up real, everyday life.

So, when I or another American visits Italy, we see the beauty and fascinating things -- the ancient ruins, the gorgeous women and men, the amazing food, we walk through museums and archeaological sites and we are entranced. We might also see things we consider 'bad' - maybe for instance that Italians don't stand quietly in line and wait for a turn at a bar counter, they move to the front and ask for what they want.

And Italians visiting the U.S. see the wonderous - the gorgeous countryside or the excitement of New York, or the beauty of the desert. And they also see the 'bad' - maybe how Americans will actually get in a fight about somebody moving into line ahead of them.

But what none of us see about another country when we first go there is the everyday stuff that saporedisale spoke about, the things that go on behind the overlay of 'newness' we see.

Listening to what outsiders have to say about our culture is a good thing, I think. It gives us another window into how we might look at ourselves.

And just as important, when we visit a new place we need to try to see it from the inside, and look beneath what we see on the surface.

Teresa

I think the reason Italy comes across as so beautiful is because they base everything upon expression. They express themselves in the way they dress, the way they cook and the way they go about life. It's all down to appearance and self expression, that is what is ultimately important to them. That is what attracted me to Italy in the first place, I admire beauty and have similar points of view. I've been here for nearly 4 years now and can't complain!
:cool:

Reply to: Saporedisale --
You can help to keep the best in Italy by becoming involved in the processes of fundraising and advocacy work to get funding for education, universities and culture. The young are always adventurous--nothing new--they eventually come home and bring their talents and education with them. If you change Italy, as all the complainers over the years/centuries changed America, your country's beautiful "culture" will change along with it. With all its imperfections, Italy is still a center of culture. America is no more Apple Pie and Norman Rockwell -- it is now a confused nation. A country filled with disillusioned and displaced people searching for home.

Reply to: Saporedisale --
You can help to keep the best in Italy by becoming involved in the processes of fundraising and advocacy work to get funding for education, universities and culture. The young are always adventurous--nothing new--they eventually come home and bring their talents and education with them. If you change Italy, as all the complainers over the years/centuries changed America, your country's beautiful "culture" will change along with it. With all its imperfections, Italy is still a center of culture. America is no more Apple Pie and Norman Rockwell -- it is now a confused nation. A country filled with disillusioned and displaced people searching for home.


While I agree with most of the things you say Linda, I find myself looking at Singapore, the place I live in, and thinking that here is a country that has managed to retain a lot of its culture despite the super-efficiency of its people, or the excellence of its education, industry and customer services.

The Chinese New Year, The Diwali and the Hari raya are festivals belonging to three different communities, the chinese originals, the tamil expats and the malay population, and they are all celebrated with fervor. People still love music of their own kind, the food stalls sell popualr local food despite the invasion of the macdonalds and the pizza huts......and chinese tea, or green tea is still a more popular drink than coke or pepsi. The indian, malay and chinese are all all old cultures, and they have all survived and indeed melded very well with each other, despite the modernisation.

The Italian culture is ancient, its origin goes back to the paleolithic periods, and merely becoming more modern and efficient may not be enough to obliterate such a venerable culture.

The American history goes back a mere 500 years, and there is simply no comparison with the Italian culture. When the american culture is 5000 years old, its adherents may no longer be confused either. I do think Italians can become more efficient without losing track of their culture, and should embark upon a journey towards more efficient service and infrastructure, which would lead to better pay structures and employment opportunities.

The culture is too strong to vanish, and once Italians begin taking care of their infrastructure and services, they would begin to appreciate and maintain their heritage, museums, and theaters much better as well.

Bubbles,

I hope you're right!
I have a fear that convenience will eventually destroy the world.

Okay, that's way too dramatic, of course.

I'm of two minds about this. I agree that Italy is ancient and its culture is diverse, and rooted strongly in history. I think it would be very difficult to dislodge it. Additionally, countries in Europe has existed side by side for many years without losing their unique identities, so it's not as if proximity necessarily means destruction of culture.

On the other hand, I am afraid that with the infusion of the concept of 'convenience' and all that entails, and the growing desire for convenience over substance (take McDonald's as a perfect example), combined with the power of the U.S. in the world right now (for good or... dare I say evil?) and the spread of what I see as practices/food/music and etc. that are devoid of culture (which is really not true, they are as filled with culture as any other product that comes from a country) or at least devoid of depth, I am afraid that cultures around the world will become vulnerable to a slow erosion of their underlying beliefs. (Wow, that's a long sentence! Sorry!)

Or maybe there's nothing to worry about...?
Anyhow, very interested in this topic.

Teresa

I agree with saporedisale. Truth is that unless you know and pay the "right" people it can be very hard , almost impossible, to move up the social ladder in Italy. Sad and embarassing, but true. And crazy as it might sound it can be a lot easier for a foreigner to live and work in Italy than for an Italian. Too many centuries of foreign domination, maybe? :D
And yet you can't help but loving the country, its colors and noises, the soft hearts disguised under the serious and snobbish looks, this crazy mix of ancient and contemporary, the compelling and amazing delicious smells and flavors.The false promises and the fake arguments.