Observations of Italian Culture

Italian men think that they are God's gift to women. According to some reading it is because of Casanova. I think that it is b/c they are just what Mary calls, Skeezy. Instead of the American cat calls, men here will pucker their lips and make kissing sounds at women. They will also make hissing sounds and try to get your attention on the street. They complement profusely, just for attention and make comments about your appearence. Just as I walked in this internet cafe, the clerk, who sounds oddly like Apu said to me. 'you're beautiful.' Women walking will hear things like 'bella signora, signora.' Anyway, they full of it and its best to just ignore them and let them find another source of prey.

Cars take precedence here, and the horn is more important than the brakes. You honk to turn, to stop to move pedestrians to or off the sidewalk. Sometimes, you even honk becuase you're bored and their are not enouigh cars on the road to nearly hit. Joe compared Italian driving to skiing. 'You only worry about whats in front of you, that you dont hit them. What is behind you is someone elses problem.' There is no correct side of the road, only right and left and what you drive on.

Americans are easy to spot. They wear shorts, not pants. Their jeans look right, not wierd and hanging off the buttocks. They wear flip flops. A waiter told me he knew I was american because, 'if a group of people is laughing, they are american.' Americans like their space. When in a line, people will be packed in tight neck, breathing on neck. Where the line opens up to wider spaces and individuals can be discerned, there are americans.

Coffee. Italians are coffee Nazis. They will not let you sit with your coffee unless you pay to do so. They do not drink Cappucino in the afternoon, only expresso, and they will roll their eyes if you dare to order a cappucino.

Italians, some anyway, like to cheat tourists of money, by giving back incorrect change, sometimes even american money, which does not compare. They will charge for a round trip, but only give a one way ticket. Joe had a fight with a train clek b/c the man had over charged then pocketed the money. But it was taken care of.

Some people are very nice where you wont expect them to be. A vender warned me of who could be pick pocketers in a plaza. A man helped me lift my bag on the shelf while on the train. Another taught us how to use the wierd key for our aparment and how to use the local phone.

Liz had a run in with a gypsy who was trying to pickpocket her, but all we got was a whack in the face and a group italians yelling at him. Plus the bag only contained chocolate. Ooops, wrong tourist.

So in total of what I have seen Italy is not culturally rude, its just different and more unstructured I suppose.


P.S. RIP Kurt Vonnegut