What Italians are really proud of, and why the mafia is immortal: we expose popular stereotypes

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Actress Catherine Deneuve once joked that Italians have only two thoughts in their heads, and the second is spaghetti. To find out what the inhabitants of sunny Italy most often think about, we talked with Davide Persichetti. David kindly agreed to comment on the stereotypes of our readers about the country-heiress of Ancient Rome.

1. About men and women

Men in Italy are emotional and temperamental, generously give women compliments and after each beauty exclaim with a smile “Bella! Bellissimo! " David said that this stereotype is partly true: the southerners really are like that, but the inhabitants of the northern part of Italy are more restrained. In his opinion, such an impression was formed among foreigners, first of all, about Italians-emigrants, and residents of the south of the country often went abroad. In total, in different years, about 14 million people left Italy, mainly to the USA and Australia, the "local" Italians are really like that.

By the way, David himself is a southerner, and he accompanied our entire conversation with energetic gestures, so there is no need to doubt the correctness of his words. The stereotype that Italians speak quickly also turned out to be true, tested in practice (even if they spoke in English). True, David assured that the rate of speech is normal, and the feeling of “speed” arises from the phonetic features of the Italian language.

David did not argue with the fact that Italians are very beautiful. Although he clarified that sometimes impeccable appearance can be appreciated above the mind. So, the era of Berlusconi changed a lot in the Italian government: almost half of the ministerial chairs were then occupied by beautiful women. And so it continues to this day.

2. About knowledge of foreign languages

The stereotype that most Italians do not speak English well, but when meeting a foreigner, will try to speak as clearly and almost in syllables as possible, according to David, is true. Most Italians learn Spanish and Portuguese, German is the third most popular. Of course, the level of foreign language proficiency is higher in cities located closer to the border, on the coast there are fewer polyglots, and the natural "isolation" affects. David also emphasized that Italians are sincerely happy when they meet foreigners who are studying their native language, and they do their best to help them in this.

3. About character traits

To the statement about the carelessness and stinginess of the Italians, David replied resolutely - no! But I agreed with the fact that Italians give a lot of compliments. However, he added that in Italy compliments “for free” are for nothing, so they should be taken accordingly. On the other hand, he emphasized that it is possible to hear a compliment from Russians much less often, but more often than not it is not flattery, but the truth.

4. About Italian cuisine

Of course, the stereotype about Italian pizza and pasta turned out to be true. These are really the favorite national dishes of the locals. David assured me that even Austrians come to Italy to taste the local pizza. The classic is "Marinara", which got its name from a special sauce made of tomatoes, garlic, spices and onions. The ideal pizza is always tomatoes, sauce and capers. At the same time, David considers experiments with adding pineapple or mayonnaise to pizza unacceptable.

To fully enjoy Italian cuisine, you should head to the south of the country, where cafes and restaurants serve large portions that are very cheap. David also confirmed that Italians definitely drink a glass of wine at lunch. By the way, some people prefer beer.

5. About the weather

The fact that there is no bad weather in Italy is not entirely true. Indeed, southern cities are warm and comfortable, but Italians have felt a strong climate change in recent years. So, on the coasts now it snows occasionally, and this is becoming a real disaster. Because of the sharp cold snaps, local drivers even began to "shoe" their cars in winter tires. This has never happened before.

6. About cars

The Italians' commitment to national car brands can be easily explained: many people buy Fiats because these cars are cheaper and easier to operate. There are also many Vespa scooters on the roads, sometimes you can see luxurious sports Ferraris. But at heart, every Italian still dreams of a German BMW. The news that the Americans had bought Fiat was a real disappointment for the Italians, gradually Fiat's capacities were transferred to Hungary and Romania.

7. About siesta

Siesta is really sacred for Italians, but this is not due to their unwillingness to work, but to the peculiarities of the climate. In the summer in the south of the country it is very hot, so life here is subordinated to solar activity: classes in schools take place on the second shift, and all shops are closed for a long lunch break. At about 16-17 o'clock, the cities revive again, and everyone works until the evening.

8. About the opera

Italians are really proud of their opera, they know that their performers are among the best in the world. But only a few are really interested in opera, and foreigners often know much more about it than ordinary Italians.

9. About the mafia

The thesis that the mafia is immortal has not lost its relevance over the years. Of course, this is a real problem for Italians, since ordinary people suffer from the willfulness of the mafiosi. Unfortunately, investigations constantly reveal connections between the mafia and politicians, so it is impossible to root out these criminal groups. The most indicative in this regard was the proven fact of cooperation of Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti with the mafia.

10. About family

Mother is the main person in the family, and the most important person in the life of every man. And this is beyond doubt, David assured me. But regarding the fact that many families prefer to live in the same house for several generations, he explained simply: this is cheaper. He said that the Italians even have a saying on this score that wealth separates people, and poverty makes them stick together.

11. About cinema and stage

The popularity of the series "Octopus" in the USSR somewhat surprised David, but he noted that this film is loved at home as well. In addition, David sincerely does not understand why the duet of Al Bano and Romina Power won worldwide fame with the song "Felicita". According to him, this is the case when foreign fame turned out to be louder than in Italy itself.

12. So what do Italians think about if not spaghetti?

The most popular topic in Italy is, of course, football! This is comparable to madness or religious commitment. David even joked that the first question the strangers exchange is about the club they root for, and only then they will find out each other's names. David even shared an interesting observation: during debates, politicians always talk about football, almost every prominent figure supports one of the teams, this is a whole marketing strategy.

Suffice it to recall that in 1986 Silvio Berlusconi bought the Milan football club. By the way, the sale of Milan in 2016 to Chinese millionaires was a real tragedy for Italians.

P. S

Finally, David talked about how, in his opinion, Italians differ from all other peoples. It turned out that they consider themselves the cleanest nation in the world. And they even have one indisputable argument in this favor: in every house, in the toilet room, in addition to a bath or shower, there is a bidet. And this is what they are very proud of, admitting that it is sometimes difficult to travel to other countries because it is impossible to take care of their hygiene without a bidet!

In general, David is glad that more and more Russian travelers are discovering Italy, many signs in Russian appear in tourist places. The real spirit of Italy for him is the narrow streets that invariably lead to the church. These are cities where history is everywhere. Where are the walls that once defended the Roman Empire?

At our request, David shared a list of the best places that are rarely advertised in travel brochures, but where locals really love to relax.

We remind you that earlier we have already debunked the most popular stereotypes about other countries. It turned out that Brazil is not only about coffee and carnival, a Irish grass has 40 shades of green.