Italian stereotypes
What are the first things that come to your mind when you think about Italy?
Pizza, pasta, mafia?
Well, maybe you should stay in Italy for a long time, you'll realise that Italy is more than a tasty slice of pizza!
Regarding food, Italy actually has a big variety of food: pizza is originally from the South, and in the North people until the 50s used to eat more vegetables like cabbage, potatoes, ..Have you ever heard of "polenta"? It's a special dish made with corn flour which is typically accompanied by cheese and roasted meat. You should taste it!
Unfortunately, Italy is always connected to mafia and corruption. It's really hard to get a job if you don't "know a friend", but things are changing : in 1995 Don Ciotti (who isn't a Don Vito Corleone, he's a priest) funded an association called "LIBERA TERRA". Thanks to this association legality is promoted: fields and corporations that earlier belonged to "mafiosi" are now owned by this association who sells the products of the land (olive oil, wine, fruit) legally and support the mafia victims' families.
What about gestures? We do use a lot of gestures, but not as many as foreign people think: it's a way to underline the meaning of the message we want to express. People from all over the world can understand this "international language "and even if you have never heard a word of Italian you will manage to get to the bank, to know where the bus stop is...
If we talk about attitudes I feel a bit of shame: sometimes Italians can seem rude and too direct. I have to say that people often try to "jump queues", and most of the times people forget to say "please" or "thank you", but we are working on it, just be patient with us...Please!
By Gloria Falci
Pizza, pasta, mafia?
Well, maybe you should stay in Italy for a long time, you'll realise that Italy is more than a tasty slice of pizza!
Regarding food, Italy actually has a big variety of food: pizza is originally from the South, and in the North people until the 50s used to eat more vegetables like cabbage, potatoes, ..Have you ever heard of "polenta"? It's a special dish made with corn flour which is typically accompanied by cheese and roasted meat. You should taste it!
Unfortunately, Italy is always connected to mafia and corruption. It's really hard to get a job if you don't "know a friend", but things are changing : in 1995 Don Ciotti (who isn't a Don Vito Corleone, he's a priest) funded an association called "LIBERA TERRA". Thanks to this association legality is promoted: fields and corporations that earlier belonged to "mafiosi" are now owned by this association who sells the products of the land (olive oil, wine, fruit) legally and support the mafia victims' families.
What about gestures? We do use a lot of gestures, but not as many as foreign people think: it's a way to underline the meaning of the message we want to express. People from all over the world can understand this "international language "and even if you have never heard a word of Italian you will manage to get to the bank, to know where the bus stop is...
If we talk about attitudes I feel a bit of shame: sometimes Italians can seem rude and too direct. I have to say that people often try to "jump queues", and most of the times people forget to say "please" or "thank you", but we are working on it, just be patient with us...Please!
By Gloria Falci