{"id":2542,"date":"2014-07-16T11:32:42","date_gmt":"2014-07-16T10:32:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/eurotalk.com\/blog\/?p=2542"},"modified":"2022-07-06T15:23:00","modified_gmt":"2022-07-06T14:23:00","slug":"che-dice-la-nostra-cultura-quotidiana-di-noi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/utalk.com\/news\/che-dice-la-nostra-cultura-quotidiana-di-noi\/","title":{"rendered":"Che dice la nostra cultura quotidiana di noi?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Today we’re excited to share our first ever bilingual post, written by Lucy, who’s just returned from four months in Rome as part of her university studies. In this post, she talks about a few typical Italian habits she noticed during her time in the city and some of the (slightly surprising) questions she had to answer about British culture.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don’t speak Italian? There’s an English translation below. And if you’d like to join the conversation, you can do so in the comments or on Twitter – see the end of the post for details.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bench\u00e9 esistano delle centinaia di diverse abitudini italiane, dal nord al sud, dalle montagne alle coste, almeno si trova una percettibile concordanza di \u201cmodi di fare\u201d di base che abbraccia il paese: si mangia la pasta ogni giorno, si offre l\u2019opinione se richiesto o non, e non si telefona mai durante l\u2019ora di pranzo (entro le 1300 e le 1500). Non essendo italiana me stessa, trovavo un po\u2019 strano queste regole seguite persino dai giovani come se fossero ordinate dal Papa. Era solo quando mi sono resa conto che sono imposte invece dalle matriarche che iniziavo a capire le sue importanza. C\u2019\u00e8 una convivialit\u00e0 e un autentico rispetto per il comportamento che insieme danno un metodo alla follia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cercavo di integrarmi bene e cordialmente in queste situazioni, e mi piaceva molto imparare questi \u201csi fa\u201d e \u201cnon si fa\u201d. Gradualmente mi abituavo a tenere lo sguardo durante il brindisi, a rivolgermi ai vecchi con \u201cLei\u201d e non \u201ctu\u201d, e di avere pazienza quando facendo una fila perch\u00e9 non si sa mai quanto lungo sarebbe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Una delle gioie dell\u2019anno Erasmus e che s\u2019incontra delle persone non solo da diversi paesi ma di varie origini, e si tocca di spiegare le sue proprie radici. Qualche volta \u00e8 pi\u00f9 difficile che abbia mai pensato. Vi lascio una manciata di domande che mi capitavo di rispondere durante le 4 mesi che ho passato in Italia:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perch\u00e9 gli inglesi mettono la moquette dappertutto nelle case, e poi mettono sopra i tappetti?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Questo mi ha sorpreso perch\u00e9 mi chiedevo quasi ogni giorno il ragionamento dietro la mancanza della moquette nell\u2019appartamento che stavo affittando. Storicamente indovino che fu una mostra di stravaganza perch\u00e9 gli sconti per pulirla dovettero essere esorbitanti. Potrebbe essere anche per aggiungere un po\u2019 di calore nelle stanze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perch\u00e9 non apprezzate il vino invece di berlo troppo a causa dei giochi di bevanda?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Sono consapevole della riputazione che noi inglesi abbiamo per l\u2019abuso dell\u2019alcool, e a dire la verit\u00e0, mi vergogna di questo nostro status mondiale. Pero, difendo questa cultura solo un\u2019iota per porre che almeno non abbiamo paura di essere scemi, e questa propensit\u00e0 gli italiani si manca.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

E la pioggia\u2026?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Gli italiani che incontro sembrano di avere una vera inquietudine per la mia salute quando imparano che piove pi\u00f9 di una volta alla settimana in Gran Bretagna, anche durante l\u2019estate. Ho anche qualche amico italiano che ha sinceramente basato le scelte di universit\u00e0 sul clima. Quando si viene da un paese dove il sole brilla nell\u2019estate e la neve cade nell\u2019inverno, scommetto che sarebbe difficile immaginare qualsiasi altra realt\u00e0, ancora meno la timorosa pioggia!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alla fine del mio soggiorno in Italia, avevo la sicurezza di dare direzioni a una taxista con attenzione risoluta, e di rifiutare con cortesia le proposizioni di una vecchia sull\u2019autobus di una cena con la sua nipote (chi tra l\u2019altro sta studiando per diventare medico). Pero, al momento in cui qualcuno mi d\u00e0 un pezzo di frutta, non sar\u00f2 mai in grado di mangiarla con le posate, mi dispiace. Certe consuetudini naturalmente resteranno per sempre entro il paese, ma vi consiglio, ansi vi sfido di immergetevi nella cultura italiana e di imparare qualche maniera nuova \u2013 vi prometto che vi far\u00e0 sorridere!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Avete scoperto un\u2019abitudine intrinsecamente italiana che vi \u00e8 piaciuto mentre stavate in Italia? Condividerlo con noi, lasciando un commento, oppure su Twitter @EuroTalk<\/a> #abitudineitaliana<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Rome\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

 <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What does our everyday culture say about us?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Although there are hundreds of Italian mannerisms, from north to south, whether in the mountains or at the coast, there is a distinguishable way of doing things that brings the country together: they eat pasta every day, they offer their opinion whether asked for or not, and they never phone anyone at lunchtime (1pm-3pm). Not being Italian myself, I found these rules, followed by young and old alike as if handed down by the Pope, a little difficult at first. It was only when I realised that they were actually imposed by the head of the family (the matriarch) that I began to understand their importance. This culture of conviviality, backed by a genuine respect for courtesy, offers a method to the madness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I tried my best to integrate myself in these situations, and I really enjoyed learning the \u201cdo\u2019s\u201d and \u201cdon\u2019ts\u201d. Gradually I got used to looking someone sternly in the eye whilst clinking glasses for a toast, to using the third person singular when addressing someone older than me, and to keeping my patience when queuing for anything, because you can never know how long you\u2019ll be waiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the many joys of an Erasmus year is that you meet people who are not only from different countries but varied backgrounds, which means you are also tasked with explaining the reason to your rhyme. This is often harder than you\u2019d have ever thought. Here are a few questions that I had to reply to during my four months in Italy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why do English people put carpet everywhere in the house, and then put rugs on top?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This question really surprised me because I\u2019d been wondering why there wasn\u2019t any carpet to be seen in the apartment I was living in. I guess that historically, carpet was a demonstration of extravagance because the cost of cleaning them would have been extortionate. It could also be because carpet adds warmth to a room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why don\u2019t English people appreciate wine instead of drinking too much of it (for example in drinking games)?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m aware of the reputation that us Brits have for abusing alcohol and to tell you the truth, our world-renowned status is embarrassing. However, I\u2019ll defend our drinking culture just an iota by proffering that at least we\u2019re not afraid of looking a bit silly every once in a while, which is a propensity that Italians seem to lack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And what about the rain\u2026?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Italians that I have met seem genuinely worried for my health when they learn that it often rains more than once a week in the UK, even in the summer. I have a couple of Italian friends who have even based their university choices on the weather. I guess when you come from a country where the sun shines in the summer and the snow falls in the winter, it\u2019s would be pretty difficult to imagine anything different, much less the infamous rain!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of my stay in Italy, I had acquired the confidence to give firm directions to a taxi driver, and to politely decline offers from old ladies on the bus to have their grandson (who as it happens studies medicine) take me out to dinner. However, I\u2019m afraid to say that if someone were to hand me a piece of fruit, I still wouldn\u2019t ever be able to eat it with a knife and fork. Some customs will obviously stay forever within a country, but I recommend or even challenge you to immerse yourself in Italian culture and to learn a new quirk \u2013 I promise it\u2019ll make you smile!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have you discovered any fun intrinsically Italian habits? Share them with us by leaving a comment, or on Twitter @EuroTalk<\/a> #abitudineitaliana<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lucy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today we’re excited to share our first ever bilingual post, written by Lucy, who’s just returned from four months in Rome as part of her university studies. In this post, she talks about a few typical Italian habits she noticed during her time in the city and some of the (slightly surprising) questions she had to … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11,231,3,97,18],"tags":[201,659,46,660,64,661,232,662,663,664],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/utalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2542"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/utalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/utalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/utalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/utalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2542"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/utalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2542\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8896,"href":"https:\/\/utalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2542\/revisions\/8896"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/utalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2542"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/utalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2542"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/utalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}