European Travel

Destination: ITALY

Things To Know
Bella Italia
Diverse Regions
The People
Country of Contrasts
Exploring Italy
Culinary Traditions
Pastimes
The Etruscans

The People

All Italians do seem to share the same attitude toward life, one that is instantly apparent to foreigners. Life is for living, for enjoying, for savoring. There's always time to pause to chat, time for kindness, time to laugh; passions run high but anger is quickly over and forgotten. Pause in any Italian piazza and listen to the voices; there are no strident tones or harsh and ugly notes. Watch the way Italians treat children or the elderly, without condescension but with respect for their age. Problems are solved with little fuss on a personal level, although the labyrinth of Italian bureaucracy might drive visitors crazy.

Despite having one of the world's lowest national birthrates, family ties are exceptionally close, with children often living with their parents into their 30s, and elderly people are still mainly cared for at home. The mother's role is pivotal; Italian men, it is said, spend their whole lives searching for a woman to live up to their mother - hence the constant philandering.
If you want to attract the opposite sex, you have to look good. This helps explain the importance of the bella figura, literally “beautiful form,” but meaning infinitely more. Italians have an innate sense of style, and it matters greatly that clothes, cars and personal possessions are stylish and contemporary.
Bella figura dictates that these must all be admired, and what better way to display them than during that great Italian tradition, the passeggiata? This nightly outdoor perambulation occurs in every village, town and city in the land, when citizens exit en masse from their homes, strolling through the streets, exchanging news and gossip, but above all admiring and hoping to be admired in return.

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