10 Unusual Italian Things That I STILL Don't Get!
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- Опубліковано 18 чер 2022
- 10 Weird Italian things that I still don't get! If you live in Italy or plan on living there, you need to watch this! I've been in Italy since 2009 and these things still baffle me! In other words, Italian culture shock. Buona Visione.
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Italians are cooperative overlappers. They're not interrupting or over-talking to be rude, it's a way of demonstrating interest and engagement. Apparently this communication style is very common across the Mediterranean and Southeast Asia. But, I can understand how unpleasant that must be for anyone who struggles to focus or is prone to getting overstimulated.
Interesting comment. Thank you. I know they don’t do it out of malice but I just don’t react well to it. You are correct.
Grabriella, you're explanation is excellent. It makes complete sense to me.
yes this. so true.
Common in Latin America too!
There once a time a service that it was call “l’arrotino” he walked around the villages and the cities screaming “è arrivato l’arrotino, arrotiamo coltelli, forbici, ripariamo le cucine a gas, eccetera eccetera” there is still someone who make this service today not screaming but with megaphone, i like it remember me when i was kid.
Do you suppose it's the same dude as in my video?
@@DavidsDoseofItaly yes he is, he’s the arrotino
👍
Speaking of streets.. lines and lanes.. U're absolutely right. Something we cant be proud of
Is it learned behavior?
One of the main qualities of Italy is just barely avoiding disaster. It's supernatural!
What kind of disasters ?
Sono qui. Molto buono. Grazie
Love the insight, really helps anyone considering living or visiting in Italy
Awesome! Thank you for the feedback
Sono qui! Mi piace molto! Grazie!
Grazie a te !
Sono qui!
Loved the video. Even though I don’t live in Italy (yet)…..the list felt relatable.
Thanks for watching! What could you relate to in the video?
The 4 hour strike, mi sembra, is a taste of "what if" - it is inconvenient enough to remind you how important these services are, but at the same time civilized enough to keep the support of the public. If things really devolve and get into a more critical situation, then look out. It is a reminder of the issues that are important to the strikers.
Oh, and sono qui, sempre al fino!
A handful of people now have explained this concept to me. I now understand why they strike the way that they strike and the idea is to send a message. Personally though I don’t like it because in the end it doesn’t really resolve anything. It’s more theoretical and practical.
@@DavidsDoseofItaly consider also that public services, like transport, are forbidden by law to do massive strikes. Strikes are a right in Italy, and you can't be fired because of that as long as you respect the limitations. Violations on regolations of strikes for essential service can be a cause of a firing though
David! You really had me laughing and brought back some childhood memories for me. When I was growing up in a tight Italian American community, it was not uncommon for a fruit vendor to come down our street shouting from his truck (using a megaphone) "Ba-na-na!" I thought this was normal. 😂 It was also pretty common for political parties to go around the neighborhood during elections promoting their candidate with a megaphone from a van.
Unfortunately, I didn’t grow up with this ! My father tells me that his mother was very shrewd with these people, and refused to pay more than she thought she had to.
Sono qui ! Enjoyable video.
Hi Edward and thank you very much for watching!
Sono qui. I really enjoyed this video.
Founding member of this channel ! 😍
Hahahaha I'm so glad you brought up the megaphones. I absolutely love that whenever I'm there!
You do ? What do you love about them ?
@@DavidsDoseofItaly It's just so different
@@t_rizz yup. It’s another world here
Sono qui!
Thank you for your video. I have been learning Italian for few months and your video is very helpful. I can’t stop laughing while watching it.
Thank you for watching. How have you been learning Italian?
I am Happy they are some time regular when they steike
Lol this is funny 😁
I’m Italian and I can’t stand the way people bumps into me, I get really nervous. I’m walking in the right side of a sidewalk, your walking into me, you can just move away from me to your right lane, why should I do acrobatics to avoid you. Unfortunately for them, when I get too angry about this, I stiffen my muscles and I don’t move away and walk straight, and I’m a sort of a closet🤣 190cm 130kg😏 maybe I can educate someone, maybe next time they care about other people personal space 👍
THIS !!
I agree, and I do the same thing. I’m really pissed off. I don’t move out of the way because I am walking on the right side of the sidewalk. It gets really worse when I am walking around the corner. If the other person is also walking around that same corner and they are walking on the left side , then you increase the risk of us bumping into each other because you can’t see who’s coming around the corner.
I don’t think this concept just happens in Italy but I do see it here more than in the states. Also, I really can’t get too pissed off because I think it’s cultural and Italians Don’t think twice about it. But still its a concept I will never get used to 100%.
This happens in Israel too. I'm not bothered by the lack of "social distance" but we have narrow sidewalks and I have learned to just stop and either they go around me, usually into the street or I take that moment to redirect my feet. I'm not quite as agile as I used to be so "turning on a dime" doesn't always happen well. I had a woman come up behing me and slam right into me, FROM BEHIND and she wasn't even on her phone!!!!
I imagine ATAC strikes with regularity to show how important they are to the city and always have good bargaining power to have good wages for themselves? Whereas in Ireland, bus drivers had to strike for almost a week in 2016 to secure a pay rise. So it's probably better to strike for a few hours and often, rather than risk a week or longer total shutdown?
Sono qui!
Hey Patrick! Thank you for watching !
That’s a probable theory and a noble one. The problem is it never works !
The Irish way works albeit it causing major problems for the population which is the only positive thing about Italian strikes : they have guaranteed service. There has to a happy medium because I still say the Italian way doesn’t get results. Non tangible results that is.
A few things.
1. Happy Father's Day.
2. Have You ever driven in New York City and experienced the Pot Holes there? I have and had used to keep replacing the incandescent Headlight Bulbs every Few month and then had to switch to HID and Now LED. And don't have that issue anymore.
3. Walking in New York City, having the same Issues of people just stopping right in their tracks is common place.
Thank you 😊
I drove to NJ but never NYC. Why did you keep replacing the bulbs ?
I probably should have said in the video that these aren’t only Italian things although since my channel is about Italy I didn’t think it necessary
@@DavidsDoseofItaly Due to the Pot Holes jarring the Car while the Headlights are on. The Halogen Light have a Tungsten Filament that's coiled up and Heats up to make light but is also fragile at that point and after hitting many Pot Holes, they break and the Headlights don't work. Then with the HID Bulbs, they are High Powered and have small thin wires and arc from one side of the bulb to the other side that's filled with Argon Gas and they gat extremely Hot which also makes them fragile. But after switching to LED Bulbs, 99% of those problems went away immediately. Now, once every few years or so I might have to replace a Headlight Bulb due to that the Life span of the LED's are only for so long which is 1,000% better than the other 2. More Light, Better Light Pattern, and Longer Life.
Interesting thank you. I wish was mechanically minded like this!
@@DavidsDoseofItaly I'm very Mechanically Inclined. Working on Cars, the things in and outside of the House as well as with Computers. I have custom built a few of them myself. I like to do a LOT of Research on a LOT of different things. I had also researched into obtaining Recognition as an Italian Citizen through My Great Grandparents who were from Greci Italy. I'm in the process with 3 other Family Members. They had joined from Me researching and explaining to them all the benefits.
@@mr.dsproductreviewchannel Nice! Tell me what's your draw towards Italian citizenship?
I'm a Jersey Girl in New Mexico for 22 years and most Doctor offices close for lunch for 1 to 1.5 hours and many only work 4 days a week here in the south...Las Cruces. A lot of my doctors/dentist come from the East and they've told me that the expense of having a practice back there was way too much, so they opted for a less-pressured life style, a bit of the "manana" effect. I find the docs here much pleasanter to deal with!
I’d opt for the Southwest if I ever had to move back. No snow. Hurricanes or ice to deal with. In fact what forces of nature do you deal with aside from the obvious heat?
@@DavidsDoseofItaly Hi! The heat is not as bad as you would think...for a few weeks we may get over 100 but it really is DRY heat...and shade drops temps by up to 10 degrees! In the summer we get monsoon rains. Winter usually lasts for a few week in December...rainy, windy and sometimes colder into January. The mountains get snow on them, and we get may get a couple of inches of snow that will disappear within a day! I grow veggies ALL year...in fact, the winter garden, under plastic, is when I grow my best greens, including a forest of arugula, dandelion, collards, kale, etc. This year I finally grew cardoon and that comes back. If you go to my channel you will see my garden, yard and my feral cat pet and my fabulous desert box turtle!! My other channel Rudolph Valentino Connection has videos of my written blog of research that you might enjoy (I was a librarian among other things and actually correcting the incorrect "lore" in some cases....upcoming posts will be including how I have found a true connection to Valentino (through marriage of my great uncle...stay tuned!)
David, you made me laugh at your point #5. The answer is easy: talking about shops, we usually work 8 hours, so 4 hours in the morning and 4 in the afternoon, and since the first hours of the afternoon are very hot (at least in summer), people tend to go out in the late afternoon (unless they have to go out for work) and shops open late to serve customers when they go out. On top of this, we enjoy outdoor activities every day, in winter too, and everything is shifted toward late afternoon/evening. Moreover, at 1/1.30 pm, everyone is having lunch (and you know the importance of lunch in an Italian family). What's the point of being at the shop with desert streets? Habits can vary throughout Italy, but what you say is 100% true in southern towns (I live in Apulia). P.S.: if you run a small business on your own, you can stay open as long as you want (but you either wouldn't do it, because habits are so sedimented!), but if you have employees, you have to stick to the 8 hours schedule. Comunque bravo, your videos are very accurate and funny
Thank you Alessandro! Yeah. In the beginning I was stunned to see stores closing because In the US it just doesn’t exist or at least not in my area. But over time I got used to the idea. Still, it can be a bit irritating when you’re free in the afternoon , you want to get things done but you can’t. I still encounter this problem today.
Thank you for watching and for the positive feedback!
Personally, I love it! I prefer my big meal in the middle of the day and I need a siesta. Americans push themselves too hard regarding work. That toxic Protestant Work Ethic really gets in the way of enjoying life.
On this, I agree. My friends in the US work way too much. The other day a friend on Facebook casually said that she’s working three jobs. That’s not human. Work smarter, not harder.
@@DavidsDoseofItaly Work to live, don't live to work.
@@tinalettieri I’m “working “ on it 😂
Hi David! I enjoy your videos!
I’m Italian and I have been living in the US for the past 12 years, it’s kind of funny see the opposite of what I experience, but so many similarities too!
Driving manual … difficult to explain in a comment, but mainly it’s for feeling in control of the car (especially in rural,mountain areas).
About people stopping in the middle of the street you are right, but happens in NYC as well and I hate it lol
Closing time and streets painting in the north (I’m from Milano) it’s definitely less than the south.
If you have any question on you want just a different point of view scrivimi pure 😊
Ciao!
Hey, and thank you for your interesting comment! Where in the US do you live if I may ask? I agree I prefer a manual transmission if I am in a rural or a mountain area however, in Rome and automatic is just fine.
That is an interesting observation how there seems to be more graffiti in the south than in the north. Why do you suppose this is so?
@@DavidsDoseofItaly hi! I spent 10 years in New York City now I live in Charleston South Carolina.
About the strikes: public transportation is a public service that the State/municipality has to guarantee to its citizens; so for the italian law if someone is refusing to give that service it's a crime called "interruzione di pubblico servizio" (interruption of a public service). So the constitutional right of workers to strike and manifest their needs it's regulated by the law so it doesn't conflict with the constitutional right of all citizens to receive certain services.
I do indeed like the fact that the right to strike is protected under Italian law. The point of me mentioning strikes in this video and I believe I said it in the video is that I don’t understand the effectiveness of only striking for a certain amount of hours. Whether the law allows them to strike for four or more hours isn’t the point. I reiterate that the key point here is its effectiveness. In other words what interest be more is the outcome of this type of strike. Other Italians have left comments and one in particular stress the point that the outcome really is to raise awareness for unjust conditions. Now while I think that’s important I think it only manages to theoretically resolve a problem. Raising awareness does not always resolve a problem.
Sono qui and I had to smile about the bafflement of Italians when they meet an automatic transmission. I've had Italian friends visit me in Los Angeles on three different occasions and guess what they wanted to do when they got here? They wanted me to "teach them" how to drive an automatic transmission. I did, and they were happy. But go figure.
This is so precious
Hahahaha.. LMAO
Interesting choice of word.
That’s odd. They must have believed it was hard because all their peers in Italy told them so.
Another very useful video, thank you!
Let me comment randomly.
First of all I truly sympathize with you for your “moving studio“.
finding the right space and time to film videos with toddlers (and children in general) is difficult to say the least!
Whenever people stop in the middle of the sidewalk to “organize“as you put it, I am quite disappointed! The least they could do is stopping on the side.
Here in the north family owned shops continue to close in the afternoon.
But shops with “orario continuato “ are getting more and more common.
Maybe another reason why shops close in the afternoon in the south is because of the heat.
“Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday Sun” said the song, and that’s why Italians don’t go out during that time of the day which is referred to as “controra” in some regions of the south.
I totally agree with you that the “stick or automatic question“ boils down to habit.
Whenever I goabroad and rent a car it takes me a few hours to get used to automatic. And when I come back to Italy it takes me a bit to readapt to stick driving.
If strikes look odd to you now, wait till your children are old enough to go to school.
There’s a strike every 7 or 10 days, and the disorganization is proverbial!
And , mind you, I’m a teacher in the Italian public school, and even as a teacher I’m annoyed by the recurring “scioperi”!
Again, I have to agree with you that I really don’t understand when in places such as parking lots, or even waiting rooms, people park or sit next to you where there’s a lot of space elsewhere.
I’ve come to the conclusion that many people consider it almost an act of kindness or a way to show “instant friendship “.
Grazie per il video!
I think you’re right. The sun is brutal in the south in the summer and so going out in the afternoon it’s not fun! Yeah I intend to teach my daughter to be aware of her surroundings and the people around her. I am sure for many Italians it is something exaggerated to teach my daughter this way of thinking but I strongly disagree.
For all the defects that cars have I am grateful to have mine because these strikes don’t affect my life anymore.
sono qui e mi piace!
Grazie Gianfranco ! Mi fa piacere che l’hai visto tutto il video.
Hello David, really enjoying your videos! I’ve just moved to Rome, a life-long dream; after a life lived in the US, Denmark and England; no, not a globe hopping adventurer- just circumstance- but I’m excited about making this my base and value your tips and insights- more please!
Hi Lisabeth. I am very happy that you are enjoying my videos! Where in Italy are you hoping to settle down? What other topics would you like me to cover?
@@DavidsDoseofItaly
Hi, I’m settling in Rome; some topics I’d love some insights/tips about:
How to deal with bureaucracy (while staying polite and patient) ; how to deal with directness (“non signora!” ) as I’m used to
a) American ‘can-do, no problem’ attitude
b) British politeness (which may at times be a bit passive aggressive!)
In general I’ve found people to be friendly and kind (not car drivers though😢) and whether ageist or sexist, I always hear “prego” if waiting in a line.
I often ask myself what a 4 hour strike can accomplish.
On the personal space: we have a smaller personal bubble than people in the US cause Italy is smaller and all of us live so close together.
I live in the north and smaller stores do close in the afternoon but big grocery stores and malls stay open all day.
I don't think that people can't drive an automatic transmission (I drive an automatic but I can also drive stick shift), is that most men are ashamed to drive an automatic, like they feel less manly if they do. My dad once told me that he would never drive an automatic.
The strikes do send a message. Yes, but no one has convinced me that they can actually resolve the reason for which they strike.I get it that things are more compact here, but in my example in the video there was a lot of space around us and still the dude chose to pass so close to me. I guess as an American I'll always find that odd. Yeah I think your theory is correct on why men wont drive an automatic. Thanks as always Norma for commenting. Your input is always interesting!
I think the personal space thing is more related to culture, as there are much smaller countries than Italy (in Northern Europe) which have an even broader concept of personal space than USA like Germany.
whats it like in Germany?
@@DavidsDoseofItaly i’ve had other Europeans talk how some of my sicilian friends were putting their hands on their shoulders and moving close as they were speaking to them 😆
Yeah that approach has never sat well with me. If the other person hasn’t brushed their teeth then it provides for a very miserable experience!
Sono qui. Thank you like always. Again, based on your experience, my country has fewer similarities in these subjects with Italy rather than the United Stated. I need to consider it before moving to northern Italy.
If I were in different circumstances I'd consider the North. Sure!
I am laughing so hard all these are so true. lol
Mi piace 🙂🙂
Grazie !
Strikes are a great way to gain a free afternoon in the middle of a stressful week
😂👍. Ok, so they can stay!
The stopping in place is now, SUCH a big city thing in the US now. I walk towards them with a loud EXCUSE ME... especially with a group
Selfishness is global it seems. I agree there’s no reason to take up that much space and not being aware of your surroundings
I was just talking to my wife about the common courtesy thing while walking on the streets literally 2 days ago! 😆 And the stopping abruptly tight in the middle of the sidewalk absolutely cracks my ass. 🤦♂️
Rome is one of a kind
😂😂. Confirmed! I am glad others see what I am talking about!
THE EAGLE MOMENT....BRILLIANT!
For me their faces were the same as the eagle
local stores in some of the villages around Lake Como in the North, also close down for several hours mid day also. I can really appreciate it :)
if I may ask why do you appreciate it?
Sono qui. :D
Grazie e grazie per averlo visto tutto !
Great Video David! I think the Italian Americans do the same thing in talking over one another... Or at least with my family.😄
Thank you 😊. I dunno. My dad is good at turn taking when speaking. I’m like him for the most part. My mom Isn’t Italian and she hates the idea of overlapping voices
I totally agree and I even do with my non-Italian friends. I have to consciously stop myself...it's all about ENTHUSIAM and total involvement in the conversation, as far as I can tell. Ok, I'm excitable and the hands start, too in the right situation...It just comes out!😃
@@secretariatgirl4249 it’s in your subconscious
Israelis do it too but with a lot more aggression and to be "on top." I was taking an advanced Italian Conversation course thru the Embassy and everyone else was Israeli. They would get very aggressive and then switch to Hebrew to argue amongst themselves about the meaning of something. They were all old and our sweet, young Roman teacher could not manage the class. She would never have spoken the same way to a bunch of cackling old hens the way they are used to. I tried to tell her it comes from the army experience and is part of Israeli culture but she just couldn't. I quit the not cheap class, mid way because I couldn't take it. Far different than the exuberance of Italians. I was so addled I couldn't think in any language so couldn't get them to shut up.
Sono qui. I agree with all of these. I still cannot drive a manual car! Definitely a habit...
I'll teach you. I can teach anyone!
7 absolutly not typical Italian.
Yeah it was odd. I can’t see all Italians acting that way and not even the majority
Sono qui !! Ahah
N6 sono d’accordo con te sul fattore abitudine ma credo non sia solo quello. Quando guidi con il cambio manuale usi entrambi i piedi, il sinistro in particolare viene usato per la frizione (quindi sei abituato a premere forte per poter cambiare marcia), con il cambio automatico il sinistro non serve a nulla (o almeno qui in Italia), ma se si è sovra pensiero capita di usarlo sul freno ( non essendoci la frizione e pensando di premere quella) e quindi inchiodare in mezzo alla strada. Secondo me molte persone hanno provato gli è capitato e da lì hanno paura di riprovare. Spero di essermi spiegato bene ahahah 🤣
Sono qui!!
N6 i agre with you on the habit thing but IMO it’s not only that. When you drive in manual transmission you need to use two feet, the left one especially for the car clutch, in automatic you need only the right foot and the left one some times might hit the break very hard (if you’re use to drive the manual one). For this reason many people might have try it, hit the break with the wrong foot and now they are just scared to try it again. (I tried to write it in English sorry I’m Italian I hope it’s correct).
Penso che tu abbia ragione. Però, mi fa sorridere che alcuni possano superare il "problema " se il cambio automatico è montato su una macchina di grossa cilindrata e costosa!!!
I understood it and thank you for writing in both languages. Few people do that in my videos ! Eh fears are meant to be conquered.
Infatti.
I was in Italy at a highway Auto Grill several years ago and I watched an American yelling at a counter worker. It was embarrassing listening to this ignorant American yelling who at one point screamed “ what’s the matter with you - don’t you speak English? -
Anyway was in Italy during a Rome taxi strike - it was scary to see someone trying to pick up guests at our hotel and the strikers descended on the scab quickly putting an end to the service. It was a hot week to walk in Rome with elders which made the visit more memorable.
Oh Lord. The ugly classic American tourist. I haven’t seen that in a while to be honest.
Yes, stores close in the North.
Got it. But is that common up north?
The businesses in smallmtowns that are family owned, yes. It has been a long time since I was in a large Northern city, so can't speak as to those locations..
Sono qui
David, I was also completely confused by the first Italian voting literature, and Italian ballot I received (AIRE in US). The X over the picture just didn't make sense, not to mention the ballots didn't fit in the envelopes they sent along with them. I must have read the directions a dozen times before retuning the ballots. I love to hear about the differences in the cultures, keeps things interesting.
I am so glad I am not the only one who experienced this confusion! it just didn't seem right nor much less logical. I got a new one coming out which is more cultural in nature. keep watching and you'll see :)
8. Have you ever seen them pave the road and then destroy it the week after because they need to put in new pipeline or optical cable of whatever, and it remains in this condition for the next 2 years.
No I haven’t but that wouldn’t surprise me.
So stoping where ever you are to get organized I do this in the states all the time lol. Maybe my italian blood is showing.
That's entirely possible! I am sure it happens everywhere, but especially here!
I'm loving your channel! We are thinking of moving to Italy and your channel really helps with the decision. I am a 3 gen Italian American and my fiance is European (Danish) we are trying to find the best place to live where we can get around using English while learning Italian, lower cost of living than US and Denmark, while staying in the EU.
Hey! thanks for watching and welcome! I'd suggest Northern Italy for a few reasons. English generally is spoken more there, it's cleaner and better organized. I was in Spoleto yesterday for example and I loved it. Granted don't know what it's like to live there, but I'd try it. If I lived there I'd want a modern house which can withstand an earthquake!
@@DavidsDoseofItaly a must have is also ocean and warm weather.. Im from Florida and we want to keep that vibe going. Its a tight race between Italy and Spain and im pulling for ITALY :)
@@DezTheQween if that's what you want Northern Italy isn't going to work,,,, Southern Italy is warmer,, the ocean magnificent (the west side),,,, anyplace close to or outside of Naples is going to be lovely,,, North of Naples or South of Naples,, (not Too south though,,, you will hit the amalfi coast which is a nightmare to live with the streets adn close houses,, go further south, and your hitting some real 'organized crime' areas,,, the groups have been fighting for territory prob generations,,,,,, just stay out of there and let them do their thing,, don't even think of starting a business there,,, Ciao' you be fine.
@@DezTheQween Sorry, Italy has approx. 8000 km of coastline, but no ocean... What abot Mediterranean sea?
@@DezTheQween if you are from Florida then North Italy is a big no. you want to move south. Sicily is great
sono qui ;)
Bel nome !
Ci sono! 👋 I took the Italian Language course at Università degli Catania 3 years ago. I never quite understood why that was the proper response to the roll call. 🤔 But there it is. I was also surprised to learn that Mi scusi is the polite form while scusa is informal. Usually when speaking to someone, it is the opposite.
Yeah, it also took me a little while to understand the formal and informal. My wife attended that university!
@@DavidsDoseofItaly I love Catania.
the strike create every time a lot of problem so, yes they help the situation.
The help isn’t exactly tangible
Sono qui
..in Australia x lol
Ciao Joseph !!
@@DavidsDoseofItaly Ciao Davide :) ...G'day mate!
7:15 it's not habit for manual transmission, in my opinion. Half the cars sold in Italy have less than 70 hp, and that's for young driver's legislation and cost. With that kind of power you really need low gears and control to manage steep streets in the little mountain towns.
Because Italy has historically mainly sold cars with manual transmissions and the majority still seem to be that way this creates a cultural norm. A habit if you will. Yes I agree that manual transmission is better for some of the more difficult roads in Italy.
It is true that roadworks are completed then months later the lines appear. But being part of the Province of Salerno a little town two and a half hours drive to Laurino, the lines are never coming. Plus the roads are like dodging craters to get from one village to the next village. Lol we went off-road driving from Laurino to Pruno and it was so much fun.
A lot of the roads here in Rome are like doing off-road driving!!
Hmmm, I went from Vallo della Lucana to Montano Antilia and the road was beautiful and new. We then went to Polinuro and the same.
My first time in Italy i lived all over the north Gorizia, Firenze, Siena, Trieste, Forlì, La Spezia, and San Remo, and then the last time Sesto Fiorentino, a suburb of Firenze. In all of those places, the small businesses, except the restaurants, closed in the afternoon. But the big stores like where my wife works, Rinascente, or the local mall stay open all day.
That’s strange how the restaurants stayed open. Was it for the tourists ?
@@DavidsDoseofItaly I think it depended on where you were at. We lived in Sesto, 6 miles north of Firenze, and often we'd pick up Marco from school about two and we'd go to lunch if neither of us felt like cooking. In Firenze I'm sure the restaurants stay open for the tourists. Giovanna works at the Florence Rinascente, located in Piazza della Repubblica and the restaurants there rent outside space in the piazza for lunch and dinner about about 100,000 euros a month. I may be wrong on that amount, but it was super high.
Oh cool, I like the Rinascente here in Rome pricy as it is. 100,000 euros is a tad high!
@@DavidsDoseofItaly it may have been 25,000 euros per month.
that's still not cheap. But it depends on your income vs expenses ratio
The control on manual gear is better
Hahaha. Have you been in Florida? People walk very slowly in middle of lane in parking lots. No clue. While driving I will not comment to other driver … all have guns here! You’re from an Italian family. Sunday dinner didn’t everyone talk at once? I miss those dinners.
I didnt really grow up in that environment sadly to say. Yea really, it's best not to provoke others, we live in crazy times!
One thing I observed on a recent trip is road closure on Amalfitana. About half a mile of a lane was closed. Temporary traffic light was installed on both sides to let cars go on a remaining lane with one direction at a time. In the US, there physically will be police or road workers on each side regulating traffic. Just leaving it to a temporary traffic lights increases the chance that someone will ignore it and cause head on collision. In fact, that’s what indeed happened. Poor girl on a scooter was killed by a guy who ignored that light. A month after I drove that road…
I do occasionally see construction workers waving traffic by. But I agree, a temporary light leaves too much room for impatient drivers to take the situation into their own hands thus putting others at riskl
I am often surprised when I park my car a good distance from other cars, I just like having more space to get in and out, and it's usually only a few feet more to walk, and then someone parks right next to me. Happens more often than you'd think.
Oh yes. It happened in America too. I call that car cuddling.
people are SELFISH all over the world.
@@mf5531 tell me about it. Instant gratification is a 21st century global phenomenon
@@DavidsDoseofItaly Funny! That's a new one for me.
U are lucky ti find space
"Put in park, hit the gas, and go??" How far does that get you?? LUL
I guess that depends on your perception of reality.
The 4hour strikes are muscles being flexed. To private companies and industries, they are extremely detrimental. If you have a full-on strike, in most cases you can invoke your force majeure clause. With only four hours you can't.
Not only, these usually start right after work begins, when it is getting into swing. Coming back 4 hours later means having to rebuild the moment again... Good luck with that!
To be honest, I have never really believed in the flexing the muscles approach. Why? Because nothing ever seems to change. If things did change, then that would be the need for these types of strikes.
Hello my friend. Hope all is well. I noticed when in some parts, people just stop and chat and take no consideration in other people walking. Can’t tell you how many times I had to move to the street.
Hi Jeff. Yes ! This is exactly what I’m talking about. So irritating.
Sorry! Haha I am Italian, and I didn’t notice this before moving to the U.S.A.
Hi from Prague! Love your vids! I genuinely cherish the idea of moving to Italy and hope to fulfil it soon. But beforehand I would love to hear your opinion: will my name (Roman) be confusing or in any way strange for Italians...? Since it literally means 'citizen of Rome'... I have a feeling that some weird situations may happen because of it =)
Hi Roman ! Thank you for watching. I really appreciate it ! No don’t worry. There are plenty of Italians called Roman and in fact a former prime minister was called Romano Prodi.
@@DavidsDoseofItaly thank you for your reply! That's a relief =)
@@romanalexandrov2880 😉
Hi, Roman...I was in Prague when the Russian tanks were there!! I was the only visitor to the Dvorak house and the docent asked me if I was going to the Communist Youth Festival in Berlin (I was very careful as I thought the place was bugged and I didn't want to jeopardize her in any way.) As it turned out, a few weeks later I DID go into East Berlin during the Communist Youth Festival and met two lovely girls and I still have the wonderful scarf they signed, framed... pop art "globes" with the smallest saying "Frieden"...then Freundschaft...and the largest of all....SOLIDARITAT!
Once Romano was a pretty common name.
David... For anyone coming to Italy, do remember that the Italians have been doing burocracy 2000 years and it is just as confusing for foreigners going to the states. In general always call to make sure you have done everything right.
Also for Americans wanting to come live here who can't prove an Italian heritage or spouce thereof, if you want to work, you need a work visit. Not simple. But then it is that way for any non-EU citizens.
Hi Carol. Oh sure it’s all relative. I was very lucky to have Italian ancestors and also the right to Italian citizenship. Indeed I’m very fortunate and so is my daughter.
I'm late by an entire year :D
The shops that close in the middle of the day do it mostly for 2 reasons:
1. are runt by a single family or by a single individual. As you explained somewhere else, we italians work to live and not the opposite, so we take a break to get home to have a family lunch or rest a little.
2. in most of Italy midday hours are very hot and given A/C is a modern thing and still not widly adopted, few people go for errands at lunch time (and probably they are home eating as well). It's just not worth the time and the effort.
No worries 😉. Yes that all makes sense. Still when you got things to do it can be a bit irritating because you have to wait.
@@DavidsDoseofItaly maybe is because we are so used to this that even a shop open 24/7 is more an exception than a rule. Like shop on sundays, it's possible only in cities deamed as touristic spots. In Milan, just the shops inside the "cerchia dei bastioni" can open on sunday, while the ones out of it (on the opposite side of the street even) can't.
Sure, if you are a tourist in Rome, Milan, Venice, Florence or, let's say, Naples, you'll find grocery stores open even 24/7, but if you are in Bergamo or Asti, just forget about it...
The dinner party story is the most hilarious. I do not understand what it could have meant
I guess they would felt childish and foolish. Can’t lose face in Italy.
@@DavidsDoseofItaly Could it be they thought a bunch of foreigners were mocking them? Something similar happened to me and a bunch of other English speakers in Japan once, and this group of Japanese men across the street on the balcony of an apartment just glowered at us for 40 minutes.
It was as if you actually crashed their party. You had not been invited, and you just burst in and interrupted their gathering. It was rude. Also Italians don't like what they see as the inane, superficial friendliness of Anglophones.
Be that as it may, I don’t understand why they all left the party room, went out onto the balcony and just stared at us like owls. If we were so ridiculous than why give us the time of day?
@@DavidsDoseofItaly Because Italians have a strong sense of propriety and expect you to follow the customs. They knew you were foreigners so they were reprimanding you and letting you know it would not be tolerated. You were behaving like children in their eyes, so they treated you as children.
If they had ignored you, they would have expected a repeat and once is enough!
From my limited unionist experience in the transportation field, albeit not on road trasportation, as you mentioned there's a whole series of procedures and rules to adhere to when striking. A union has to request the transport ministry to initiate a procedura di raffreddamento with the company the union is in conflict with, meaning before a strike is officially declared and authorized the two parties have to sit at a negotiating table with the government present as an arbitrator. If the parties aren't able to diffuse the litigation then the government, based on different parameters, determines the lenght of the strike taking in consideration the effect it may have on the public, so for instance it will at first approve only 4 hours of strike if it believes it may be impactful. If after a strike the union decides another one is necessary, a lengthier strike might be approved.
Hi Josef. Thank you for your explanation. I still don’t think 4 hours are impactful. Via interacting with others I’ve understood the logic, send a message and flex bureaucratic muscles. I however don’t like this approach because if it really was effective then why do people keep striking ? I am in favor of definitive approaches.
@@DavidsDoseofItaly I agree but unfortunately this is the process. Buone feste
Grazie David! I have experienced several of these things while living here in Florence. In a very touristic city like Florence, I have not seen many shops that close for those few hours during lunch. But I have seen a few. I do experience, virtually daily, the whole thing about seeming like we are going to walk right into each other until the last moment. It seems like I am always the one making the space or stepping aside, which I am happy to do. Can't really explain it. LOL Ciao, Paul in Firenze
Hi Paul. Glad you're settling in there in Firenze. I am glad you confirmed this concept because I was thinking of not putting it in the video because I thought it was just my perception. Apparently not! Sometimes I don't move just to kinda make it evident that the other guy is at fault! Mean, I know.
Sounds like Argentina!
In what way ?
About the people in the middle of the side-walk: stop rushing David 😅 slow down and everything will be better! I miss the siesta-break, but I do not miss the shops being open until 8pm. For the automatic car, I do not like it. When downhill or uphill you can tell it takes a while to adapt, whereas a human being can predict and change gear accordingly
Hi Alessandro. I don’t quite agree. People standing in the middle of the sidewalk is irritating in multiple scenarios whether I’m in a hurry or not.
Yes. I feel so much more in control with a manual transmission. Buon anno ! 🎊
Alessandro, Sono d'accordo.
sono qui
About little store closing few ours in the afternoon... 1 if you are a single running a store to keep it oper from 8 in the morning to 7 at night how many hours per day you should be working? The working day in Italy is 8 hours... and if your business is not conceived to hire employees what are you suppose to be doing? Remember that we are in Italy wecwork for living we do not live to work like the most in the USA... so you work 4 ours in the morning than you take a brake and you will open around 3 o 4 in the afternoon depending on what is you closing time in the evening... 2 in the south of Italy expecially in summertime from noon to 4 in the afternoon is bloody hot... do you really want to walk around with 40°C (104°F) or more to go shopping literally roasting on your way... noooot!!! 😵💫😵💫😵💫 Very few would so it would be a waste of time keeping the shop open... it is different for bigger supermarkets where there are more employees but if you look at it from noon to 4 in the afternoon there are less employees working, less cashiers... because few people go shopping during ghe first half of the afternoon... and consider that we also have dinner later so when in the US people have dinner for us it's not even apritivo time... so at 6pm people in the US have dinner while Italians go shopping maybe planning what to buy to cook to have dinner at 8 or 9pm... 🤣🤣🤣🤣 We are different... and as Italian I am happy with our ways! 😊😊😊
Hey Sebastian! Always interesting your comments. Thank you.
Well if the store is really short staffed then ok
It makes sense to close for a break. Ok. But it doesn’t make my afternoon any easier. Still I’ve gotten used to this custom and I don’t complain about it too much. But as American it’s still somewhat of an oddity for me.
Aperitivo. I don’t see the point in having it after 8pm. I did that in last Saturday and by the time we finished I asked my wife ,” what’s the point in preparing dinner now “. I never had aperitivo time till I came to Italy. The US equivalent is happy hour but that’s just booze.
I live in North Italy, I moved here from Texas. I still don't speak Italian but I've noticed my friends and neighbors treat me more like a odd pet. I'm trying, but it's very hard and I'm always afraid I'll insult them with poor pronunciation. And yes , the way they drive can be looked apon as a mental illness. I've been overtaken by the mailman at twice the limit, and they shot me the finger....I was pissed off but couldn't catch them to save my life...lol...but I wouldn't change them if I could...I'm home
9:10 our default mode is impatient, annoyed and reserved - so to us seeing someone from another building waving at us from another building our response is automatically "WTH? What do you want? Why are you invading my personal space?"
Different cultures. Different perspectives. Had the Italians done that in an English speaking country they’d have been perceived as standoffish. No one is right. No one is wrong in this scenario.
@@DavidsDoseofItaly 100% agree - this is how I used to meet most people back in the UK :D
Must have felt strange at first to use this method.
@@DavidsDoseofItaly it sure was! It was even weirder though when I was high-fived once, as I was coming back home early in the morning (clearly very hungover)...
Don't know if it's the same thing in the US, but in the UK it's like a sign of pride, whereas here people just look at you with disdain :D
In the US when someone gives you a high five usually it’s a side of friendship and that they appreciate what you’ve done. I agree it’s not very common in Italy and I usually don’t give somebody a high 5 unless I know them very well and it’s for a very specific reason. I am trying to teach my daughter how to do it but I suppose I have to emphasize the fact that she probably won’t do it with other people other than me and maybe some friends!
“Put it in Park and hit the gas and you go” But then, you say the Italians feel “…lost, helpless…” with an automatic. No wonder.
Sure it’s all a matter of what you are used to
Perhaps put it in “Drive” and hit the gas and you go…. ;)
@@vcpvcp2889 ah!! You’re right. That makes much more sense. 😅😅
Ciao David, per quanto riguarda lo sciopero sono d'accordo con te 20% il resto dell'80% gli italiani quando vogliono ottenere qualcosa fanno questo sciopero esempio: quando voglio un aumento di stipendio oppure essere rispettati come diritti sul lavoro ecc ecc... cosa che in america non esiste perche' non esistono i sindacali. Invece per quando riguarda i negozi che chiudono all'ora di pranzo e riprendono il pomeriggio e perche' come hai detto tu e per la famiglia perche' in Italia si rispetta tanto la famiglia.... non come in america che ognuno fa come gli pare cioe' mangiano a qualsiasi ora e non hanno tempo di stare seduti in famiglia... P.S. David io sono un italiano che sono 30 anni che vivo il America nello specifico a NY NJ per cui so cosa significa e so la differenza tra i 2 paesi. Hai ragione per la frizione.. per un Americano e quancosa che non viene percepito di buon occhio ma ti diro' che invece quando io sono in Italia preferisco le marcie e sai perche'?? perche' con il cambio hai una sicurezza in più' cioe' con il cambio hai una 3* freno perche' mano mano che scali le marcie la macchina va a rallentatore, poi per noi italiani non avere il cambio e noioso ma nello stesso tempo come hai detto tu avere la macchina senza cambio e ottimo per quando c'e' traffico e io ne so qualcosa. Ciao Davic continua sempre cosi sei molto bravo
Ciao e grazie per il tuo commento interessante e soprattutto per le parole gentili su di me !
Allora mi hai fatto capire la motivazione per cui fanno quel tipo di sciopero ed è chiaro: far rispettare I propri diritti. Però non credo, appunto, che facendo uno sciopero del genere si ottenga ciò che vogliono veramente. Forse sono troppo americano per accettare questo modo di scioperare ma per noi sciopero significa farlo ad oltranza e non per tornare alle stesse condizioni di prima.
La pausa pomeridiana non mi crea tanta disagio ma a volte è fastidiosa. Comunque la accetto come usanza
È vero. Siamo più sicuri con il cambio manuale e mi manca davvero!
Dove ti trovi in America ?
@@DavidsDoseofItaly Buongiorno David, in questo momento mi trovo per impegni e vacanza a Roma
ma abito da 30 anni nello stato di New Jersey. Sono da 2 anni a questa parte che io e mia moglie ti seguiamo anche perche' sei molto simpatico.Ciao e buona giornata
grazie! Sono stato in NJ alcune volte. Spero che non vi deluderò mai! Buona Domenica
I heard it is hard to fond an automatic car. I hope I wont have to much problems
No no don’t worry. They’re more common now.
Cool. Ci vediamo a presto in Calabria
(1) Gli scioperi servono per fare danno al datore di lavoro in modo che ti dia quello che chiedi. Scioperare per tutto il giorno spesso è meno dannoso per il datore di lavoro. Pertanto, essi scioperano per le ore in cui il datore di lavoro fa i maggiori ricavi e lavorano nelle altre in cui i ricavi sono zero. In tal modo massimizzano il danno minimizzando il costo.
(2) Nelle elezioni devi segnare il simbolo del votato, non ci vedo alcuna stranezza.
(3) Lo spazio personale è funzione della densità abitativa dell’area in cui si vive. Lo spazio personale italiano è 30cm, mentre per voi è molto elevato.
(4) È una cosa tipica degli anni passati ormai è quasi sparita. In passato era comune per i venditori ambulanti che non facevano il mercato gridare i propri servizi.
(5) La storia della chiusura dei negozi è particolare. Essa è dovuta a regolazioni di legge che in passato determinavano gli orari di apertura e chiusura dei negozi. Nel 1932 con la legge n. 973, il prefetto determinava gli orari dei negozi, i giorni di chiusura e l’orario di apertura nei giorni feriali. Con la legge n. 370/1934 venne imposto il giorno di chiusura domenicale. La legge n. 558/1971 portò una piccola rivoluzione concedendo la delega alle Regioni per la fissazione degli orari di apertura e chiusura dei negozi, con obbligo di chiusura totale nei giorni domenicali e festivi, chiusura infrasettimanale obbligatoria di mezza giornata e orario complessivo settimanale di apertura non superiore alle 44 ore. Con la legge n. 887/1982 i negozi dovevano aprire non oltre le ore 9 e dovevano chiudere non oltre le ore 20. Infine, la legge n. 121/1987 allungò la possibilità di apertura serale fino alle ore 21. La legge n. 248/2006, che ha notevolmente liberalizzato gli esercizi commerciali eliminando i vincoli di apertura e chiusura. Tuttavia, per abitudine molti negozi continuano a fare gli orari che facevano negli anni 70 con chiusura pomeridiana, io ricordo che all’inizio degli anni 90 alcuni supermercati chiudevano dalle 12.30 alle 15.30.
(6) Noi Italiani non siamo handicappati non ci serve il cambio automatico. Tuttavia, ne ho discusso ieri sera con i mei amici a proposito di cambi automatici e cambi manuali quindi ti scriverò qualcosa. Con il cambio automatico non hai il controllo dell’auto come lo hai con il cambio manuale; tuttavia, non a tutti interessa il controllo dell’auto. In genere i cambia automatici che montavano fino a 20 anni fa erano pessimi, con l’introduzione dei cambi automatici di tipo continuo le cose somo migliorate molto.
Capisco il motivo per cui fanno lo sciopero nel modo in cui fanno qui in Italia. Tuttavia ritengo ancora che non mi sembra che dia una soluzione definitiva. Se fossero davvero efficaci non si continuerebbe con gli stessi scioperi per gli stessi motivi. Mandare un messaggio al datore di lavoro serve sì, ma alla fine lui non è costretto a cambiare le condizioni lavorative per le quali si scioperano.
Per quanto riguarda il voto non dico che è strano mettere la X. E io intendevo dire che per noi americani mettere la X significa qualcosa di negativo. È una questione di abitudine e cultura.
Poi per il cambio manuale io mi sento più italiano ! Ho una macchina con il cambio automatico e per guidare qui a Roma ci sta. Ma quando scendiamo giù in Sicilia trovo il cambio manuale più comodo
@@DavidsDoseofItaly gli scioperi in Italia in ambiti come quello della mobilità sono spesso di matrice politica o di matrice piagnisteo, ho un amico che è un dirigente di un azienda di trasporto pubblico e mi racconta molte cose si come agisca il sindacato.
They don't adhere because they belong to a different union
With regards to public transportation in general in Rome, I was of the understanding that it was all one union.
What I don’t get is the electrician plug. In the kitchen (toaster, coffeemaker) seems like a typical European plug, then the rest of the house is an Italian 3 plug prong……what do you do with the vacuum. Need an adapter from European to Italian 🤷♂️
I have a personal theory about that. I feel that this is a classical Italian move to get people to spend more money. In this situation you’re forced to spend my money on these adapters. I will stop here because I don’t know if this is true. Like I said it’s just a feeling
Closing in the middle of the day bothers me to.
They have their reasons but it’s irritating when you have to wait on other people to get your things done
Queste, sono le stesse cose per cui gli Italiani si lamentano dell'Italia 😂. Aggiungo anche che spesso, i turisti stranieri, fanno le stesse cose ( a proposito di comportamenti) solo perché they don't care about because they are not in their country. Questo lo trovo abbastanza maleducato da parte loro, ma è un altro discorso. Diciamo che se hai notato anche tu questi aspetti della nostra "Italianità" puoi considerarti un Italiano a tutti gli effetti 😁
Grazie Andrea. I presuntuosi esistono ovunque. Alcuni viaggiano ma nella loro testa non sono mai partiti da casa loro
Why would anyone have the idea to invite strangers to their already full dinner party just because they see another dinner party?!
It wasn’t an invitation just a simple wave hello was all that we wanted
Jeanne553, Exactly!
@@DavidsDoseofItalyno YOU had no invitation. Not that they weren't invited. It was rude because it was like saying "we're here, can we come over?"
That’s rather assumptive on their part. A wave hi and a “come on over” gesture are distinct in both Anglo and Italian cultures.
@@DavidsDoseofItaly you still have the American lack of subtlety. Yes Italians wave and will say "come over" but not when they are having a PRIVATE affair to which you weren't invited. You can't be a Golden Retriever in a cat society. Anglos are Goldens and it is annoying.
When in Rome...or in this case Salerno. BTW, I just spent a month in Salerno. It's my ancestral province. Of all the Italians I have ever known, they were the warmest and best. (Sicilians are a close second) but even my Facebook friends there did not extend invitations. The home is sacrosanct and we guard it carefully.
Don't you have the "arrotino" in the US? 😀
I never saw him. Of course it's not common in a town of only 15,000 people in rural CT
i'm an italian who say "i can't drive an automatic trasmission ( or i hate to do it)". it's because i love to drive and automatic trasmission is simply boring. you do nothing and the car do all by itself.
It is but in Rome it’s comfy. I’m just grateful to have a car because for ten years I didn’t have one and life was very hard at times
7. I think you waved to the wrong ones... or they were doing something wrong (try to get me) and thought you wew spying on them, or they went out because had no idea who you were.
I think indeed we caught the wrong ones. I still say their reaction was damn strange!
Ciao' Judging from your shirt,,,, i am thinking your from Boston, which is where i grew up. Italian-American. I think it's funny your so thrown off by Italians,, Boston has tons of them, i would Love to know how you grew up,,,, Did you not live near the city?? or curious, of course, what nationality you are. Honestly,,, i didn't really know how non-Italians think,, so, in turn, lol,, the things you say do seem 'odd' to me. (if you understand),,, I mean it isn't Italian if everyone isn't talking at once,,, // ... We are completely family oriented, A daily conversation can scare alot of people,,,, We Really are not fighting,,, we're just Loud,,, Think of the passionate and deep cultures and you will think of Italy probably first,,,,, Brought up on opera,,,, drama,,,, Life, Philosophy, Music,,Food, Wine, Laughter. Italians HAVE to let their deep passionate selves out,,,, We can have actual HUGE fights,,, and love eachother again in 10 minutes,,,,,, The KEY maybe is we DON"T hold it in,,, We put it all on the table, we all know that, we go at it in words and Especially if it's food,,, Wow,,, Don't mess up the food. Food and Wine is fuel. You don't have to drink,, but you surely have to eat. We settle things Quickly,,,,Where's the this, why is this here,,, how can i cook if you put that there,,,, we like order and things done with some finesse. We refuse to just be alive,,, we have to LIVE, Life is precious, we celebrate each day the joys of life,,,, we come together,,, we Know our place in the family,,, and RESPECT! for your elders, who are considered very wise, you MUST respect your older family members,, No ONE is left on their own, We're big and Huggy,,, // I wonder did you grow up on the east coast,,,,, the pace of US east coast is Never going to happen in Italy. The strikes are spontaneous,,, I wonder if you are in rome?? that is the worst place to live,, there are Soo many more beautiful places,, Rome is a disaster,, imo, to live,, too bad you couldn't live near the coast, or anywhere but rome.
Hi. I am from Connecticut and my dad and his family are from Boston so I grew up loving Boston sports and for that matter, Boston and the greater Boston area.
So, because I didn’t grow up seeing my immediate family on a daily basis and because also I grew up in a small town in CT, I wasn’t exposed to Italian culture. My dad however was, big time, and I guess you could say a lot of that rubbed off on me a lot. So much that I decided to go all in on everything Italy and Italian.
Talking at once. I am used to it. I expect it. I am not offended but still I don’t do it and I hate to be interrupted when I am speaking. However if it happens I know it’s not done out of rudeness, as I said in the video and this is important to remember. I must say though that via my dad I did learn a few of things you mentioned. For example, it seems like fighting and in fact it freaks my non-Italian mom out but yeah, soon all is forgotten!
Rome isn’t a disaster per say. It’s got a lot of negative aspects to it, but because it’s so big there are still plenty of good things about it. There is plenty to do, everything you need is close to where you live, 2 airports and it’s in the center of the country which makes it within reach of many nice places. However I will say that it’s important to get out of Rome once in a while and visit places that are different than the chaos of the big city.
100% agree on people moving/not moving out of the way. Man on his phone ran into my 18 year old son. He got mad at my son and I had to step in and tell him to just go back to his phone call. Personal space is definitely an issue.
Closing down...Lazio team store in Rome closes for lunch (at least summer of 2019 it did).
In that situation I’d use your screen name to react in that situation ( your screen name still makes me chuckle!). This is also a common behavior, shifting the blame on someone else when it’s clearly your fault.
@@DavidsDoseofItaly glad I can bring some laughter. Great work on the video. Keep 'em comin'. :)
Matrix bugs
7. I could have done the same. They probably thought you guys were on drugs or crazy. They probably said “che minchia vogliono questi?”
Mah. You realize that when you talk to people. It’s not good to make assumptions
@@DavidsDoseofItaly I know, but probably because nobody would ever invite strangers or communicate with them, especially that way…
Right.
I've read most of the comments (even the textwalls!), so most of the things you didn't figure out (at the time of producing the video) should be more or less clearer by now. Anyway I wanted to throw in mine, because... because.
1) strikes. Many have already answered, but this might be "a new thing": public services interruption cannot happen, by law. If it was a private company, the workers would have surely had a day long strike. And anyway, You living in Rome (if I got it right), be prepared for public manifestations. Italian taxi drivers don't like UBER? They will travel to Rome to manifest their disapproval. Some other category doesn't like something else? Just the same. Rome, having the Government buildings is the usual common destination of all those people. Get used to that.
2) Voting: "X marks the spot", "I choose You" and the likes. Another law (I think?) in italy is "You cannot -publicly- talk bad of other candidates", like "You cannot advertise the product X being better than the product Y". But I may be wrong on this one. Prendilo con le pinze (italian saying).
3) Italians private thoughts are initially selfcentered, pretending. "I don't care what you think, I'll do what I want". You can find this on the road, on sidewalks, on using shared spaces or shared properties and the like. LATER the italian way of thinking COULD change and get to logic reason. It can happen.
3b) You proposal, stay on the right, SHOULD already be the norm. If it wasn't for the above. But in crucial areas it IS the norm. Like in the autostrada, you'll (mostly) see people driving on the right lane, and only taking the left one for overtaking (not talking about the speedy guys). It's not like the US where they tell you to pick a lane and keep it, no matter your speed.
4) Already answered by other people. Mind that it is not so common. If it's not the wandering CIRCUS...
5) Italians work to live. Family ties, personal space, relax, FOOD ENJOYMENT, I think we don't have many 24/7 shops. Maybe none at all.
--- another thing you may have noticed already.. no groceries where You can buy tools, pharmaceuticals, food, home appliances and toys, all in the same shop.
6) automatic transmission is for the lazy drivers ^_^ . Where's the fun in driving, if You just have to use one foot and one hand? On top of that, Driving schools teaching manual transmission, means the driver WILL BE READY for automatic as well. Cause You know, You can rest your right hand and left foot.
7) Food and conviviality (wrong word? sharing the enjoyment for the food, that one). That other group was having their own fun. Yours, trying to involve them, was not necessary. It might have been felt like an annoyance. Let's say that when You're at a table, in Italy, Your friends are only those sitting with You. Choose them wisely! (this last one I wrote can be skipped, really)
8) Living in Rome... Oh boy. I do not live there, but Rome keeps becoming a meme, now and then. Of course, being the capital city, it takes high resonances on the TV news. Therefore I, who live 600km+ from there, KNOW, that Your city has bumps, no lanes, bad "trash services", bad "local public transports" (old buses going ablaze often) and the likes. Each newly appointed city mayor always has an insane hard time to cope with all the city needs... That's the price of fame? Burocracy mostly.
9 and 10) You know italians from the stereotypes. The gestures, the loudness... You've been here for a while, You know how we initially feel doubtful about the strangers, but when the ice melts a little bit, you know how overwhelming our passion can become. It's because we feel, we want to participate, and we want to have You participate as well, in whatever we are doing or talking about at the moment. It may sound rude, and that could truthfully be like that, but it's how we are used to behave. Hence the gestures, to underline, to help explaining or exploring a concept we're trying to express, and the loudness which makes us sound even more into the argument. And who cares about the others and what they think!! (it returns from point 3)
Before leaving, I'd like to ask you a favor. You can do whatever You want, of course, but try to speak both languages, english and italian, as much as possible with Your daughter (did I get that correctly? a girl?). You might have noticed a serious lack in foreign language capabilities of us italians. Many of us, old and young, (maybe less youngsters, nowadays) still think that italian is an important language in the world (pretending we are NOT THAT few speaking it!), so we don't make many effort in learning other languages (things could have changed from 5 years ago, though!). If Your child will be fluent in both languages, that will open up many many more opportunities for her future!
As for the final greetings, thanks for the video, thanks for hearing me out (even if most of what's above was unnecessary or redundant), and keep up the good things and work like this!
A heartful Ciao, from Bistecca!
Hey! Thanks for taking the time to respond to my video!
You are correct. It’s not that I don’t understand completely the things I mentioned in my video, it’s that they are still foreign concepts to me.
I am used to seeing strikes in Rome and this is not strange to me. It’s the motivation and end results which puzzle me. I still say you strike because you want real change after you’re done striking.
Voting: We simply don’t use the X in voting in America. Tutto qui.
3) “Italians private thoughts are initially selfcentered, pretending. "I don't care what you think, I'll do what I want". You can find this on the road, on sidewalks, on using shared spaces or shared properties and the like. LATER the italian way of thinking COULD change and get to logic reason. It can happen.”
I hope my daughter doesn’t grow up this way.
My proposal is for walking the same way we drive. Imagine how much bumping into people we can avoid. Of course I realize this won’t happen. My idea for most Italians is una cosa esagerata.
I have in fact noticed that you can’t get all in one store like in the US. While they are convenient I do realize that they would put smaller stores out of business.
“automatic transmission is for the lazy drivers ^_^ . "
As I said in the video, I generally prefer manual transmission. In my situation I went a good 10 years without a car in Italy and now that I have one I can accept that it’s an automatic transmission. I’m just grateful to have a car. It’s either that or wait for the buses here in Rome which arrive “quando me pare”.
I see your point in the Salerno party scenario. However, I still say their reaction was lame. A simple wave hello was all we needed really which requires little effort. At least that would have satisfied me, but I can’t speak for the other English speakers I was with.
Living here long enough I understand why Italians interact the way they do, but having spent the first 30 years of my life in the US it’s still a bit alien to me the Italian way of communicating.
Oh absolutely, I only speak English to my daughter because if I don’t I’ll be doing her a huge disservice.
Thank you for dedicating part of your time to my video! Un abbraccio!
"another thing you may have noticed already.. no groceries where You can buy tools, pharmaceuticals, food, home appliances and toys, all in the same shop" ... huh? What about the Iper stores or other US/UK styled supermarkets. Granted, they're not everywhere and usually require a car to get to, but at least one will exist in every town (at least from Rome north).
oh, e sono qui :)
Italian here: i also hate people stopping wherever they are to mind their own business. Sometime they stop just in front of a door blocking the passage because they absolutelu have to respond to a message on the phone. When you politely ask them to move ("scusi" or "permesso") they suddenly look up at you with an expression like "wait a minute... are there other people on this planet? No way!!"
😄😄. So true. I’m going to be insistent with my daughter and tell her to think of walking like driving. Stick to the right and you wouldn’t think of parking in the middle of the road?!
Scusa l'obiezione. Siamo in 60 milioni non esiste una tipologia unica di italiano. Alcuni sono meno cordiali di quello che qualcuno si aspetta..qualcuno è un cafone che sta in mezzo alla strada senza far passare gli altri o non contaccambia i saluti da un terrazzo...ma penso che in tutto il mondo puoi trovare certe persone. Non ne farei un particolare modo di essere dell' italiano medio quindi. È come dire...sono stato in Inghilterra e ho visto nei bar o nei pub molti inglesi ubriachi fradici...mica penso che gli inglesi siano tutti alcolizzati! Saluti
Ovviamente non si può fare tutta l’erba un fascio. Non è una cosa che vedi ovunque tu vada in Italia. Però abito qui da quasi 13 anni che troppo spesso vedo questo atteggiamento e dal mio punto di vista succede più spesso qui che negli Stati Uniti. Tutto qui.
@@DavidsDoseofItaly So che ormai sei in Italia da molti anni per cui sai benissimo quali sono i nostri pregi o i nostri difetti. Comunque stai facendo un gran bel lavoro la mia non voleva essere una critica. Complimenti e continua così . I tuoi video sono molto interessanti e lo sono anche per noi italiani...bello anche leggere I commenti degli stranieri che spesso ci fanno capire cosa gli stranieri percepiscono del nostro paese e cosa non facciamo bene! Buon lavoro
Il mio canale è stata una delle cose più belle che ho mai fatto in vita mia. Mi fa molto piacere vedere le persone che interagiscono sia con i video che l’uno con l’altro. Grazie ! Buona vacanze , saluti dalla Sicilia !
About strikes... easy... we live in a country where the freedom of a single person or a group of people cannot impact on other people freedom so when it comes to pubblic transportation a total lock down means that a little group of people (freedom) would affect the majority of the population and this is not conceivable in our country so you must guarantee a minimum service so that your action even when absolutely legal and understandable will not affect other people life so much to create serious problems. On the other hand it is not a good idea to make CITIZENS against you considered that those citizens are the ones that actually pay your wage... if they all get together against you because you "pi... th... off" with your behaviour, than you will be really sorry! For instance, talking about pubblic transportation, people could stop getting the pubblic bus line on which you work everyday causing it to be ceased... OK this is extreme but in theory it could happen!
Anyway the real reason is that I mention at the beginning your freedom cannot affect too much other people life and once you have made a 4 ours strike you expressed more then enough your point against your employer and what it really matter is not how many hours but how many people are striking in % out of the total employees. If you have 100% of workers on strike you make the point... there is something that nobody agree with so you HAVE TO work on that issue if you have only 10% of workers on strike well... it's a problem restricted to few workers and you can probably solve it by talking to them one by one to find a solution without the need for major changes... so strikes in Italy is just a way to state how many workers are against somthing and once the employer is put in front of the real numbers than there is little he can do to deny there is an issue to be solved. So a strike is effective when numbers of people taking part is high and not because it create problems to other citizens... we all know that pubblic transportation is a must in Italy and we need it, we don't need a total lock down strike to understand it and to apreciate the service it is given to the population. So because the aim of a strike is to show how many people among the workers are against somthing going on inside the company a 4 hours strike is more that enough to take the reality onto the surface... by the way there is also the fact than when you are on strike you are not payed... and 4 hours of pay taken off your monthly wage is also enough to say that you really care about the issues related to it! This fact that the freedom of one cannot affect the freedom of the others is something that people from the USA are not used to take into consideration... in my experience I have seen it many times, people on the US often talk about their own freedom but never put it into relatio with other people freedom and how their own freedom actually affect that of the other and I think that it represent the origin of most of the problems whithin the USA society and between the USA and the rest of the world... never putting into relation the freedom of the single to the freedom of the others... everybody's freedom ends when it strikes into someone else's freedom so it can be hard to accept but tha fact is that FREEDOM MUST BE HIGHLY REGULATED TO BE FAIR! And this is the master rule on which the regulations about strikes stand in Italy and in general all over Europe!
I get your point. To reiterate it would seem that the aim is to raise awareness of an issue be it 10 unhappy people or 100. The freedoms and protests of the few cannot damage the general well being of the population. This concept is clear to me and it is indeed a fundamental difference between the US way of striking vs Italy. However, I think the US way, while damaging for the general population, it aims at more practical and permanent solutions "until our demands are met" as I said in the video. The Italian way to me seems more representative with the scope of raising awareness for a problem, but I am afraid I still don't see how this brings about real tangible change. It seems, in my view, more theoretical and less practical. Workers not being paid, accepting and making it public knowledge that they are not being paid still seems more symbolic than actionable. Sebastian, while I appreciate your thoughts and I thank you for showing me the Italian perspective on 4 hour strikes, I am still not convinced as to their effectiveness.
@@DavidsDoseofItaly It all depends on how well the issue is subsequently discussed between the company and worker representatives... if workers have good representatives be sure that a good solution will be achieved and in general the good solutions take into consideration both the employer and workers needs to get the best possible on both sides... as we day in Italy you cannot "la botte piena e la moglie ubriaca" but this not mean that you can get a good deal. In my experience those strikes that are totally useless are that not taking into consideration the reality... if a strike is based on actual and feasible things it is very much the case that both parts will meet half way and get the best out of it for both. Bring nasty to each other never put a good base for a good deal! This is why Strikes in Europe are less aggressive... we are more prone to that other way as we use to say in Italy... "una mano lava l'altra!"...
One hand washes the other sums up Italian life quite accurately very well. Yes, organization and fair REAL negotiations on both sides is vital and I suspect these never happen in public transit strikes. Once there was one during a routine crisi di governo and I thought it was ridiculous: how can you strike when at the moment there is no government. At that moment during that particular strike I was convinced it was done giusto per farne uno. Bah.
@@DavidsDoseofItaly I work for a private company and I've been working for a state company for some time in the past so I can tell you that useless and stupid strikes are typical only of the state workers! It is true that they have lower wedges but where in the world you can find a job where in the contract it is stated that the government cannot lay you off unless you actually are responsible of a very bad crime... and when I talk about bad crime I mean somthing that would put you in jail for decades! So taken that a state worker will never lose his job there is very little one can complain considering that nobody will treat anybody as a slave... I suppose that the only that are actually teated very bad in Italy are the so called "riders" but just because being a quite new typology of job is not yet well regulated by the law and by workers associations about the rest, just the fact that for example tipping in Italy is not necessary to complement a worker wage because even a seasonal worker in a restaurant gets a minimum wage that guarantees a decent life tells you that strikes connected to really bad working conditions are extremely rare, usually strikes are connected to some advanced deal level that of course can improve workers conditions but as I said at an advanced level... this is why sometimes the level is so... let's say high... (not to use bad words) that such complains and requests are not even worthy of being taken into consideration! Sometimes I wonder what would be the reaction of a European worker suddenly put into the US job market... just for a month or two... in an environment where often people have no other chance than having 2 or 3 jobs to survive working 12 or more hours a day... no payed vacation and no unlimited sick days... and I don't even go into the health insurance topic or mention the factbthat a worker in the US system can be fired in any moment for any reason even just because your boss think that you breathe the wrong way... can you imagine... In Italy there is a way to say that someone have found good luck and prosperity which is "HA TROVATO L'AMERICA" ... and every time someone uses that expression I always say that for sure "that kind of america" is here in Italy and Europe!
That is a very interesting scenario and via people that I know and comments left by other Italians on this channel it is interesting to see their reactions after living in America. Quite a few in fact realized that the states are not quite what they expected it to be. You’re absolutely correct when you say that workers rights and healthcare coverage is not as great as in Italy in Europe in general. This is actually a topic that I am passionate about and sooner or later I will be making a video comparing the healthcare systems.
While I was living in Naples I heard this expression “hai trovato l’America “. I understand why it exists and why people use it however in my opinion it is extremely outdated. A girl I did it years ago whose parents are from the Amalfi coast told me that the idea of America lies in Italy. Now to be fair I’m not saying that America is a total disaster and that happiness can only be measure on a case by case basis. I always tell my Italian friends that you do not want to go to America unprepared and with nothing to offer the market, in essence you do not want to be poor in the United States.
I see just a stereotypically American guy with a very little Italian touch...
Sono qui!
I hate when public transportation goes on strike. Who do they think they are? Other workers hardly ever go on strike. Can you imagine if supermarkets had it like busses and trains?? Be aware, they don't only go on strike for their own working condition, they will also manifest against the war, against the new govt annual budget law, etc.... they are a joke!
I think supermarket workers should go on strike because I suspect they don't earn much, Are you saying public transit workers go on strike for other reasons? How do you know this?
@@DavidsDoseofItaly because they generally declare what the strike is about. They cannot be complaining about working conditions every other month as the national collective labor contract is renewed every few years.
Ah ok. This sounds like impatience on their part. I say get it right when you create the contract.
The guy that bumped into you... are you sure you were not being pickpocketed?? ;)
In a forest in Umbria ??! Doubt it
Gli scioperi anche se non totali causano comunque disagi alla popolazione, ma così almeno non paralizzano le attività produttive. Inoltre, se scioperi le autorità comunque ti ascoltano (poco, eh, e non lo farebbero né più né meno se non scioperassi... ma tant'è)
Ti ascoltano. E poi ? Che succede ? Io ritengo di preferire una soluzione duratura una che contiene un piano di azione chiara e ben definita. Odio le chiacchierate inutili anche se promettono bene e, contemporaneamente, qualcuno mi ascolta. Mah.
Sono qui
Sono qui
Thanks for watching!
Sono qui
Grazie e Grazie per averlo visto tutto il video !