Hard to believe that it is already six
months that I have been away from Israel and living in Italy. So far, it has been very educational. I thought I would share some of what I have
learned so far.
Please note – this is relevant for the
north of Italy, the area of Emilia Romagna. I have been informed that things
are very different from one part of Italy to another…
1.
People here do not walk down the street with cell phones stuck to their
ears. People here walk down the street
paying attention to what is happening around them, they stop to talk to one
another and pass the time of day, they are not in a hurry, they smile and say
hello.
2.
If you stop your car to ask directions, they are happy to help. We have never had anyone refuse to take the
time to explain. Not only will they give
detailed directions, but they may at the same time tell us their life history
and where they live and invite us to visit.
3.
Italians do not live on pasta and pizza.
In fact, they don't eat a lot of pasta, the average menu here is very
healthy, with lots of vegetables and fruits, and plenty of variety of
proteins. And it is all unquestionably
tasty! I have been eating very well, but
without any weight gain.
4.
It is unusual to see fat Italians.
Most people are in quite good shape.
It is rare to see fat children.
5.
Spaghetti and meatballs is definitely not Italian, Italians laugh at the
idea. As well as at a variety of other
dishes that are considered by foreigners to be Italian food.
6.
People don’t go to the supermarket and shop for the week. They go every day to the shops and buy things
fresh. There is a great choice of
wonderful fresh produce.
7.
People are kind and polite. Even
public officials smile to greet you and do their best to be helpful. They may also carry on a conversation about
themselves, their lives, politics, or any other subject and are genuinely
interested in what you have to say. Things
are in general run very efficiently here, there are no long lines or
interminable waiting for service. Even
in the supermarket, when the line gets longer than a few people, a new checkout
line is opened.
8.
There is little traffic in this part of Italy, and traffic jams are
rare. Drivers are courteous and ready to
yield the right of way. Sometimes we may
meet someone who drives like an Israeli, but it is rare.
9.
Every bathroom has a bidet.
10.
Houses here (in particular in villages) are painted in a wide variety of
bright colors, red, pink, yellow, orange, in various shades, even a few green or
pistachio ones. But no blue…I wonder
why…I was told that the colors are because it is often very gray and foggy here
in winter, and people like to see something bright.
11.
The scenery is spectacular, no matter what season.
12.
Italians are fond of dogs, dogs can be taken almost anywhere, including
into restaurants and supermarkets. In
Italy the law says that dogs are allowed to bark, it is natural for them. There are also very strict animal protection
laws.
Life is very calm here in general, much
more so than in Israel. Not easy, but
certainly
pleasant.
However….
There will always be some people in a
population that are not typical, and to our sorrow, we ended up at the mercy of
a few of those…More later…
