Myths Club

Myths About Italians

Italians and gesticulation are convertible terms.
“We cannot speak in Italy without moving our hands. This is bad in cars. This is terrible on motorbikes.”
I love Italian humor;) No comments.

p.s. Champion of the world Mario Cipollini is a true Italian (see the pic)

Italians are coffee lovers.

“What we call coffee (and what foreigners call espresso) is very important to most italians. BUT we only drink cappucino in the morning, normally at breakfast. Only foreigners ask for a capuccino in a restaurant after lunch or dinner. ”
 

“yes, yes, yes!!! Most of us drink coffee two or three times a day”

Here is the formula of caffeine on the pic;) Tremendous, isn’t it?

Every nation has something to be proud of. I was surprised to get very reserved comments about pasta but VERY emotional comments on coffee. Seems like Italians like it indeed. Almost 2 billion people have coffee every day in the world. According to statistics Italy does not take the first place among the countries drinking most cups of coffee (Finland is #1!) but the quality does not always equal to quantity. There is a special faculty in Neapolitan University where students are taught to make espresso.

Did you know that the first coffee house in Europe was opened in Italy, Venice?
 

Every evening the Italians take a walk – passegiata vesperale.
“This is true in the centre south of Italy because it is a way of cooling down and a way of seeing other people and BEING SEEN!”

Sometimes I think that being seen is very important for Italians. They often go in for sports not to train the body but to go to the bar in a new stunning sportswear. Italians pay much attention to what others are wearing. In the times of World War 2 the English prisoners of war found it very hard to go unseen in Italy. Italians disclosed the runaways at first sight by their clothes (though the German didn’t).

Besides, there are more hairdresser’s in Italy than in any other European country. And certainly you need to walk somewhere to have your new haircut noticed

Nobody works or even calls a friend for a chat from 13.00 till 16.00. That time is devoted to siesta.
“It IS considered better to leave this period as quiet as possible but nowadays many people have to work so it is becoming less so. I personally (being my own boss) like to take 30-60 minute siesdta)”

Some Italians (hello Manuel;) state that it is false. “Shops are closed during that time, as example, so people have lunch and shops are opened again at 4.30 pm.” I wish I were an Italian shop sssistant – with a 4 hour lunch break!
 

To enter an Italian University one doesn’t have to pass exams.
“This has been true until recently but is now changing. People have to get a certain mark on leaving high school Liceo) in their final exam (the maturita) in order to get into some faculties. Things are slowly tightening up.”

Probably that is why Italy gave so many genius people to the world;) All those artists, musicians, actors, writers (Cicero, Ovidius, Vergilus, Dante Alighieri, Francesco Petrarca, Giovanni Boccaccio, Federico Fellini, Marcello Mastroianni, Sophia Loren, Roberto Rossellini, Michelangelo, Antonio Lucio Vivaldi, Gioacchino Antonio Rossini to name just a few) do not show the lack of education.

Pasta is a synonym for food in Italian.
“We normally eat pasta once a day. Either at lunch or dinner.”

Here is a small list of different kinds of pasta below: