23 July 2011

My Italy

Italy is not only pasta, pizza and mafia. Here stay so much more. Interesting history, more than one book of adventure ever written, incredibly talented people, beautiful architecture and of course magnificent nature! Italy is like a paradise on earth...almost!
The country like we see it now on the map, is not so old as we like to think, young "baby" has only 150 years old. In schools we have learned about Italy only one part, Rome and it's glory. Italy is not only Rome, Milan or Sicily. Here stay twenty regions. Which are so different, that if you visit one region and after another, seems like you change a country. If Lombardy is the queen of fashion, then Tuscany is the king of nature, representing it's beauty in hundreds different ways.
Little bit recent history. In year 1861 Garibaldi, united all Italy, and first capital was instead of Rome, Turin. Before the unification all different regions had it's own language, nowadays we call them dialects. Italian language as we speak and know it today, is based on the dialect of Tuscany and is similar to Latin, now only spoken in Vatican. The way italians speak their language are more or less influenced by their birthplace and where they have grown: way of speaking, pronouncing the words, usage of grammar. For example people from Rome speak italian like "lazy" people, not pronouncing the words correctly and some times seem like one sentence is one word. I remember when my italian was not so "perfect", I had so much trouble to understand what they wanted to tell. As well people from Campania speak little more softly, than their companions from Calabria, "i calabresi" pronounce the words more strongly and the way of speak is more understandable, at least for me. From Tuscany people pronounce instead of "c" the letter "h", for example instead of coca-cola they tell "hoha-hola". I had, maybe still have, little difficult to understand them.
South-Italy in some places people do not speak at all italian, specially old ones. If you need some information, you need to use your body language, otherwise you can think as much as you want, but even speaking perfect italian, is little hard to understand the dialects, although today the dialects are "italianizing" meaning that take over italian words, this makes dialect more understandable. Still old people talk more strong and old dialect.
Every region here is a pearl of characters. They are so different. Even city by city. As much as I have noticed. In south, people still respect the old "rules", traditions and values. In north people change more, go along with new "flow", fashion, try everything new more easily.
Once Napoletani were known for their skill to cheat, was popular that they sold you a rock in a box. In the street they showed you a tape recorder, beautiful, everything is fantastic, function.You gave the money and arrived at home to discovered that inside the box stay only rock, but then was already too late. Or "i calabresi" is known by their "hard head", never change their ideas, if they  have something in their mind, they will do it. They protect good what they have. Once was very famous their method for revenge for cheating. If discovered that their wife were cheating they killed both, wife and her lover. Of her lover they usually shot in the head or balls,
cut the genitals and in the end they put these in the mouth. If police discovered body like this, they did not even bothered themselves to investigate the case. Bloody revenges were very known there.
Sicilians are well known by their kind nature and of course by mafia-Cosa Nostra. But people there are really kind and fantastic.
Lombardy is full of people, who have come to search their "happiness", carrier and money. Region of fashion and industry. People there follow the fashion, like religious follow the bible. Like one person who live in Milan, came to Bologna, told "how is possible to wear blu with black, is so disgusting to watch." And she had long list for the things which do not go with what. Funny!In Lombardy, people run, they are always in hurry to somewhere. I do not know where they run, but all the time they have something to do, somewhere to go, someone to meet, some course to take. Do they have time to sleep? I hope yes.
Sardegnian in general are mysterious people. I am happy to know one and I am going to discover as much as I can about them. But as much as I have read, they are considered to be very closed people.
Emilia-Romagna, in Bologna. The people here come almost from all over the world, you can meet so many different nationalities. Why? Answer is simple this is the university city! Most oldest university is exactly in this city, built in 11th century. As well Bologna is known as "red city", name come from it's political view, they support more the left side. Students protest, organize the marches against government etc.
But this is not all! Absolutely no! Italy is one country, that have million stories to tell, with million different actors to put on the stage. We are lucky to be the participants or if you wish you can be as well the audience! Go with the flow and let it tell the story with you as a leading actor on the stage.

21 July 2011

What I have noticed.

A list of strange things, what I have noticed, during the time I have spent here:

1) In Italy the car drivers, priests, women and little children can do what they want.

2) The first floor begins where we think to be the second.

3) Some italians make their best to make you belive that you are their best friend, at least for this week. You're the one who are stupid to belive this.

4) Most important for one italian is family. Men/women can be 35, but still they ask advice from their parents.

5) "Italy is most beautiful country in all over the world" this is one of the illusions italians make you believe.

6) Law are for ignoring! Italians interpret the laws like they wish and feel is comfortable for them. Like 6 in the morning they usually do not follow the red light. Don´t stay around no one anyway, so they can go.

7) If the girl happens to look one man more than just 5 seconds, means that she wants to go to have sex with him immediatly.

8) Having a afternoon nap is normal activity, most popular is this in South-Italy.

9) Public transport do not follow the schedual. They come when they want.

10) If your mother do your laundry, when you are 40 is not laziness, it's called "mother's love".

11) Pedestrian roads are moreover like a decorations. Car drivers usually do not stop if you are standing near and wait to cross over. And as well pedestrians cross the road where it is more suitable for them.

One video link here about the italians and  rest of europeans! Italians are fantastic with all their affects =)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHWBL9_alKs

The beginning

Piazza Spagna in Rome
Italy is a country where most of the habitants dream of leaving and once left they dream of returning.Tourists fall in love to the superficial impression, created by italians.Living here is much more different than travel around.
Country where all uglyness is hidden behind the beautiful scene that are performed by beautiful nature and good "actors".
After my first travel to Italy, the classic touristic cities - Roma and Milano, I felt that I want to live here.People are so fantastic, surrounding is just wonderful. I want to see all. I need it! I love the language, culture and nature.Although during my trip here I did not speak no word in italian, only understood some words, which are similar to english. I watched people going around the street. So elegant and so different. I spent here only one week, and it was enough for me. I was in love!
What is about Italy that charm as so much?
Famous Colosseo with all it's glory
Italy has something mysterious that catches us in the middle of the labyrinth and is so hard to get out if you're already in. We start to follow the path and we get lost in the way. Some of us who come to live here fall in love more to it's mysterious exsistence. Others are not so charmed after a year and they run away. Italy has history most interesting in all world. This country is like 20 different countries in one. If you vist one region it seems like you have crossed the border to another country. What makes this country so interesting. For example, Lombardia is region where they say is possible to find a work more easily and is very industrial. But for food the region is not one of the best. Here you can see more fashion followers than in another region. People are more colder, and like I like to say like "hunters". Never they sleep, all the time ready to "hunt" something.Parties,  fashion superstars, that's the symbol for me for Milan, capoluogo of Lombardia.
Another region, Emilia Romagna for example, is more relaxed. It is as well one of the industrialised regions in Italy, but people here are different and as well one of the regions where you can eat incredibly good and find fantastic wine, like in Tuscany, near to Emilia Romagna.
Oldest traces of humans we can find in Lazio, capoluogo Roma. Who has not been there? One of the most famous places, where we go if we happen to choose to have a vacation in Italy for the first time. To visit Colosseo, The forum and terme. To have one beautiful evening outside, walking towards river tevere and enjoying good company.

Why do we all fall in love with this? I think most of the good work do the italians,who just do not give us another oportunity.