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.
In Caulonia every year in august is held song and dance festival which began in year of 1999, it's called Tarantella.Every year the main "piazza" is full mostly of calabresi who enjoy the folk music and dance. Most famous performer of tarantella music is Mimmo Cavallaro.
Poveglia is one island's of Venezia,but it's place full of secrets and is frightened by venetians,who call this island "a place where you never return".Most of them believe this place to be living and breathing heart of the evil.The island during the day is beautiful and calls you to come and visit,but during the night place turns to be frightening.For tourists this island is closed.Enter to this island can only the researchers of abnormal activities.The island belongs to the italian government.
