It never ceases to amaze me how anything ever gets accomplished in Italy. Italians and Europeans in general definitely lead a more laid back lifestyle than us here in America. Being fortunate enough to have traveled to Italy numerous times, I’ve experienced this first hand. “If you ” re late, you ” re late”, this is the attitude in Italy. Time does not seem to be important there. For example, my cousins and I had plans take a boat to Sicily one day.
The boat was to depart at 9: 00 am. “We ” re never going to make it”, I stressed as we headed toward the dock. My stride was fast and furious, while my cousins strolled behind me laughing at the frenzy I was putting myself in. “Slow down Americana”, this phrase is repeated numerous times during my stay. You see, they knew that boat wasn’t going anywhere without us. Here in America that boat would never have waited past the departure time.
Instead that particular one actually took attendance from a passenger list and waited patiently until the last person was safely on board. Time is money here in America. In Italy however, stores and businesses still observe “siesta”, where they close down between 12: 00 pm – 4: 00 pm. There is no thought to how much revenue is lost during these hours of in operation. This time is used to spend with friends and family, or catch up on an afternoon nap. There is also no squawking if a merchant decides to close earlier than his posted hours.
The Essay on Cultural Differences between United States and Italy
All societies provide for certain broad areas of social living. Wissler (2000:99) identified these as universal patterns of culture, such as speech, material traits, art, mythology and scientific knowledge, religious practice, family and social systems, property, government, and war. Even within these broad areas of social living are a number of common elements. Moreover, cultures between ...
That merchant might have had an offer to go for a cup of espresso or glass of wine with a long lost friend, and to him wasn’t worth missing out on. The commercialization of the holidays fortunately hasn’t infested Italy as it has in America. Here in the states a lot of families forget that holidays are meant to be celebrated, not spent stressed out in long checkout lines. In Italy there is no hustle and bustle at the malls to find “the perfect gift.” The focus is definitely on friends and family and celebrating those relationships. There are no expectations of material goods, only the expectation of sharing a bottle of homemade wine and breaking bread with loved ones. The dinner table in an Italian household is almost always set with an extra place setting, just in case someone drops by.
There are no unwritten rules of calling first before visiting. Everyone is comfortable with the fact they are always welcome. There are also no specific mealtimes. You ” ll rarely ever see anyone stressing to get supper on the table by a particular hour. These meals are often planned only minutes before they are prepared. Most Italians still shop daily for the freshest meats and vegetables available at their local grocer.
Fast food places are few and far between and are usually reserved for tourists visiting the area. As often as I visit this relaxed country, I’m still always fascinated at how little these people actually fret over. My relatives there enjoy teasing me about my “American ways”, as they put it. Rush, rush, I’m always in a hurry to get nowhere. It always takes me a few days after arriving there to get adjusted to their laid back pace. Italians literally do “Stop and smell the roses.”.
