We find these to be true of Italians –
1. They are not friendly. Not like Texans, or Americans for that matter. You may receive a “Ciao” when entering a store but that’s it. Not that Tori and I have much to offer past a “Ciao” or anything, but it would be nice to smile when passing. Or wave here and there. We naturally throw our hand up, as a sign of “thank you”, for not running us over, and allowing us to cross the street. They don’t return a smile or a wave back. It’s okay we say to ourselves, “they are just not friendly”.
2. Scott warned TT and I to not expect lines at stores – the grocery store, the pharmacy, or gelato lines. There are no lines, you fend for yourself. So we fend.
3. I am chubbed on carbs. Pastries for the morning with a cappuccino, pizza/panini for lunch, and pasta for dinner. Carbs I say.
4. Wine is cheap. And tasty.
5. Everyone, both young and old, skinny or heavier, eats gelato, everyday. I found the most tasty combination on a cono (cone) – “fruits of the forest” and “lemon” in Torino, Italy. Tori was jealous.
6. Everyone is very posh. They dress nice. Scott says they don’t leave their house unless they are put together. My madre is very good at this. I feel like she wakes up as a beauty queen but I feel that I didn’t inherit her jeans, so I take some work. Tori and I work on this.
7. Tori made a friend on the plane. He lived in Torino, so when Tori and I went to Torino yesterday, we spent a couple hours with him. I asked him if everyone is that wealthy or if they are like Dallas citizens. What is that? Well, everyone acts like they have money, but they don’t. We call them $30,000 millionaires. He confirmed that Italians are the same way. Scott says they are more like $10,000 millionaires. Simone is her friend’s name and he said they are bad at budgeting and spend their money until it’s gone.
8. When you withdraw Euro from the ATM, they give you big bills. Every time we go to pay for something all I have is a 50 Euro bill or a 20 Euro bill. They look disappointed in me and I look to Scott to say sorry. Then Tori intercedes and ends up paying for me. TT and I went into the bank in Torino and the bank teller gave me smaller bills. They even seemed frustrated. What do they expect? Seriously, isn’t that their job?
9. The Italian men are very attractive. Or sexy. All TT and I can say is Ciao or smile at them. So we are safe. Then after every attractive Italian man, TT and I discuss how if we were with Woods, she would be hitting on them. And then I say how uncomfortable I would feel, because normally I shy away. She would have their numbers and a date already set up by the time we would leave a gelato shop.
10. There are no options really in coffee. Maybe three. So I drink a cappuccino everyday.
11. Scott has an older larger apartment. It’s great. I think it’s funny because we sit in the tub and hold the showerhead when we are sitting down. So basically it is a sit down shower. I make a mess and water is everywhere. I think Scott thinks I’m an idiot. I think in the updated apartments in Italy, they have stand up showers, but this is different for me.
12. Scott stays on a second floor and leaves the windows open in the bathroom and the two bedrooms. I used to complain, or regularly do with Brit, how loud Anita (my home) is. I can’t fall asleep at times because the damn motorcyclists rev their engines. Apparently it’s so much worse here in my opinion. These loud, immature men drive loud cars that keep me up. For this reason, I sleep on the couch. I actually used Woods’ earplugs last night and it was okay, but I haven’t decided if I’ll do this again. Thank you bebe Woods.
13. Driving home from Switzerland, in a very small, ghost-like town, I saw three prostitutes. How do I know? Well they were dressed as so, in white mini skirt dresses and go-go-like boots. Tori and I wanted to save them, but instead we talked about how prostitution is illegal but they don’t prosecute or really do anything about it. Tori was bummed she didn’t actually see them with her eyes. It was dark. Poor prostitutes.
14. They are horrible drivers. End of story.
15. They walk a lot. With their families. Teenagers with their friends. The elderly even walk. Tori and I think they are so mobile.
16. Apparently you live with your parents until you get married, because naturally, they cannot afford the lifestyle they live. The apartments in the city, where 20’s want to live are expensive.
17. It is a low birth rate country.
18. Scott says women are mole-y. As in moles on their faces or bodies. Woods?
19. Men are very metro, which naturally I feel as if they are homosexual. I think this is very narrow minded of me, so I have branched out. Men here like to dress nice, sleek, and wax their eyebrows and tan in tanning salons. In Dallas, most men are gay if they engage in such activities, but Abby has grown up a little, and is happy to say that not all metros are gay. Be proud.
20. Their markets or grocery stores are tiny. I feel like I am about to get run over by someone else. And you have to pay for your shopping bag. 1 cent euro. And you have to tell them how many shopping bags you want. So TT and I try to load up before we head home, but wouldn’t it be embarrassing if our bag broke? you can pack up your groceries into your bag, the clerk is on to the next customer. Very fast paced.
Ciao from Italy,
Abby + Tori + Scott
P.S. – I just read this to them, confirming the information that I wrote. Tori said you forgot to mention the unspoken rule – Don’t look at men in the eye and smile. This means you want to have sex with them. So TT does it all the time.
P.P.S – PDA is rampant. People young and old make out all over the streets. Yesterday Tori and I would say “12 o’clock” or “3 o’clock” to watch some love story unfold. Often times it was teenagers. They would kiss, pull away, almost walk away, and then come back to one another. Often times we saw way too much action. Or we were just jealous.
