Italian CULTURE SHOCKS as an American Student

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Ho viaggiato da Predoi, il comune più settentrionale dell'Italia, a Lampedusa, il comune più meridionale dell'Italia CON MEZZI PUBBLICI! Ecco il video 😊 → kzbin.info/www/bejne/nKbLeKt6e9Wih7M

[@rikyrossi9518]

Great great video, the only thing that's not true is the drinking age, but i don't blame you because even a lot of italians don't know the truth, which is 18 in theory, and you see kids like 13 years old with beers because a lot of not serious night bars sell these without asking the age, and if the police saw you drinking while not in the legal age they can't do anything to you if not ask where you got the alcool, i don't really know the law at this point, if it's a "reato" (crime) or a "denuncia" (report), but if they're gonna do anything is to the seller.

[@grantottero4980]

​@@rikyrossi9518 It is a crime SELLING alcohol to people under 18 years old, but NOT for them to drink it (or for their parents letting them drink it, at least at home -- I don't know at the restaurant, but I don't think so --. At least provided that the parents control that the quantity does not lead to health problems, because if the public officers discover that your child is drunk, you could have legal problems, social assistants might be called and, if the fact repeats more times, you could risk that a judge orders to take away your son.

[@samuelus3200]

"The high quality of public transportation" Atac: *laughs in late*

[@federicocardello5927]

Quando l'auto salta due corse di fila...

[@AlanRTelka]

ATAC: 🔥🔥🔥

[@xx_dodosnipershadowevil_xx3614]

Ma mi sa che ha sbagliato stato video poco attendibile e che non rispecchia minimamente la realtà sconsigliato a chi viene per la prima volta in Italia

[@deus2570]

Yea but still, many places there are bus stops so it's really much better than some countries

[@federicocardello5927]

@@deus2570 I find quite pointless having a bus stop which is not used or often skipped by the driver. I understand that such issue is not widespread and that smaller cities have it better, probably due to the lower traffic and the obviously lower number of bus rides. Still, I believe people would expect something more from the capital, which is also one of the most visited and famous cities in Europe. The overall quality of the vehicles isn't that better either, though I admit I can't shy away from the 708 when I need a nice full body massage

[@abyteofgeek]

"The high quality of public transportation" Trenitalia: stonks

[@fogbank]

You have no idea how much worse trains are in the US than in Italy. I guess it's a consequence of gasoline being so much cheaper, which is something I kind of expected to find in this video, but didn't.

[@agnesematteucci7537]

uhahah vero

[@zakidine]

Cotral stonkx

[@mahttteo]

Se i nostri trasporti sono buoni non voglio immaginare come siano i loro

[@idkimlikereallybored9533]

dovrebbe venire a provarli in svizzera allora 😂

[@AlessandroGenTLe]

As Italian I can say that this is the 1st time I hear someone speaking about my country without telling BS. Well done mate! :)

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Thanks man! My intention is to keep making other similar ones.

[@davidlonhol8016]

@@connorgioiafigliu so he was accurate. Well done

[@federicomonti6056]

As an Italian too, I can’t agree more. I was about to write a similar comment

[@gian-227]

BS?

[@federicomonti6056]

@@gian-227 it means BullShit, my italiano friend

[@arrogantforce5508]

"High quality of public transportation" SORRY WHAT *cries in Trenord*

[@casinoroyal93]

Trenord è in orario: SHOCK

[@BrideOfTheWind]

Well, compared to the near-complete absence of public transportation Trenord is actually rather useful, not to mention public transport in Italy tends to be pretty cheap. Imagine just... Not having the option. Or having to always go to Milan by car and then find somewhere to park it, that would be MADNESS.

[@harryhaller5748]

Muoio 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@mattiaregna9520]

Beato te che hai trenord, qui in puglia se c'è un treno al giorno siamo fortunati (sempre se passa)😂

[@EmanueleSantoro]

C'è sempre chi sta peggio!

[@goodmann4503]

Me when he said our public trasportation si very good: first reaction SHOCK ( Renzi meme, check it)

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Ahahaha I'm well aware 😅

[@fogbank]

Shock or Shish?

[@Mimi-hz5sc]

@@fogbank both..both are good

[@bea_r9170]

Roberto Orsini both

[@tlacorp.3813]

Go to USA as the public transportation is horrible.

[@Frenzina98]

So, as an Italian, I need to say something: I didn't actually know that our cellular data fees were among the cheapest! It always seems a lot to me ahahah AAnd I totally agree with you on the differences in the wine culture! I was shocked that in the US I had to show my id for a simple beer when I was at the restaurant with my parents! Those are subtle differences that no one talks about but they make you appreciate all the nuances of different cultures! Plus, as for the tap water: in our house (northern Italy) we always use tap water but when I tried tap water in the states it always tasted like chlorine, so I would buy bottled water instead

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Yeah it can depend a lot on the city. Luckily, mine tastes good!

[@giordanogomato3559]

Ho lavorato a NYC per un annetto. AT&T mi sfilava 100 dollari al mese per una roba stile omnitel 1996

[@nocturneJOJO]

@@connorgioiafigliu it can vary even within a city. I've been drinking tap water for all my life but in my neighboor (if not just my block) is very good whereas friends that live half a km from me have water that isn't as good. It's still safe because our aqueduct are tightly controlled but the quality of the plumbing in the different areas might influence the taste a tiny bit. As for the sparkling water, while many do buy the platic bottles there are also a lot of services that offers boxes of water in glass bottles that are returnable ("vuoto a rendere") so that periodically you give back them and they bring you the full ones that you end up paying less. Sodastream machine are also becoming quite popular. In general while we do have some major problem in the disposing of our garbage (in some cities more than in others) there's also a culture of recycling that's quite widespread and it's been encouraged since early childhood at school since pretty much every classroom has a plastic, paper, and regular trash can. :)

[@MC-ik8jp]

In italy that is also true. Tap water tastes salty and disgusting in many cities and villages in the south, also because of the old infrastructure we have in some cases. I think that this one of the main reason why restaurants serve bottled water and we use it everyday..

[@joy2k0]

@@MC-ik8jp where i live (north) the tap water's not that bad overall

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Okay guys, I realize I made a mistake! The drinking age was raised to 18. Also, my apologies if this is not how things are in your village in the mountains of Valle d'Aosta. After all, my first shock was that Italy is so diverse regionally 😉

[@lucabevilacqua1001]

Ciao Connor hai solo 20 anni e sei una persona preparata e intelligente....si vede che sei un bravo ragazzo....stammi bene, ciao! 👍

[@connorgioiafigliu]

@@lucabevilacqua1001 Ciao Luca, grazie per le belle parole!

[@lucabevilacqua1001]

@@connorgioiafigliu figurati Connor,goditi la vita,cerca di fare tutto quello che reputi giusto e cerca sempre di imparare dai tuoi errori,comunque sei già sulla buona strada....purtroppo io nella vita ho fatto degli sbagli e l'ho pagata cara,adesso sono un altra persona,ma ho dovuto attraversare l'inferno per capirlo. Ti auguro una buona vita, ciao Connor. 👍

[@pacoxxi3302]

since you look like a guy who studies and likes to inquire. You should study the history of Italy to understand that the stereotype between north and south and between Italy and other countries is not a joke and is not nice. the stereotype always hides racism.

[@connorgioiafigliu]

@@pacoxxi3302 Oh yes of course, I study Italian at college. It's crazy how far back you can trace the South's problems--literally to when the Habsburgs occupied the South and used the taxes to repay Spanish debts instead of investing in local infrastructure.

[@carlo_berruti]

Yep - I agree with some of the comments below. As an Italian, I inevitably started off this video with an attitude like “OK, let’s see at what minute the first over-exaggerated stereotype comes up”. I didn’t find any 😀. Pretty accurate and balanced. Well done 👍🏼

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Thank you Carlo! Glad you liked it 😁

[@pietrom2642]

Yea, I think the same, and as an Italian I learned something like the bathroom and the cellular data seemed obvious to me

[@glidercoach]

€20 for 40 gigs of data? You got ripped off. I pay €7 for 30 gigs of data and 1000 minutes.

[@uniparsity]

I'm paying 9,99 euro monthly for 100 gigs

[@diaz900]

The first time you pay sim and activation

[@lorenzocaliri]

7€ for 50 gigs

[@jstringara4219]

Bruh, i pay 7 a month for 100, change to Iliad and back. It's the only way to get the best deals

[@angelica439]

yeah I agree, unless it was one of those contracts where in addition to the data you also pay installments for an iPhone (idk about the US but it's pretty common to do that here), you got ripped off. Depending on the company you can pay 9-10 euros for 50 to 100 gigs

[@buc960]

You gotta try Veneto for alcohol and bestemmie at its finest! 😂

[@connorgioiafigliu]

You know where to find me then 😅

[@gabrii00_]

culla della civiltà umana

[@theblackx9429]

come Veneto sono d' accordo.

[@akahige8967]

tuscany ain't joking either

[@jackraro]

Trieste in this moment: 🤪

[@XMarkxyz]

Talking about bathroom one culture shock that pretty much every italian suffers outside of Italy is the absence of a bidet, how can someone live without? It's relly useful

[@AP-cq1mh]

? take a shower dude

[@gunsmithfiamma4788]

The answer is simple: Whenever I go out of Italy, I bring a lot of wet wipes with me. You use the wipes during the day and just wash your privates under the shower at night :-)

[@ct1734]

@@AP-cq1mh bidet and shower are different thing...I cannot have 3 shower per day every day (except maybe in summer times). And as a woman how many shower do I have to have when I got my period? 10 per day? just to know...

[@lbranco93]

@@AP-cq1mh or buy a bidet, the most obvious choice. So you can avoid taking 2 showers a day

[@annaucosich2404]

@@gunsmithfiamma4788 plus using a ton of wipes doesn't really help the planet, so imagine doing it all life long just because one doesn't have a bidet. And using a bidet takes definitely less time than showering

[@MrGilRoland]

“High quality of public transportation”. Plot twist: he was visiting Switzerland and thought he was in Italy.

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Believe it or not, most of these experiences are based on the South 😂

[@MrGilRoland]

@@connorgioiafigliu All jokes aside, I’m Italian and I’m glad you enjoyed your time here. BTW we have cheap prices on fibre connections as well, not only mobile data, compared to USA. The average price for a connection from 100 mega up to 1 gigabyte here in Italy is around 30 euros per month (36$).

[@feyenoorden03]

its just way better than in the US lol

[@niccolopasqualetti2698]

Come facciamo a spiegargli che era in Ticino?

[@clotildedecasaantici8065]

@@niccolopasqualetti2698 Dove abito io, in Italia, il pubblico trasporto funziona bene. Se da lei funziona male non deve generalizzare 🧐🧐

[@maxharbig1167]

AS someone who has lived in Italy since 1970 I appreciate the fact that your first point was on regional differences. To me that means you're well on the way to understanding Italy.

[@aspiringdiplomat549]

As an Italian, I found this video very accurate in all it's sections. The driving part especially, although we wouldn't say we're crazy drivers, but instead, the only sane drivers surrounded by insane people

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Ahaha thanks Alessio! I appreciate the comment

[@fogbank]

Totally. Like the old joke about the driver who enters the highway the wrong way.

[@akahige8967]

haha well yeah, it depends on where you are though. driving in downtown palermo was one of the craziest experiences of my life. driving in firenze, bologna or milan.. meh. pretty easy. chaotic, yes, but not insane

[@aspiringdiplomat549]

@@akahige8967 if you liked Palermo then you will love driving around Catania and Ragusa. Also, I invite you to come to us here in Rome around Christmas time... You will see civilization break down as cars pile on top of each other haha

[@TheEternalWayfarer]

As an Italian, hearing someone praise our public transportation makes me both smile and think about how bad has to be American public transportation.

[@kevinwalsh1619]

I'm an American who didn't own a car until I was 28 years old. I can assure you that public transportation here is extremely sparse. Even in large cities, bus service is often only once in half an hour, and often there is no service at all at night. In small towns and rural areas public transportation doesn't exist at all. Some passenger rail service exists between cities, but the routes are very strange. For example, here in Arizona, the cities of Phoenix and Flagstaff are both served by rail, but the lines are parallel. If I wanted to travel by rail between those cities, I would either have to go all the way west to California or all the way east to Texas to a point where the lines converge. I think it's mainly a function of low population density. Canada and Australia have similar issues.

[@TheEternalWayfarer]

@@kevinwalsh1619 Wait I just checked Google (I've never been to Arizona) and it says I should either take a train and then Flixbus or change like 3 train lines (and take a bus anyways) and that it takes a minimum of 3h to get from Phoenix to Flagstaff and they're like 145km apart. Jesus Christ I get your point on low density population (and it's true for Italy too, small villages and towns are not served by rail) but it's worse than I thought.

[@Grana96]

15 minutes in a busy intersection to learn all the swear words, that's true by average italian standards. But if you go to Veneto and do the same thing it will take you a month, we can be very creative with that topic.

[@connorgioiafigliu]

I don't doubt it 😂

[@abtRS6]

There is nothing comparable to the Veneto’s swear words vocabulary and the creativity of them. Doesn’t matter how many years you’ve been living in Veneto, everyday you learn a new swear word😂

[@fogbank]

Imagine if Veneto bordered with the province of Livorno. The energy produced by the clash of their swearing would be enough to warp space-time. If we relocated the people of southern Tuscany in central Veneto, Italy would have its own particle accelerator for free.

[@Mac13ie]

Culture shock when visiting USA (California): My host asked me if I’d like to say grace before our meal !

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Funny! That's something I'd expect in the South, but not in California.

[@sophieminter0]

That's weird. I don't think a lot of families do that in CA, I mean only the religious ones.

[@mutotoru]

Same with me but in Texas. Bible study and Sunday (sometimes Saturday) church service were also quite a shock. Even more so considering that here in North Italy we really don't have a strong religious culture most of the time.

[@TheDarkever]

Pretty accurate, although the part about efficient public transport made me laugh. In Italy we constantly complain about how much our public transports suck... without realizing that many other nations have it way way way worse for many different reasons!

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Ahaha definitely, it's hard to compete with the other European countries

[@elradioso2710]

Finalmente! Vivo nel nord dell’Italia e sono spesso scioccato per.come gli americani ci immaginano. Come hai ben raccontato, siamo diversissimi, perfino di provincia in provincia. Complimenti, bel video!

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Grazie! Sono contento che ti è piaciuto 🥰

[@kino_61]

In veneto ci sono più di 7 variazioni di dialetto... (più delle provincie)

[@andreacingolani4043]

Ma alla fine siamo un popolo abbastanza omogeneo a differenza di come ci immaginiamo e ci immaginano. Sì, ci sono parecchi dialetti e la cucina varia di regione in regione (o anche di provincia in provincia come hai detto), ma queste sono differenze superficiali. All'atto pratico non ci sono grandi diversità, di quelle che contano davvero.

[@crisalide9723]

@@andreacingolani4043 Giusto! A Genova, Torino, Milano è più facile trovare un Napoletano, Siciliano, Sardo, Pugliese, Calabrese.... piuttosto che un Genovese, Torinese o Milanese

[@Marco-hq6hn]

Tutti gli stereotipi su di noi (pizza, tarantella, mafia...) Se ci fai caso sono tutti del Sud, e per uno del Nord è snervante sentire gli americani che credono che siamo tutti uguali, siamo completamente diversi e quegli stereotipi non c'entrano nulla con un milanese o un torinese

[@vitaneon]

7,99€ for 50Gigs...welcome ro Italy... Btw when u got aboundance of something ..u start to use it less...alcohol in italy is kinda like weed in amsterdam...u dont see Super drunk ppl here usually like you dont see Amsterdam ppl completely stoned in middle of streets...

[@olmogiovannini822]

Ah, ecco il lord dei memes di For Honor... mi inchino in sua presenza.

[@vitaneon]

@@olmogiovannini822 Cristo devo incominciare a pensare di girare in incognito pure sul tubo xD

[@alessio-nf1uv]

@@vitaneon eh mesa che ti tocca *put centurion laughs here* Comunque grande!

[@MarkKSII96]

Passa per il Friuli che ti faccio fare un giro.

[@pietrom2642]

We have to thank the French for that btw

[@robin9207]

You're completely right about the drinking culture! Thank you for saying that! I'm Italian and my relationship with alcohol is healthy as for most of Italians. I'm used to see a bottle of red wine on the table at lunch time since I was a kid, many times my dad also taught how to taste wine, for which food is better and some many other things even by letting him sip a bit of it. That's the point, I've never considered alcohol as something restricted and unreachable, that's why I don't feel like I need at all cost. I guess in Italy, the approach to alcohol is more about tasting rather than drinking with the only purpose of getting drunk

[@samuelcristaldi9380]

As an Italian this man chose to speak truth

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Thank you sir 🙏

[@AlessandroMian]

I have to say that this is the first time I hear someone talking well about Italy public transportation, I used them a lot for university but I figured out that using my own car is cheaper and faster due to the frequent delays. Anyway, nice video. It's good to hear an external perspective of my country.

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Thanks for the comment Alessandro! If you don't mind me asking, which city did you attend university in?

[@AlessandroMian]

@@connorgioiafigliu Udine

[@Mirimes]

Same, mannaggia a Trenitalia, never on time

[@ammonal244]

I study at the university of venice and I've very rarely had to voice complaints regarding the railway service. Overall, I'd say it has a 95+% punctuality rate over my 70 km long route.

[@renzozucchini6864]

@@ammonal244 non lo dire. Non è trendy.

Ciao Connor, è bello vedere che hai compreso la nostra cultura e ne hai dato una visione oggettiva e non solo "da americano". Soprattutto per l'ultima parte, dove hai capito che bere alcolici non è per noi un big deal. Io bevevo birra a casa da quando avevo 12 anni (ovviamente non tutti i giorni!), ma non mi sono mai ubriacata nella vita, né l'alcol mi interessa. Puoi diventare cittadino italiano onorario!

[@Manakel77]

Hi Connor, I understand your surprise about the tap water in restaurants thing as I'm an Italian expat in the UK. Please do consider that: 1. tap water often taste bitter because of chlorine, 2. bread is a flat rate no matter how much you get, 3. in Italy customers do not tip the waiters so their salary comes from bills only, 4. at the end of the meal, within or after the coffe, you often get some liqueur or chocolate for free (grappa, limoncello...).

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Thanks for the comment!

[@Manakel77]

@@connorgioiafigliu please don't take my reply as a criticism, I'm further than that. I personally disagree with that Italian habit (not to serve tap water at restaurants). However, don't worry, if the waiter takes an already open bottle of water, than there are good chances you're going to drink some tap water :-) nice yt channel, please keep going.

[@connorgioiafigliu]

@Henry Gladstone Haha no I understand! And do worry, my videos are intended to create discussion, so if you have any criticisms, I'm open to hearing them too 😅. My intention is to create more videos focused on Italy and my next will be filmed in Italian. I just need to commit to posting more regularly!

[@06802300]

It depends on where you drink tap water: in Rome, for example, it is so good that it could be bottled and sold, but this is not so in many other localities.

[@vgnlda]

About the tap water: now it's becoming common to have purified water (essentially tap water processed by a purification system in place - it can also create sparkling water by adding gas in the process) in the restaurants. The waiter will get you an open glass bottle of water, and it tastes better than the tap one.

[@salvomarchi2761]

You know you achieved a good result when an Italian like your video. You nailed it bro

[@lukehp7431]

"The high quality of public transportation" Atac: **chuckles** I'm on fire.

[@valerianocuomo996]

Provincialotto

[@myspeedygonzales1]

Finally an American person who doesn’t think that my Country is not only spaghetti and mafia! Thank you!

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Infatti si, c'e anche il mandolino 😂

[@Imrith]

Gotta say it: the water thing it's also quite region-dependent. In Trentino Alto-Adige (where I'm from) people drink almost exclusively tap water (and are very aware of the environment issue with plastic bottles) because the water there is of excellent quality. In other parts of Italy though water from the tap does not taste as good, especially in big cities. Good video :)

[@connorgioiafigliu]

That makes sense. Thanks for the comment!

[@cerico76]

Bravo! You've got everything right! i'm going back to Italy after 6 years soon , I'm curious to see what Italy has become.

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Very exciting! Thank you for the comment :)

[@cainschamber]

People being loud is such a true stereotype tho

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Haha definitely!

[@lorenzpaulinho1154]

@@connorgioiafigliu also southern italians that are lazy or dishonest is true

[@OniGarro]

@@connorgioiafigliu yeah, while not a single northern Italian is. They are also such fun, pleasant and very unbiased open-minded people!

[@connorgioiafigliu]

@@lorenzpaulinho1154 No, most of my friends are southerners and none of them are lazy or dishonest

[@lorenzpaulinho1154]

@@connorgioiafigliu stereotype has a pinch of thuth, although historic.

[@jimmend7361]

Mad respect man. I can see you're dedicated and you don't just spit stereotypes. Keep up the good work!

[@BICIeCOMPUTERconGabriele]

Uber is forbidden because of a protectionist system, that requires a licence (that is limited and released by the mayor of the town) to do taxi service.

[@holyblood1]

Lo scandalo e che le licenze dei taxi italiani sono quasi milionarie, per questo uber non lo vogliono in italia........

[@ccclll987]

@@holyblood1 milionarie? XD faccio il tassista, grazie di avermi fatto scoprire che sono milionario! Comunque le licenze servono per evitare gli sfruttamenti che le compagnie come Uber fanno a danno dei lavoratori, basta vedere come sono trattati i rider.

[@holyblood1]

@@ccclll987 il problema e alla radice, e se la tua licenza di taxista l'hai pagata una cifra a 5 zeri sai a cosa mi riferisco. La discussione sarebbe lunga ed elaborata da fare e lo sfruttamento ci azzecca per l'1% di tutta la storia......ognuno ha la sua opinione comunque.

[@giacomosummaria7273]

@@holyblood1 la vendita delle licenze è una pratica non regolamentata ma allo stesso tempo non sanzionata tecnicamente si tratta di una “cessione”, possibile soltanto quando un possessore di licenza supera i 60 anni o in altre situazioni eccezionali. In ogni caso a Roma (che è una delle città più redditizie per i tassisti) difficilmente si superano i 200000€

[@holyblood1]

@@giacomosummaria7273 e ti sembra una cifra normale da pagare per una licenza? Questa pratica ha reso la categoria dei taxisti una casta privilegiata e allo stesso tempo penalizzata a mio modo di vedere, poi ognuno fa come vuole............

[@alessiog8458]

Decisamente interessante questo video, specialmente la parte dei trasporti efficienti e presenti in ogni città... Noi italiani siamo soliti lamentarci perché abituati troppo bene!

[@droidec1p8]

Da noi i trasporti possono essere scomodi o i mezzi possono essere vecchi, per cui ovviamente ci lamentiamo e con qualche ragione, ma da loro spesso e volentieri proprio non ci sono. In compenso da loro la benzina costa assai poco, cioè quanto costerebbe da noi se sopra non vi fossero caricate tutte quelle tasse.

[@marcotreccani2794]

Saranno anche migliori di quelli negli usa, ma siamo ancora anni luci dai livelli di quasi tutti gli altri paesi europei di "un certo livello"

[@althealieniz5200]

Da anni vedo solo corse tagliate e frazioni e paesini, monti e valli collegati sempre più spesso con 1 o al massimo 2 corse giornaliere. Per la disperazione di molti anziani che vanno nell'ansia più totale di perdere l'unico mezzo della giornata, se non per essere definitivamente tagliati fuori dal mondo. E lo stesso vale per molte fermate in piccole stazioni, che ricordo esistere solo perché il treno ci passa davanti, ma senza fermarsi più. In sintesi: negli usa potrà anche essere peggio, ma io paragono la mia qualità della vita a chi vive meglio. E il nord Europa è sicuramente lo standard a cui guardare. Gli usa invece sono troppo stereotipati, in meglio. Ecco, se vogliamo trovare un difetto sui costi della rete, ad esempio la Germania è ben più cara di noi, e mio fratello non smette di meravigliarsi nel vedere nei dintorni di Monaco, cartelloni che propongono, come fossero occasioni, 100 giga a 99 euro, o 60 giga a 59.. Cifre folli per l'Italia..

[@droidec1p8]

@@althealieniz5200 Per via della politica dei tagli. Non ci sono i soldi e allora bisogna tagliare e poi ancora tagliare. Non solo sui trasporti, purtroppo. Ora sul perché non ci siano mai i soldi si potrebbe aprire un lungo dibattito in cui c'è forse da smascherare molti luoghi comuni, allora non mi ci addentro. Mi limito a dire, a proposito di nord Europa, che probabilmente la soluzione si trova in Norvegia. In parte, anche in Svezia e Danimarca.

[@lucyhumber6053]

E abbiamo ragione, in America sono praticamente insesistenti.

[@fabiop4825]

Very well done on your interpretation of our drinking habits. It is what I have always thought but never been able to express as well as you did. We start tasting and trying alcohol beverages much earlier in life compared to Americans, and we are usually introduced to alcohol in a meal setting, under our parents’ supervision. This results in us being more responsible when drinking with our peers and I also think it takes the taboo factor away a little bit. Also we are able to drive at a later stage of life compared to most American States, so our first binge drinking nights are usually much before we are able to drive, limiting risk and damage to ourselves and others, giving us time to be more responsible by the time we start using cars. Great video by the way, very much resembling the truth.

[@Lawliet252]

"High quality public transportation" Me: *laughs and cries in Sicilian*

[@angelinabetty]

It depends on the region you are in.

[@domenicodelre879]

Man you are the first person that I see on KZbin that tells how Italy really is! I really appreciate it Keep it like this 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼

[@diamanteblu7789]

Ci conosci davvero bene! Sei riuscito a studiarci per bene e a fare un quadro realistico delle diverse situazioni che si possono vivere nel nostro Paese, delle differenze culturali da regione a regione... Bravo! Sei tra i pochissimi youtuber stranieri che sono riusciti a vedere oltre gli stereotipi parlando dell'Italia! Great job!!!

[@craz2580]

Considering the fact that italy is basically an amalgamation of cities and ex mediaval countries, its no wonder that we can't understand each other even if we are in the same region lol

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Haha that would certainly explain why Tuscans hate each other! Gli spiriti dei guelfi e ghibellini non li lasceranno mai in pace

[@claudiodiomaiuti7426]

First point is so true and you are really smart to catch it. This is the first time that i listen someone point these things in a “cultur shock” video. Complimenti

[@giona1969]

love your insights on our culture! well done

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Thank you Giona!!

[@tancredidipaola2111]

I feel like every American who plans to travel to Italy should watch this

[@bea_r9170]

True

[@dankomatkovic9586]

Italy indeed is known for having some of the cheapest mobile phone networks in Europe, thanks to the early and intense competition.

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Thanks for the comment, Danko! I didn't know the reason.

[@iota-09]

Cheapest and best mobile networks, and yet our landlines are on par at best, subpar most often.

[@barvdw]

I was pretty surprised in Romania, too. Estonia is pretty cheap, too, I've heard (but then again, they try to build a reputation as a very internet-friendly country, after all, they invented Skype), but Romania has a bit of a reputation as a backwater. At the very least cost and especially internet speed was pretty much the best I've had...

[@MsAntoTube]

Well done! This is the first time I've heard a true description of Italy and from a very good, intelligent observer. Far from the usual stereotypes, you've been able to pinpoint what present-day Italy is all about!

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Thank you very much!

[@Alby_Torino]

Driving in Italy is waaay safer than in the US

[@queeng508]

also because ads are mostly not allowed in places like hallways while the us is full of em everwhere

[@SimonHume81]

Tell me it ain't so!

[@Alby_Torino]

@@SimonHume81 Not an opinion, just cold numbers: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic-related_death_rate

[@anzaisekai3416]

I can say that just the roads here in Rome are completely destroyed so often you have to choose between your car and your life, 'cause you have to run into another lane to avoid getting your wheels wrecked. So no, streets aren't safe here at all, at least here in Rome.

[@Alby_Torino]

​@@anzaisekai3416 As he said, Italy is a very regional country, so different areas are very diverse... Where I live I rarely see car crashes or road rage and roads are nice and safe... And as I said, mine wasn't a personal opinion, but a matter of facts.

[@mattiabolondi9864]

One important detail: 16 isn't really a drinking age. It's the age you must be to autonomously buy alcohol. But you can moderately consume alcoholic drinks even earlier, if you are under the supervision of an adult (who's to be held accountable if shit happens). It's not uncommon for example on special occasions for parents to let their teenager kids have a bit of taste of good wine or good beer at a restaurant on special occasions.

[@connorgioiafigliu]

in the US, many states have similar laws about allowing minors to consume alcohol under the supervision of their parents. but of course, buying alcohol autonomously is very strict, even when you are above 21!

[@mattiabolondi9864]

@@connorgioiafigliu and that's the reason why people, once they can drink, drink too much. I recall noticing this phenomenon clearly when I was 16 in a trip to London with my parents. There were a bunch of places we could literally not enter because I was 16, my brother 12 and my sister 6. So, a very strict regulation... and at the same time, starting from the early evening all the bars were packed of people just above the age of 18 completely wasted because of alcohol.

[@TheCarloCarlone]

I live in Italy and most of these facts still "culture shocked" me

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Most of it is based on Puglia, so I wouldn't blame you 😂

[@pietrom2642]

@@connorgioiafigliu no, I live in genoa, 900km away from puglia and even considering the vast cultural difference you points made absolute sense, I've just never seen a 13 buying alcohol or cigarettes

[@MajingoPower]

Good video, over all a pretty unbiased and reasonable depiction of things in Italy, good job.

[@delena77]

Bravo! Hai azzeccato quasi tutto

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Ahaha grazie, mi fa piacere 😁

[@fiz-defiz]

Ricordati però che è molto diverso fra nord e sud, tipo il traffico o i bagni...

[@alessandromazzone6557]

Connor, toilets are supposed to be separated (I run a restaurant in Puglia). If you have found toilets for both men and women, those places either bear an old licence or are just illegal. In some city centres, where buildings are very old, laws are less strict

[@lambostrike]

That's extremely accurate, ottimo lavoro 👌🏼

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Grazie Lambo 😉

[@mariopresi8649]

As an Italian...I can honestly say, spot on :-)

[@angelica_620]

"the high quality of public transportation" self-combusting buses in Rome: are we a joke to you

[@filltofill]

20 Euro for 40GB of data is a lot in Italy ;)

[@connorgioiafigliu]

I needed to buy the sim card too

[@jurgenparkour9337]

@@connorgioiafigliu yes, you have to spend between 10-15 euros to get ybe the sim card, but if you chose for example Iliad you can have 50gb of data monthly for just 7 euros

[@bomgol]

I have giga illimitati e minuti illimitati per 15€

[@pakib5836]

This video is GOLD! Very difficult to find correct information about Italy on KZbin. Buona fortuna ! 🍀👍🏽

[@a.k.6544]

Bell video! Un dettaglio soltanto: guarda che puoi ordianre aqua di rubinetto nei restoranti quando vuoi e anche gratis, non solo sempre disponibile ma anche per legge in ogni bar se chiedi aqua di rubinetto devono servirti. Nel nord in Osterie aqua di rubinetto sempre, ma a Milano non te la consiglio! - English summary: you can get tap water anywhere in any restaurant by request, they must serve you, even asking a glass of tap water in a bar they give it to you and must by law. I just do not advise you to get it in Milan (bad quality). But the rest of Italy has often wonderful and drinkable tap water everywhere, just be sure TO ASK the waiter first for tap water or they will automatically bring you bottled. Also we very often have unisex bathrooms.

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Questo non lo sapevo! Ma la gente ordina veramente acqua di rubinetto? Oppure è solo la legge?

[@mari_comix]

@@connorgioiafigliu si ordina, in discoteca o ai bar sempre

[@zejerkush7869]

*acqua

[@BICIeCOMPUTERconGabriele]

@@connorgioiafigliu Si può ma il padrone del ristorante cerca di evitarlo, perché il guadagno sull'acqua in bottiglia è molto più grande (in percentuale) del guadagno sul cibo. E i prezzi del menù sono fissati tenendo in considerazione che una bottiglia di acqua viene sempre ordinata. Va anche detto che in genere, da quanto vedo qui su youtube, il ristorante in Italia costa poco, rispetto agli USA, considerando anche la qualità molto più alta del cibo qui in Italia.

[@doc7440]

@@connorgioiafigliu nei ristoranti è raro che succeda , e spesso ( mi è capitato ) ti guardano male tipo " il pezzente che non si vuol permettere 2 euro di minerale ) ma se la chiedi te la portano ( di solito ) . E' che non siamo più abituati a farlo. Molti non bevono l'acqua di rubinetto nemmeno a casa .

[@simone8002]

ho guardato questo video per curiosità e ti posso dire tranquillamente che tutto quello che hai detto é vero! bravo!

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Grazie Simone! Sono felice che ti sia piaciuto.

[@idraote]

KZbin's algorhythms must be doing something wrong because most comments come from Italians (like me) and not from people from the US wanting to know more about my country. That said, I think you were fairly accurate. Italy is not necessarily as bad as most of us think it is.

[@connorgioiafigliu]

I guess Italians just like watching videos about themselves 😂

[@massimogreco1410]

@@connorgioiafigliu Yeah, that's true!

[@Tommi414]

Dude your pronunciation of those Italian words was top notch

[@ValerioBettini]

You must be the most nice guy in the world if you enjoy public transport in Italy!! Love the series, keep it up!

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Haha thanks Valerio 😅

[@pvayu9704]

calculate that now you pay € 10 for 70 gb and unlimited calls and messages to Italian numbers and from Italy to the fixed network of 60 countries in the world plus the mobile numbers of the USA and Canada (always unlimited but logically according to good use which means that you don't make 18 hours a day of calls) :-) however in fact it was a shock for me to hear the rates for internet subscriptions in the US and also the mobile phone prices

[@GePsPlus]

Bathrooms you describe are very common in restaurants located in ancient building, mainly because they have space constraints. You can find separated restroom in places located in building less old or with more space available, but it's generally true that for us it's not a big deal to have promiscuos services.

[@alessandracalvi2403]

I like the way you talk, you sound like a native italian with a really good american accent😂

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Ahahah thank you 😅

[@MrSousuke87]

That was interesting. I don't know why KZbin decided to bring me this video, but it was curious indeed. It's weird to hear about my country in a much more polite way than I was expected, but yeah, I think there are so much stereotypes about everything and every culture. Good job man. Grazie per il video, è stato divertente vedere come tutte queste differenze possano essere recepite da persone provenienti da altre culture.

[@animadverte]

of course, not everyone buy bottles of water. In my family and most of my friends families, we all drink tap water. Keep also in mind that you usually have to buy water in restaurant but bread is for free.

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Haha good to hear! Maybe I just stayed with the wrong people. I've definitely acquired a taste for Conad water though 😅

[@dankomatkovic9586]

@@connorgioiafigliu, in Italy drinking water is mostly publicly, not privately owned; most municipal aqueducts deliver water of excellent quality, but for some mysterious reason, Italians often seem to prefer buying expensive bottled water for their home consumption, ignoring the fact that tap water is actually tightlier controlled than bottled water, thus de facto being safer besides being cheaper as well. Restaurants, of course, tend to serve bottled water: 1) Because business; 2) because it's mandatory for hygienic reasons.

[@TravelAddictsLife]

Excellent video Connor, you are right we have some funny habits here in Italy. One thing you didn't mention are the crazy tv ads with almost naked women in them, that is something I've never seen in North America.

[@giuuig]

The id used to check your age by the vending machines is the Tessera Sanitaria, for your public healthcare. Kids easily take it from their parents just for a few hours to buy cigarettes or alcohol without them noticing, as it's not used so frequently

[@aeneasfuchskuntz7031]

Really interesting point of view: it's always enriching to listen to your own habits, but when they are seen from new eyes Obviously some things are more complex than that, but I think it is the beauty of knowing something since you were born I hope you come visit Italy again! Very impressive Italian pronunciation, sorry for my bad English writing!

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Glad you liked it! Your English is great!

[@DanyEverest]

When you were talking about the driving part, I was thinking about my experience in China... if you found it crazy in Italy, you can't imagine how crazily people drive in China 😂😂😂

[@danielekirylo]

India is worst.

[@connorgioiafigliu]

I've seen the KZbin compilations 😅

[@NickSharpx]

Great video, hope you enjoyed your stay in Apulia as that's where I live! Really informative concise video for any foreigner planning to visit Italy anywhere as these are all very fair assumptions and generalizations, all 100% truthful to reality

[@Aurea_Astrae]

Public transportation is good. Cries in trenitalia

[@7Alberto7]

I'm from Italy,you speak the truth,thank you and let's hope all this american BS around Italy end Our country have so much more to offer of what you think,please come and enjoy the real Italy everyone

[@BenTV_Italia]

as an italian, before this video I thought we were only pasta and mafia LOL JK

[@connorgioiafigliu]

You can't forget about mandolino 👌

[@karlomagno7882]

Thanks for this video! I liked the first part because that’s realy! I’m from northern Italy, and my dialect is much different to southerner dialectS. In Italy there are some cultures and traditions differents, we aren’t only the man with moustaches and pizza who dance tarantella how think other countries. In my province we eat “casoncelli” and spiedo” and a expression in our dialect is “Ee sio, me so de Bresä!”... Thanks for have do know this thinks at other people! :)

[@TheromaB]

In Italy drink alchool is absolutely normal, there are some countryside places where also the childs drink alchool (veneto, emilia-romagna) but for all of us drink is not drunk like you guys. I saw young american students completly drunk but i never (or almost never) saw my italian friends drunk because we know when it’s time to stop.

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Haha if you saw young American students drinking while _on vacation,_ then you saw us at our worst! In American colleges there is a famous saying: "It's not alcoholism until you graduate." 😂

[@TheromaB]

Sadly when they discovered that it’s possible to do what they want to do, how can i say, they go mad. It’s a real problem especially in Rome where i live, here everythink is historical or precious and they got sick wverywhere, i remember an american students that after a drunk night, i don’t know how, he walked on a train gallery and was hit by train. It’s was a shock for us.

[@connorgioiafigliu]

@@TheromaB That's crazy!!!

[@a.k.6544]

Mirko, non so te ma noi in veneto e friuli abbiamo un adolescenza estremamente alcolica, forse per questo non ci si vede imbriachi dopo i venti perche abbiam gia dato! hahahah

[@ptrs559]

While generally true there has been an increase in binge drinking in Italy among the young. Especially in the university city of Trieste, young “students” will carouse down VialeXX Settembre and Giardino Pubblico drinking from the bottle(s) while raising a ruckus. High schoolers will get wasted on cheap beer In Piazza UNITA smashing each bottle on the ground when finished. From my personal observation the University city of BolognA May be a bit more drug related and a tad less alcohol.

[@antoninodanna1996]

You're Right about the excessive use of plastics bottle but lately filter jugs are spreading, so when I'm home, I usualy drink filtrered tap water.

[@connorgioiafigliu]

That's nice! That's what we mostly use here

[@gabrielniklasschildt5612]

You can get a bunch of glass bottles and just refil them at the Nasoni

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Awesome!

[@GioJonnhyK]

hahaahhaahaahahhaahhahahaahahhaah

[@GiampietroDiSanto]

As for the tap water, it depends on the area you're in. As you noticed, regional habits are very different as you move across the country. Where I live (in the central Apennine mountains) tap water is of very high quality and the vast majority of us drink it. Plus, in some mountain villages, you still can see people bottling water from public fountains for household use because it's pure spring water, straight out of the rocks and it's far better than the bottled one.

[@AlexSuh]

Excellent video!

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Thanks Alex! Glad you liked it!

[@greengrendel]

It's funny that you mention toilets being weird, I was fairly bemused in America when I saw that most public toilets have huge gaps all around the door! Not just above and below, but even at the hinges! If you look in the direction of the doors, you're likely to lock eyes with a person that's sitting on the can!

[@angel_lucass]

You might pay for water, but you usually get free bread or something similar :) and as you mentioned, tips aren't mandatory

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Yeah, it usually ends up balancing out in the end! Just a different payment system

[@angel_lucass]

@@connorgioiafigliu i just hope everything will be back to normal soon, i love me some time at my fav restaurant or cafe😂 stay safe

[@francescacasini4694]

Nice video ! I am from Tuscany but I've been living in Bologna for 15 years and there are two things that shocked me a bit about this specific city: First, they drive pretty slowly and safely 🤣 and they like drinking tape water at home (just like me). I think this depends on where you live here in Italy, on how tape water tastes I mean. While in Florence I could really not drink it (not even cook pasta with It) before having a filtering system. In Rome, Naples or here in Bologna tap water tastes really good instead. But again I think it's southern people who generally drink bottled water in my opinion

[@fc9220]

Ahah yeah, only one thing: in Italy according to the law you have to be 18 to drink alcool, even beer. According to the law obviously...

[@MrDarthRex]

You say it like it is in terms of Italian culture more or less. Thank you. I'm an Italian-American but the stereotypes are real even between Northern Italian expatriates and Italian-Americans with Southern Italian ancestry.

[@Nestmind]

high quality transport sistem....this alone proves you have been in a different italy from the ones we live in...

[@adiuntesserande6893]

Considering that cities in the United States as large as 500,000 people are often served quite literally by a single bus line that only operates between 7-9am and 4-6 pm, trust me, you have it good.

[@Nestmind]

@@adiuntesserande6893 wtf? Are you real? I used to live in a small city with...10.000ish people, and whe had a single bus stop, but with several bus for several dirextion almost 24 hours full....

[@Laurelin70]

@@Nestmind DUde, USA are a nation built on oil and cars. Other than New York, american cities are made for driving and they are so used to drive anywhere they don't even think of a "passeggiata" as an entertainment.

[@Nestmind]

@@Laurelin70 a shame really

[@emotheriver]

First time I listen to a foreigner who spotted the whole "story" clearly... Well done Connor

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Thank you Andrea!

[@anthonhysalomone2025]

I appreciated your commentary being an Italian American!

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Thanks Anthony!

[@Earle96]

Nice video, I am an American expat living in italy for the past 4 years and everything you said was spot on.

[@loreta8249]

I am from Latvia and I pay 10 euros a month for unlimited data, calls and messages :D I think it is pretty much the same in the other Baltic States. For example last month I used around 600 GB of data and it cost me only 10 euros :)

[@demoniack81]

Italy here and I pay 31€ for 120GB of LTE traffic, unlimited calls, and a 1Gbps down / 200Mbps down FTTH link at home. Italy has an absolutely massive digital divide (move out of cities and it's not uncommon to have speeds in the single digit megabits), but if you have fiber coverage it's actually quite cheap. Sometimes cheaper than the old ADSLs.

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Ahaha yeah all the Baltic countries are so advanced when it comes to internet!

[@FunkyRezable]

@@demoniack81 yeah, my current internet offer consists of 1Gb/s speed Fiber, unlimited mobile data, unlimited calls and messages at only 29,99€/month while when I was living in a small town 20km away I barely had a 10Mb/s ADSL

[@randomcitizen297]

As an Italian I can say that this is 100% correct

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Thanks for the comment Simone 🙏

[@cheeri790]

18 쉽게 영어와 아탈리어 언어 배우니 좋네요 ㅎ 18 It's nice to learn English and Ataliese languages easily. I always keep a subscription

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Italian is beautiful!

[@erikap5072]

Che spettacolo la tua pronuncia! Soprattutto le doppie! Grande Connor 🤩

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Ahaha grazie Erika!

[@TheromaB]

My cellular data cost only 5,99€ 😂🤣😂 30gb and unlimited phone calls and sms, the crazy prices are the americans not the europeans

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Ahaha dai pero' almeno da noi si puo' comprare un iPhone senza pagare 300 euro d'IVA 😂

[@aledemo]

The public transport part made me chuckle 😂 It's fun because we never see things from an outer perspective, actually our public transport system is pretty solid but we usually complain about it. For the water consumption part you raised a good point, we're one of the first countries in Europe for bottled water consumption and we're so used to it we don't always think about the environmental consequences of the plastic waste (the recycling systems lacks pretty much in every big city, due to a poor administration and in some cases even due to the organized crime). In smaller towns though (where the water is much cleaner) we use to drink tap water, even in some restaurants. Very good video mate!

[@valenesco45]

Hai un accento che non ho mai sentito nei video in inglese americano, da quale parte provieni?

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Vengo da Chicago, ma in realtà il mio accento è un accento americano standard.

[@Tonyx.yt.]

È assolutamente accento standard, forse hai sentito accenti come quello del Texas o di New York.

[@Louis13XIII]

"The high quality of public transportation" Trenord: our trains don't stop in the middle of nowhere, we're offering you a free sightseeing tour of the countryside.

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Two for one deal

[@51tomtomtom]

BTW in EU + US there are no more roaming costs !

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Wow, you might have to tell me more, that's big if true!!!

[@stefano_etrusco]

That’s true only within the EU, not the US, and subject to limitations for mobile data.

[@arianna4244]

Figo sto video!!! Good job man

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Grazie Arianna 😎

[@davidlonhol8016]

I like this video and apparently Italians agree with his conclusions

[@connorgioiafigliu]

Thanks David!