Italian Culture Shocks (as an American)

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After four months of living in Italy, I have completed a list of puzzling behaviors, customs and things Italians do that I am still trying to figure out. Clearly, I still have a lot to learn about living in Europe.
#italy #expat #expatlife #livingabroad

[@AngelusFromHell]

I've been to the USA and Italian language wasn't spoken. Shocking! 😱

[@MattSuozzo]

Italian? not so much. but Spanish is a pretty common second language.

[@Andreabont]

it would be appropriate to learn the language of the country which you are taking citizenship

[@MattSuozzo]

Agreed! It's much easier to learn when you are here since you hear and see it every day.

[@anta3612]

Uno dei requisiti richiesti dalla legge italiana pare sia la comprovata conoscenza della lingua italiana, il cui livello richiesto non deve essere inferiore al B1 - QCER.

[@ignisvis8867]

I think most italians are very patient and friendly (especially in the south) so, even if you don't speak italian propely, they will try to understand what you want to say and help you out :D

[@mimmiblu6138]

Very naive question: if you like Germany why do you want the Italian citizenship? Simply out of interest/convenience?

[@lucazeppegno8256]

The reason for the plug strange situation is that it was a recent EU regulatory decision to adopt the German Socket (Shucko) as european standard. In fact every european nation had its standard (for example UK plugs are different from italian and EU ones, the same for the french ones and so on). It means that company producing electric devices have to stick to the rule, but the houses, generally older than the electric devices, still have the italian ones.

[@patriciacastaldo9821]

Ciao ! First off, let me congratulate you on a very informative , enjoyable video that I just happened to stumble across today ! As an American living in Italy many years ago, I met my Italian husband and and shortly thereafter re located to the the States. Ever since he passed away in recent years I have toyed with the possibility of dual citizenship . Even though my both sets of grandparents were born in Italy I was wondering if you knew if there was a " fast track" for a spouse ? ( As you can surmise I haven't really looked into or started this process, so when you mentioned your personal story I began thinking again... ) Thanks in advance for any info on the process ! Looking forward to viewing more of your videos !

[@danilopoli1315]

in italia funziona cosi non sono cose strane . qui funziona cosi' anche da voi in america ci sono cose che per noi sono strane vanno accettate

[@anastasia10017]

I moved to Italy and found out italians speak Italian and not english. Stunning.

[@therover4428]

The good thing with Italians is that if you try to speak our language, even in a super-basic way, we will appreciate it and we'll do the best to understand you... so don't be shy and try! ;) Your italian experience would be much better, believe me!

[@lilylovesitaly3932]

That’s awesome to hear because I love Italy, Italian languages and culture. I’m learning Italian and hope to move to Italy one day to immerse myself in the language and culture.

[@sauronbadeye]

Living at a low pace? Holy shit! My son is a project manager in one of the most prominent car maker in Europe. Often at 8 pm is still working, writing reports and presentations for the next day. In the week end he is really tired and on a brink of a worn out... And in the company many follow suits....

[@MattSuozzo]

well, slow compared to the USA :-/

[@bigernie9433]

You aint seen nothing yet regarding restaurant opening times. In Spain, a lot of restaurants do not open until 9 or even 9:30 in the evening. Cappucino is only for breakfast in Italy unless you are in a touristy spot. Espresso is way better than in Germany (and the US) and way cheaper.... Italians love communicating both in private and in business surroundings as long as it encompasses good food and drinks. A day without good quality food is a day wasted. Imparare la lingua italiana sicuramente è un buon idea particolarmente se vuoi diventare un cittadino italiano.

[@anta3612]

Uno dei requisiti richiesti dalla legge italiana pare sia la comprovata conoscenza della lingua italiana, il cui livello richiesto non deve essere inferiore al B1 - QCER.

[@francescomosetto9620]

Great video! I live in Turin, too, and I can confirm everything you said. I'd just like to tell something more about foreign languages. It is actually true that people over 40 usually speak only Italian, and especially people working at the post office or at the immigration office (which is run by the police, if I get which office you mean) can't speak any foreign language. This is silly, of course, but those are not well-paid jobs and they attract workers with a lower education. BUT... the large majority of the young do speak English and often another European language, usually French. It obviously depends on their education, too. Anyway, I agree that learning Italian is quite essential to enjoy staying in Turin. Don't be shy and just try speaking Italian, people will appreciate your effort ;)

[@timmaloney6441]

Thank you Matt , you would make a very xlnt radio talk show host . great voice

[@MattSuozzo]

Thanks 😂

[@lucazeppegno8256]

Again (and last, I promise), bureaucracy in Italy IS a mess, but: 1) residence certification normally is issued in one months (it was the time I needed whan I moved from Milan to Turin back in 2015 and the time I needed to receive it when I moved back from Turin to Milan in 2021), COVID situation slowed down a lot all these things. Anyway in Milan (I don't remember what I've done in Turin in 2015) I made all necessary request and stuff online. 2) The best thing to do if you need to go to the postal office (in Turon and in Milan) is to book in advance with the Poste Italiane app. You have just to book in the indicated slots and you could go to the postal office and avoid the queue, precisely in the reserved time slot. Generally speaking I think you need some italian friends to help you to discover all that different way to survive to the italian bureaucracy. Therre are several of them, particularly with new technologies available.

[@laurettecastellano2830]

I do not understand what you are saying about the electrical connection. I live in France on the ltalian border and have been all over Italy and never once had any problem connecting my phone or tablette.

[@MattSuozzo]

The larger grounded plugs (type F I believe) require an adapter for most Italian grounded sockets (I think type L).

[@edoardocancia3569]

Ti devi solo abituare. Ma è pieno di cose da fare, vedrai

[@ptrs559]

In Trieste they use a two prong plug. That must be a Torino thing. Also, in Trieste you generally pay the waiter or waitress in restaurants.

[@lucazeppegno8256]

I have to add other punctualizations (is it a word?). Generally at the restaurant it's normally possible to pay at the table, you have just to ask to the waiter for the bill. The act to pay to cashier is just to speed up the procedure and to avoid problem to pay separate fee wthin the same bill. About the inexpesive prices, you have to understand that, it's definitely true, but Torino is also the most inexpensive big city in the North of Italy. Prices in Milan, for example, are defintiley much higher. The other think to consider are wages. Prices are lower than in the US or in Germany, but salaries are also lower.

[@anta3612]

Puntualizzare = to point out. In English it only exists as a verb. So the correct way would be to say it is: I'd like to point out that etc. etc.

[@briancyr7150]

French fries and pizza. Although I don't recommend combining them. Tried that... in Italy. Not what I thought it would be. I can't wait to see some more adventures in Italy!

[@MattSuozzo]

Sounds like perfection, I will have to give that a try 😋

[@listo888]

adapter problem: it's not bizzare it is sad, our electrical sockets were the simplest and most rational, but the Germans managed to impose their standards at a European level. So for a few years now we have had to use adapters for everything.

[@gabrielesantucci6189]

Ma qualcosa che ti piace c'è? Mi domando perché stai in Italia se vedi tutti sti difetti? Forse la Germania fa più per te!

[@islesofscillyardent]

View of my Italian friend: it's 'cunning' (her word) & easy money making videos with content like this. And yes, she speaks fluent English and lives in Italy.

[@margaritalikethedrink1041]

I'm looking at moving near Turin and wonder if being vegan will be a struggle / will I be hated?

[@MattSuozzo]

There are some good vegan places around, but fitting in will be difficult. I haven’t met many (any) vegans or vegetarians here. If you cook for yourself it won’t be an issue, but going out will pose more of a challenge :-/

[@giovannimaiandi3455]

I live in Turin and i an vegetarian and being veg is not such a big issue here. Maybe vegan could be more difficult, but getting good food is easiest than in most of other cities. Open door food markets are typical in Turin, and very cheap, and in any zone market you can probably find a seller getting vegetables and fruits from a short supply chain. Piedmont is where the slow-food movimento was born and finding high quality natural food can be easier here than in most cities.

[@tomtombird2329]

Many of italian, spanish and french people are not so "uninhibited " in speaking english (nicely worded ;-) At least that´s what studies show. The most dedicated bilingual speakers are the Dutch - followed by the Scandinavians and the Germans.

[@islesofscillyardent]

Danish people speak good English too

[@vijaywarnakadnar5814]

So many stereotips in your mind means you're not used to travel

[@tanner293]

the cappuccino thing is absolutely not true, u can get it any time any where, never had any issue in getting it in the afternoon

[@MattSuozzo]

Maybe it was just that kiosk I went to 😂

[@francescomosetto9620]

@@MattSuozzo Italians never drink cappuccino after 11 am. Cafés may serve it, especially those which are used to tourists, and they won't obviously criticize your choice not to be impolite, but it's quite weird to order a cappuccino in the afternoon

[@mimmiblu6138]

@@francescomosetto9620 not everywhere... in Milan it is certainly not a big deal.

[@sauronbadeye]

I tried to learn German on my own , and I think that Italian is even more difficult than German... so get ready for a very though job!!

[@MattSuozzo]

coming from English, there are a lot of similarities with German. but i think if you know so Spanish, then Italian is not *AS* bad. German grammar is a killer though 😂

[@sauronbadeye]

@@MattSuozzo when attending a German class, I pointed out that there were a lot of similarities between English and German words but the teacher seemed not so happy about that, I still wondering why after years.... That class was a mess, in many ways: the teacher came and wrote down on the blackboard lyrics of a well known kid's song that I barely recall now and that all attendees had to learn by heart. ...then Covid came and the class was shut down....still waiting for my money back..... sigh!

[@sauronbadeye]

@@MattSuozzo the problem of italians speaking Spanish, is the large number of false friends, which can lead to ilarious situations! My son speaks a very fluent Spanish he learned at high school ( an Italian school;which includes grammar conversatio, history and geography of Spain...) and one of his joke was to mock an Italian speaking a terrible Spanish, disseminated of false friends...

[@MattSuozzo]

@sauronbadeye I can imagine that would lead to some pretty hilarious situations xD

[@whiskyfacile]

Only in a cheap restaurant or in a pizzeria you can leave the table and directly pay to the cash.

[@tic-tacdrin-drinn1505]

For Americans every place where you can eat something is a "restaurant". See McDonald's....

[@muscledcowboy]

so, I'm really surprised that you have so many problems not being understood in English. Maybe 30-35 years ago it was really the case that nobody understood or spoke English. But now I have the feeling that almost all younger people (I mean from 45-50 years) understand or speak a little English. When I go on vacation in Italy, (I am from Munich) I can almost always make myself understood with English.

[@MattSuozzo]

I think it really depends where you are in Italy. Torino is pretty traditional and there aren’t many tourists, but in Milan it is a lot more metropolitan and don’t have problems using English. Also government people speak exclusively Italian, which is not the best for immigrants who have just moved here 😂

[@muscledcowboy]

@@MattSuozzo that's true!

[@tic-tacdrin-drinn1505]

@@MattSuozzo If you want to immigrate to a country, don't behave like a colonizer expecting the local people to speak your language and to adapt to your habits. Show your hosts some appreciation.

[@essexitagermeng5504]

I thought the outlets in Italy were the same as in Germany

[@teotik8071]

You're now in the mediterranean part of Europe. If you want efficient (but the same amount) bureaucracy I recommend the Netherlands or surrounding countries. 🤣 But that is the charm of Italy with all its pros and cons. The Anglo-Saxon lifestyle is not so much appreciated among Europeans. You'll find out after visiting all countries from Portugal to Finland and from Iceland to Greece/Cyprus. Only the UK stands out. Please do not confuse Munich one of the most homogeneous cities, with Germany.

[@hape3862]

"Munich one of the most homogeneous cities"??? Residents with migratory background: Munich: 46,5% !!! Berlin: 35% Hamburg: 37%

[@teotik8071]

@@hape3862 Homogeneous not in terms of ethnicity, more in terms of characteristic, discription.

[@hape3862]

@@teotik8071 Ok, but I still don't understand what you meant. Sure, Munich is not Germany, but in what way is it more "homogeneous" than other German cities?

[@teotik8071]

@@hape3862 Just talking about cities the size of Munich or larger in population. Wanted to clarify that first. It is the way how people are and act. You'll rarely find any kind of 'extremes' there. It is somehow all one flavour. Berlin (a composition of several cities/communities) was always a melting pot even during the cold war because they managed not to loose their vibe. Hamburg (also a composition of several cities/communities) with the habour and Reeperbahn has many flavours as well. Having lived in all of this three cities I just wanted to point out how it feels to me everytime I go to any of them.

[@hape3862]

@@teotik8071 Ah, ok. Yes, Munich has certainly less Punks, anarchists and people with alternative lifestyles, it is more bourgeois than Berlin and Hamburg, I agree.

[@ScubaClover]

Do you speak Italian?

[@MattSuozzo]

I'm learning 🇮🇹

[@nicolettastrada5976]

È qualcosa….

[@salvolondon]

So you been only to turin and you talk about as if you know all Italy ?

[@ptrs559]

Overall, especially with the decline of the Euro vs the US dollar, Italy is less expensive but not really by much. Perhaps living there you have lower costs but as a tourist destination Italy has been up there in cost( as most of the EU countries).

[@tic-tacdrin-drinn1505]

So you want the Italian citizenship but think it should be the Italians that should adapt to you and speak English, among other things? A quite typical Anglo-imperialistic point of view.

[@maureenmcshane5988]

Oh stop, he's being honest with his list and is adjusting...

[@lucianomezzetta4332]

As an Italian I would REQUIRE you to pass a test showing you can understand basic Italian.

[@anta3612]

@@lucianomezzetta4332 Uno dei requisiti richiesti dalla legge italiana per l'acquisizione della cittadinanza italiana pare sia la comprovata conoscenza della lingua italiana, il cui livello richiesto non deve essere inferiore al B1 - QCER.

[@alangangli584]

Your mind full of sthereotips,nobody will refuse to make cappuccino anytime....

[@tramvinicyus2]

Lucky....you're in Turin...an european city, the first capital. Think if you had been in Rome! Ahahahahhahahahhahà, good luck!!!!

[@MattSuozzo]

🤣

[@walter_the_danger]

Italy is in Europe, every italian city is european by definition.

[@gs7828]

Sadly Italy's very behind on knowing English. The way its taught in school doesn't help either.

[@tic-tacdrin-drinn1505]

No reason to be sad.

[@marleneMS]

Why do they have to speak English if they are Italians being IN Italy?

[@gs7828]

@@marleneMS Well, we're one of the core European countries in terms of impact, and have lots of international connections: it would be important to have better English skills, read more world news, encourage people to travel abroad, work, etc.

[@islesofscillyardent]

Why does they way English is taught in Italian schools not help, please?