What Do You Think Of Italy And Italians

What do Israelis think about Italy and Italians?

I think the general consensus is that Italians are cool, highly fashionable people with awesome accents and beautiful cars and women…I personally have spent a few months in Italy, mostly Rome, and can tell you that I think Italians (mostly Romans I guess, coz they’re kinda a mix of the southern and northern Italians, right?) are really awesome:laid back, warm, yet polite and cultured. Italy is exactly what it is, European Mediterranean. Perfect. Love it, love the people, beautiful country.Shame about the economy though… :(EDIT:On second thought I know that many Israelis just get a picture of pizza or soccer in their head when they hear “Italy”, but that’s kinda obvious and not interesting, right?

What do foreigners think about Italy and Italians?

My husband is an Italian and of course I love my second country!Italians are the funniest and friendly people among to Europeans.They have a great sense of humor.Obsessed about their cuisine, they think (well, most of them) Italian kitchen is one of the best (which I agree). However, many of them are a bit snob about it and not open to the new tastes.Many Italians are not confident with English. Therefore it is hard to find someone in Italy speaking English fluently.Italy is a very beautiful country but also very expensive both for the living and for vacation.Southern and Northern Italians are not crazy about each other.Not all of them are speaking with hand gestures; I disagree with that. However, when they are mad, they might use the gestures more.They had/have great artists and made terrific pieces in almost every field of art.The way they talk can be too loud for some nations. Also, they manage to speak at the same time altogether, yet manage to understand each other.They always complain about politics or the current government or whoever is in charge!It is very unlikely to take away your shoes in Italy when you are entering someone’s house. Many of them are wearing shoes at home.I dislike when I see a man over plucking eyebrow, which is common to young Italian males.It would be hard to see an obese in Italy, despite their everyday pasta life :)To be honest, I think Italian men are the most handsome men among to Europeans. I am not saying they all are, but it is common to see a good-looking man, especially for someone, who likes the Mediterranean looking. To me, women are also pretty. Check, most beautiful women are Italian: Monica Bellucci, Sophia Loren, Gina Lollobrigida, Claudia Cardinale, Manuela Arcuri, Elisabetta Canalis, Giovanna Mezzogiorno, etcMany Italians are crazy about the curly hair, considering beautiful.Both men and women have the sense of fashion but can be overdressed sometimes with too much “ bright materials” in their clothes!I can not say Italians are racist or not, I have seen both types. Maybe a bit more prejudiced compare to English or French people.Italian mamas are a bit too protective and more motherish than an average Northern European mama! :)It is very hard to find a place to eat at noon times!The list is long; these are the first things pop into my mind at this moment.

What do the people of Italy think about Italian-Americans?

When I was in America several years ago for a student exchange program, I accidentally embarrassed an American at my first party in my university. When he proclaimed to the group that he is Italian, I quickly switched to Italian language and tried to talk to him. All other students from Italy whom I was introduced to in our orientation were not there, so I was naturally overjoyed that there's another "Italian" at that party. I spoke for a very long time with him, and then when I was waiting for his response, he only muttered that he doesn't speak it. I asked, quite confused at that point, why he called himself Italian. (At this point, the other people in the group were quite uncomfortable.) He reasoned with the typical back-story as many Italian-Americans do--they have Italian ancestors, some even as recent as their grandparents, but they have been raised 100 percent of the time in America.Italian-Americans at their best, are very interesting people. They are fascinating because I am fascinated with a lot of things in America.At worst, they are very irritating. Their claim to being "Italian" is by blood and not much of anything else. Very few of them speak Italian and even fewer still know Italy's history (at times I wonder if they even bothered to learn about the history of their Italian relative). The culture they claim to have been raised in came from a subset of Italians (mostly the peasantry) who went to America and consequently evolved to fit the then-situation. "Italian" culture from the eyes of Italian-Americans is far removed from the reality of contemporary Italy. So much so that even the way some people describe Americans to the English as "two different cultures that share a common language" cannot apply to Italians and Italian-Americans. During my time in the university, I had to explain Italy and Italian culture to Americans (even to those claiming to be "Italian") because the version they know and parrot is inaccurate and at times misleading.They can call themselves Americans with Italian ancestry. They can call themselves Americans with Italian heritage. They can call it biscotti even if they're only holding up one piece. I'll be generous and say they can call themselves Italian-Americans (even though the first part is dubious). But to call themselves Italian, full stop, is inviting sharp criticism.

What do people in your country think about Italy and Italian people?

I am a Chinese and in my country Italy is called “China in Europe” for the similarities.We all know China and Italy are both ancient country and origination of eastern and western civilizations respectively. Rome and Florence is as centuried as Beijing and Xian(called Changan in the past), while Milan and Turin is as modern and prosperous as Shanghai and Guangzhou. You Italian have Venice, the city of water,We chinese also have Hangzhou,a huge capital city in eastern china with a population of 10 million people, which is also known for its lakes and water. Napoli and Genoa are two biggest harbour city in south Europe, similarly, Qingdao and Dalian are two huge modern harbour cities as well,with a population of 9 million and 8 million people respectively. The economic condition is quite good in North italy but bad in South italy,while Easten China is developed but Western China is poor. According to the statistics and HDI, Eastern coastal region of China has reached the level of developed country. For example, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen are as developed as Italy or Spain,other coastal cities like Qingdao, Xiamen, Nanjing, Hangzhou may reach the same level as Greece or Portugal. However, Western China can just be compared with Vietnam, Indonisia, Moldova or Ukraine. That is the gap.And Italy is similar. Milan can hold a candle to these most developed regions such as Frankfurt of Germany, Zurich of Switzerland and Osaka of Japan, Los Angeles of America. However, the GDP and safe conditon in south region is similar to that of Latin America, such as Mexico,Brazil,etc. We all confront the issue of regional development imbalance, which is very alike.Further more, Italians are enthusiastic and hospitable(compared with these cold North Europeans). While in China, similarly, there is a famous saying: It is always a pleasure to greet friends from afar. In history, Marco polo and Zhenghe are our goodwill ambassadors, exchanging culture and civilization. We Chinese love Italy and respect your culture, Italy’s averange developmental level is our destination in 2050.