Italian Culture: Italians, the Good and Not So Good
What I love about Italians and what I don’t like about Italians.
How Trustworthy Are Italians?
Italians are not trustworthy for the simple reason that they do not trust one another. This means you would be wise not to trust Italians. Italy’s official Statistics office, ISTAT, is a treasure trove of information on Italy. Amongst many other aspects of Italy, ISTAT also monitors levels of trust, and has been doing so since 2010. […]
Fireworks in Italy Kill Humans and Animals
When Italy sees in the New Year, some if the nation’s population never see the new year they were celebrating. Hundreds of Italians are injured by fireworks. Animals die in droves. This year was different though. Italy’s steps to reduce the nation’s New Year’s firework addiction appear to be having an effect. Although two people did lose […]
Eros Ramazzotti – Un Angelo Disteso Al Sole
This track Un Angelo Disteso Al Sole – An Angel Lying in the Sun – by Italian pop star Eros Ramazzotti is doing well in Italy’s charts at the moment. Un Angelo Disteso Al Sole is the highest placed Italian song in MTV Italy’s current Hit List Italia. Ramazzotti’s brand of pop ballads tend to […]
What Have Italy and Egypt Got in Common?
Both nations share the same assets: Brilliant people, and both suffer from the same problem: a rotten system. “Brilliant people, rotten system,” was the poignant observation of Ben Wedeman, CNN’s senior correspondent in Cairo, Egypt via Twitter. I have to say I wholeheartedly agree with Wedeman’s observations so far as it applies to Italy – very […]
Tipping in Italy – Basically, Don’t Bother
Of all the Italy travel tips you are likely to hear, this one on tipping in Italy may well save you money and could even prevent you from offending the locals. First off, you should know that Facebook billionaire Mark Zuckerberg did not leave a tip after having a meal in a Rome restaurant, and […]
Sicily is Mafia
Actually, it isn’t, but that is the stereotype which affects Italy’s southern island. Some would blame the Godfather movies for engraving this image on Sicily. It is true that organized crime is a problem in Sicily, but that does not make all Sicilians criminals. The problem for Sicilians is that the criminals which inhabit their […]
Mike Bongiorno – the Quiz Show Host who United Italy
I’ve no idea how many people outside of Italy have heard the name Mike Bongiorno, or may even know that he recently passed away. I would not imagine either, that many would believe that a television personality is credited with uniting Italy.
Is Life in Italy So bad?
At the end of the day, despite bickering politicians and dodgy organisation, life in Italy is not that bad.