6 Things Italians Do Better Than Americans

6. They make inarguably superior coffee—and at about 1/3 the cost of Starbucks! I’ve never been a coffee-drinker, mostly because even a half cup left me jittery, sweaty and dizzy; too big a price to pay for that caffeinated goodness. But in Italy my husband and I enjoy an almost daily cappuccino. I have no ill side affects, it’s delicious and oh—costs about 1,4 Euros, or $1.50 USD.

Better still, Italians walk up to a “bar”, order their morning beverage, stand and enjoy it for a few moments – chatting passionately with a “brioche” (aka croissant) in one hand, coffee in the other -- and then they’re off and on their way (to work, school, their shop, etc.). It’s not a drawn out affair, but it’s most certainly a ritual as you’re hard-pressed to find an open slot between 7 and 9 am. They also make better ice cream, gelato. A scoop, similar to their coffee, is shy of $2 USD. Needless to say, we have found ourselves with another indulgent habit.

5. They dress nicely, always. Coming from a mountain town, drop off at my kid’s school brought an uninterrupted sea of yoga-pant clad mothers in Lululemon tops and Big Truck hats, even if they had no intentions whatsoever of working out that day. Now I’m bumping elbows with smartly-dressed women in colorful dresses with stylish tennis shoes, or jeans, a blouse and beautiful, Italian leather boots. It’s the same story in grocery stores, at restaurants, wandering down the street, and it’s a refreshing one. Men, too, look pretty dashing. Skinny jeans with a collared shirt or polo top finished with driving loafers are the norm.

I was a bit Where’s Waldo in my business casual attire at my son’s former school, but I fit in quite well here. And besides, I looked admittedly awful in a Big Truck hat so I’m all-too-happy to bury those accessories in a box somewhere back in The States.

4. They have an ‘anything goes’, live-and-let-live mentality. It’s true that the Italians are C.R.A.Z.Y. drivers - fast, cut each other off, create or ‘share’ lanes - yet people almost never honk their horns. Drive on the auto strada (freeway) and you’ll be awestruck by the utter non-existent usage of signals when changing lanes—it’s just a fluid “merge” into the lane they wish to occupy with no advance warning. Most maneuvers that might be met with gun-toting road rage in the US are met with a shrug or the two-handed air shake in Italy. They don’t get too wound up about how their hair looks or the car they drive or the house they occupy. Good enough is enough and they’re more interested in people, connections and family than images; they simply don’t sweat the small stuff and it’s, again, refreshing.

3. Food is fresher, tastier, chemical-free and—cheaper!? In the US, we’ve grown accustomed to paying 2-3 times more for organic, non-GMO goods. With the rampant occurrences of cancer, autism, diabetes, food allergies and so on, we hold hope that buying cleaner products may help safeguard us against these increasingly prevalent ailments. In Italy, and much of Europe, GMOs are nearly banned while produce looks, smells and tastes substantially better than what we have at home. Better still, it costs about half as much! Visit a local market and delight in deep red, fragrant tomatoes that are so delicious they can be sliced into quarters and eaten with a dash of olive oil only. Or cheeses, like Burrata, that are gooey, gorgeous and perfectly salted—2 sizable balls swimming in a water-filled bucket for the bargain-cost of 2 Euros! And don’t get me started on the fresh pasta aisle… there’s no need to make your own because every variety you can imagine awaits and it’s as good as any Nonnas!

2. Their day-to-day habits are more mindful of the environment. The aforementioned Italian, quick morning coffee bar experience ensures oodles of folks aren’t running around with oodles of paper coffee cups that are used once and end up in a garbage can—err, landfill—err, our oceans. All of their produce bags are biodegradable. Every grocery store - not just certain ones, in certain ‘green’ cities - charges for shopping bags, resulting in most every person bringing/using their own.

1.They make time for family, and to connect, every week. A la something you may see in an Under The Tuscan Sun type of movie, Italians really do have the big, extended friends and family ‘pranzo’ (lunch), and regularly. We’ve been fortunate enough to be invited to a couple of these since living in Italy, and these gatherings have been among our most special experiences to date.

Picture a few outdoor tables pushed together - topped with bright, fruit-patterned tablecloths and garden-picked flowers - brimming with oversized jugs of red wine, Prosciutto-wrapped melon, crisp green beans, simply-adorned pastas, grilled meats, delectable cheeses, backyard tomatoes, homemade tortas straddled by homemade whipped cream and dusted heavily in powdered sugar…. Picture a raucous group, loud, talking with their hands nearly as much as their mouths, smiling, laughing… a lot of hugging, cheek-pinching of the young… eventually naps for the elderly or a quiet card game in the corner while children run and squeak. No cell phones, no one with a bowed head, more interested in their screen than the people beside them. Yeah, it’s pretty much that way and it’s extraordinary. Most of these folks don't speak a word of English, but we felt a warmth and welcome to their family meal that truly transcended language.

While every country has its strengths and opportunities, we’re embracing the positives of Italy and hoping our family, our lives, will be a hybrid of the good we experience as we continue to wander this earth…