There are plenty of you who are well aware that am an avid italophile, so I will make a distinct effort to avoid being too “pro-Italy” in this entry. I will try to speak more generally about cultural differences through personal experiences, stories, photographs and revelations from my recent trip to Verona and Tarvisio.

My wife and I took our 15 year old son to get him set up for an exchange study of sorts and an opportunity to play soccer in Italy for the semester. We also took our 3 year old son along too as small children seem to be considered royalty in Italy… They are showered with compliments and positive attention (if not gifts and free food) from everyone. Want to avoid disdainful looks from waiters as you butcher the Italian language trying to order a meal? Bring a toddler. I can't tell you how many stern and reserved people suddenly break into smiles and warm up just because of the cute little kid with us. We’ve even had a train car full of gun-toting soldiers follow us to our seats just to coo and laugh at the baby with us.

Città:

Okay, so this was my fifth time in Italy, but every single time I am still surprised by how different towns and buildings are organized and constructed there vs. here in the US. The styles, materials and general city layouts are built for pedestrians more than cars. The colors and textures of the building materials are so different. Who would think that even the mechanics of  doors and windows and keys in a country so similar to ours could be so unalike.

Centro:

In place of malls, there is typically a “center” (centro) to a city that is extremely pedestrian-friendly where all the significant shops and restaurants are located, nestled in among amazing stone streets and buildings. Verona has a population smaller than the greater Chattanooga area (250,000), but the sort of shops and restaurants it supports made it feel like New York City by comparison. Everything from high fashion specialty shops to cutlery stores to fine shoe repair to letterpress print shops to department stores and artisan sulmerias.

Christmas lights here too, but a different way to hang them due to a different downtown configuration.

Amore:

Life imitates art? Which came first, Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet and then the love notes? Or was the real tale of Romeo and Giulietta beloved and lovers’ notes have always been left at her house here in Verona?

Calcio:

Even at the 15 year old basic level for soccer clubs there is a degree of professionalism rarely seen here in the US. Each team has a specific place in the carefully orchestrated hierarchy of Italian soccer. Think of it like major and minor league baseball – but only if there were 15+ levels, reaching all the way down to amateur levels and youth teams.

It took us three months to obtain  an official “player card” for our Americano son. And even at his basic level the “society” has a president and 5 person staff, a coach and assistant coach and a goalie coach for each team. And to top it off, they even start 15 year old friendly matches like the pros do: parading the starters onto the field with the official, salute the fans, and then proceed to shake hands with everyone on the opposing team. We were amazed at how good the one referee was for that game. He called everything right! If that happened here in Chattanooga, I believe the world would come to an end.

The regular ritual of winter soccer training on a snow covered practice field.

In order to protect the full-sized actual game field, two mini-fields are used for practices. One is completely without grass, and even though it turns to mud when it rains, it is used on this cold wet night for two hours.

Torreone:

The lighting of the Lamberti tower in Verona changes colors, much like our Majestic Theater… it’s just a bit older.

Le Alpi:

Just the sort of buildings one would expect to see atop the Alps near the Austrian and Slovenian borders.

Vino:

Table wine is common, bought for around €5 for a gallon ad served in mini 1 liter or so pitchers for dinner. While inexpensive, it is more than adequate in its flavor. This is served at mealtime along with a barrage of beers, spumantis, proseccos, white wines, red wines, espressos and liquors placed throughout multiple courses. Oh, and this is not unusual.

Cibo:

Even a trip to the supermercato — the supermarket — was strangely familiar and different. A store the same size as a standard Bi-Lo or Publix (or even a tad smaller). The biggest difference in the goods carried was the big row of cured meats and cheeses. And all three times we went the store, it looked like a grocery store the day before a holiday or a big snow storm… Packed out with people everywhere and all 15 (!) checkouts packed with lines down into the store aisles. The checkout clerks are seated comfortably and ration out plastic bags begrudgingly while you do all the frantic bagging. Oh, and be sure to return your shopping cart into the stack so you can get back your €1 deposit to use it.

Even the veggies look familiar but strangely different... a tentacled Tarvisiano sort of radicchio. 

Cena:

The dinner ritual is a pleasant one, beginning with antipasto (cured meats, cheeses, olives, etc) and drinks, followed by one helping of a pasta or risotto, then followed by a meat and vegetable. In everyday life, these helpings are light and small so that having a three course meal is not heavy and overly filling. It also helps to have it take place over 3 hours.

Now, when Americani are there for dinner, it becomes a bigger deal to try to see how much one can feed them (or get them to drink)…

Scuola:

Kids attend school from 8 am - 1pm six days a week. They go home to meet their parents for a family lunch at 1:30, and spend the afternoon doing homework, until at least 4:30. 

It was amazing to see all these (just a mere fraction of the total number of) parked scooters at a high school.

Caffè:

Of course, what sort of vending machine would we expect at an Italian high school? An automated espresso machine dispensing tasty beverages in cute tiny plastic cups.

And of course all the cool kids pull out their cigarettes to smoke in the parking lot after a busy day of school. Nevermind that Italians also forbid youngsters under 18 to smoke.

Christmas lights photographed from a moving car.

For me, time spent in another language and another culture is both challenging and inspiring. It reminds me of things I take for granted in my own culture and things I accept as universal that I should not. I am also stirred to think about what rituals, habits, foods, activities and shared experiences make up our Chattanooga culture. It makes me think abut what I can add to it.

Hopefully more to come…