AboutFrancesco Marchesani Expertise I`m interested and have deep knowledge in Italian history, traditions and culture. I can answer your questions on my country`s history and cultural heritage, as well as everyday life, and travel tips too.
Experience I live in Pavia (northern Italy, near Milan) and have travelled alot through Italy, discovering it's less known (but not less beautiful) secrets.
Hi, my name is Blaine Betts and I'm an American from central California, (age 21), I'm not of Italian heritage (but I wish I was ;) but for several years I have taken a special interest in Italian culture and to a lesser extent the Italian language. If you don't mind I would like to ask a few versatile questions about Italian culture.
-I have noticed that in many European countries when official time is displayed, whether it be for train/plain schedules, tv schedules, or school schedules, the time is displayed using 24-hour notation over 90% of the time. Like in France 2:30 pm would be displayed as 14h30, and in Germany 14.30, does Italy do the same thing? If so, is 24-hour time notation also used in casual conversation among friends and family?
-In the U.S., there is a general guideline that no more than one-third of your salary should be spent on monthly house bills. Is that same guideline in Italy? A lot landlords in the United States want tenants to make at least three times the rent. (3XRent=Gross Income)
-I have heard in comparison with other Western European countries Italy is a lot less diverse of nationalities. Just by looking at a person is it possible to tell whether he/she is Italian? (As opposed to being German, French or some other ethnicity)?
-Are there any festivals or cultural events that are more pertinent or almost exclusive to a certain region of Italy?
-How did Italy make the change from the lira to the euro leisurely without causing confusion of any sort?
Are there any other cool facts about your country you wouldn't mind sharing? Sorry if I asked to many questions. It's just that I live in a country where it is too new to have any sort of culture yet!
Ciao,
Blaine
Answer Ciao,
Thank you for your interest in my country's culture! I hope my answers can help you understand it better.
- the 24-hour notation is used all over Europe in every kind of official situations (train and school schedules, bureaucratic papers etc.), including Italy; in everyday conversation, we use a 12-hour system ("incontriamoci alle 5" = let's meet at 5 o'clock), without using the AM-PM notation: it's the context that will tell whether it is AM or PM; in case, expressions like "mattino", "pomeriggio", "sera" or "notte" are used (for example, "incontriamoci domani mattina alle 10" = let's meet tomorrow morning at 10 AM; "vengo domani sera alle 8" = I'll come tomorrow evening at 8 PM); when more precision is needed, the 24-hour system is used in everyday talk as well, although not very often.
- there's no such guideline in Italy, and landlords aren't allowed to investigate about their tenants' income; tenants are required to give 1-3 months' rent in advance, as a guarantee, which will be given back at the end of the rent period.
- it's usually possible, somehow, to tell whether a person is Italian, by the way he(she moves, what clothes he/she wears etc. It's actually the same way with French, German or other people, it's quite easy to tell where they are from (and also Americans can be easily recognizable)
- almost every festival or cultural event, in Italy, is regional or local: we have a strong regional / civic identity, so every celebration is mostly at local level, excluded a few main national holidays and public celebrations; for example, every town and village has its own saint-day, when the local saint is honoured with processions, festivals and the like.
- the change itself was quite smooth, there was a period of double circulation (lira and euro alongside) during which people started to familiarize with the new currency, and except some cases of confusion the new currency was accepted well; the problem came with the rise of prices: even though the official exchange rate was close to 2000 lire per euro, in many cases this was much lower, sometimes even 1000 lire per euro; this was clearly noticed by the people, but the government didn't act strongly enough to prevent it.
I would have lots of cool facts to share, please feel free to write me again, and I'll try to answer to your questions as fully as I can!
If you prefer, you can also send me an email directly to fmarchesani@hotmail.com
