I’m a firstborn, which I think means certain things to certain people. I know it does to me. I’m never surprised when I find myself being described as Type A or over-prepared, and the husband has come to accept that if we’re supposed to be somewhere at 8:00 I’m going to want to arrive a few minutes early - just in case. In case of what? Who knows. That’s just the way I am.
So I couldn’t help but cringe a little on the inside when I read Elizabeth’s recent post on time - the way she wants things to be done (as an American-born woman living in Italy) and the way her husband and children expect things to be done (as Italians who are just used to it).
My oldest just finished his first day of the written portion of his maturità exam. Tomorrow is the second day and Monday the third and last. Then there is the oral exam, but he could not know the date that this will take place until today when the class order was chosen out of a hat (first will come section C, then section B) and a letter of the alphabet (S). So, now he knows that he will be the second student of his graduating class of four sections to be grilled to a crispy crust, on the first day of the oral exams, Thursday the 28th. Then he will be free, but we couldn’t know that earlier and he could have possibly finished as late as July 15 had the letter “T” been extracted and the section “B”, so he (and we) couldn’t make plans any earlier than that date. Would that make you crazy?
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Anyone who has ever tried to explain his or her own language’s slang terms to someone who isn’t familiar with them knows how strange they can be. (Fit as a fiddle? Seriously? You ever see a violin doing push-ups? I didn’t think so.) Well, if you’ve ever been mildly embarrassed by the abundance of weird sayings in your language, fear not - there are just as many in every other language. That goes for Italian, and sometimes doubly so.
Some of my favorites include:
Non ti perdere in un bicchier d’acqua - Don’t get lost in a glass of water (or, don’t make a mountain out of a molehill)
Lui guida una vecchia caffettiera - He’s driving an old coffeepot (or, he’s driving an old heap)
L’asino chiama orecchia lunga il cavallo - The donkey says the horse has long ears (or, the pot calling the kettle black)
Non fare il passo più lungo della gamba - Don’t make your step longer than your leg (or, don’t bite off more than you can chew)
Qualcosa bolle in pentola - Something’s boiling in the pot (or, something’s up)
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I’ll admit to being a Rick Steves fan - that might lose me some “travel cred” with the backpacking crowd, but I find Rick’s approach to travel really refreshing. It’s not about telling you what you “have to do” or judging you for the way you choose to travel. It’s just about getting people out there to see the world, which I consider to be a worthy goal no matter how one chooses to do that seeing.
At any rate, Rick’s gotten into the blogging thing lately, and he had a whole series of entries on Italy a couple of months ago. Here are links to each one for your reading enjoyment.
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Another dose of Italian news, because it’s just that kind of day:
Apparently thousands of Italian tourism websites have been infected with a nasty virus or worm or something (if you didn’t already know I’m not a tech wizard, you do now), which someone has amusingly nicknamed The Italian Job. Hardy-har-har. Anyway, the Italy Logue is not one of the infected sites, so surf with glee - just be careful out there.
Is this German woman the first female gondolier in Venice? No, she’s just the first woman who’s operating a gondola. Confused about the distinction? Well, there’s …
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It’s long been a joke that tax evasion is like Italy’s national sport. Most good guidebooks will tell you what guesthouses will offer a lower price per night if you pay in cash (which they don’t have to report on their taxes) - and that’s just the part of tax evasion tourists are likely to see. Well, the current government in Italy is attempting to put a stop to this long-standing practice.
A new report cites more than €270 billion (yes, that’s billion with a B) in taxes that go unpaid each year, and the government has decided enough is enough. Some of the changes to the tax system appear to be working, but it will be hard to change the cultural attitude toward taxes with any sort of speed:
In Italy “there isn’t much stigma attached to being a tax evader, in terms of social condemnation,” said Carlo Fiorio, a professor of public finance at the University of Milan. In many cases, he noted, “if you pay taxes you’re seen as being a bit thick in the head.”
The owner of an office cleaning firm in Rome divides workers into two categories: “Those who are wily and don’t pay taxes, and those who are stupid and do.” He asked not to be identified, saying that although he belonged to the “stupid” category he would happily join the other “if I thought I could get away with it.”
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The husband and I went out the other day to what we thought was a local mini-festival of Italian-American products, but turned out to be more of an opportunity for the local Ferrari, Maserati, Ducati and Lamborghini dealers to drum up new business. The husband was happy anyway, as there were plenty of shiny cars on display for him to drool over, and then when we stepped inside (it was at a coffee shop) there was a commercial running on a loop on a TV in the corner. Ordinarily one commercial running on a loop might seem, well, annoying. But …
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Regular readers might think I’m overdoing it a bit with the constant posts about how friggin’ hot it’s going to be in Italy this summer, but I can’t help it - it’s what I’m reading and hearing. And really, you don’t even have to wait until August to feel the heat. It’s apparently already stifling just about everywhere. So, in addition to my previous ways to stay cool this summer, I’d like to introduce you to two cold beverages (courtesy of Shelley of At Home in Rome) you can enjoy
…
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If you’re looking for things to do in Rome, you should definitely have a day trip to Vatican City on your list. The Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s Basilica are both well worth the time - and although the Vatican is technically its own country, you won’t even need your passport. You can, however, send a postcard or two with Vatican stamps from the Vatican post office. Keep reading for tips on visiting Vatican City, especially during the extremely busy summer tourist season. You can also jump directly to information about the Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s Basilica, as well as how to get to Vatican City.
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Some Italian news for your Sunday:
The Federation of Italian Nudists (who knew there was such a thing?) says it’s a real shame that in all of Italy there are only about 10 nudist camps - they’d like to keep Italian nudists in Italy instead of forcing them to go abroad to bear it all.
Okay, how’s this for strange - it’s a diet pill which swells to the size of a tennis ball in your stomach so you’re not hungry anymore. It’s supposedly like eating a “nice plate of pasta,” but clearly without the calories. Or, I might add, the taste.
We’ve all heard of airports having trouble with bird populations - both planes and birds sharing airspace, it’s bound to be a problem now and again - but airports having trouble with rabbits? That’s a new one. And it shut down one of the country’s busiest airports for several hours.
The Vatican wants to see the Johns prosecuted instead of the prostitutes.
Prostitution isn’t the only thing on the Vatican’s mind, however - they’ve issued a “Ten Commandments” for drivers as well. As Jon Stewart of “The Daily Show” noted last week, the funniest part of this (and there are plenty of funny parts) is that “the Vatican felt it necessary to address the pastoral needs of motorists because driving had become such a big part of contemporary life.” Umm, right. Because that happened only recently? Wha?
Planning a trip to Pompeii? You can now see 10 houses which had been closed for renovations - they just reopened to the public.
Dan Brown better get to work on another book - an Italian archaeologist says the Holy Grail is “hidden in catacombs under a sixth-century church in Rome.”
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Good news for anyone who’s looking for more time than a two-week vacation in Italy, but isn’t quite sure they want to become permanent residents:
Foreigners can now live in Italy for study or work for up to three months without the dreaded stay permit (permesso di soggiorno).
It’s not yet official, although it seems to be only awaiting the equivalent of a rubber stamp, but once it’s a done deal it’ll be a fantastic thing for people who want the experience of working on an olive farm, teaching English, taking a class or …
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