Cari Lettori, molto spesso noi Italiani ci chiediamo: ‘come vedono noi e il nostro Paese gli stranieri? che figura facciamo? quali sono le caratteristiche che ci distiguono?’ Dunque, vi voglio chiedere un po’ di aiuto. Vorrei che sceglieste cinque parole chiave o brevi frasi che secondo voi meglio descrivono l’Italia!
Dear Readers, very often, us Italians ask ourselves: ‘how do foreigners see us and our country? how do we appear to them? what are our distinguishing characteristics?’ Therefore, I want to ask you for a bit of help. I’d like you to choose five key words or short phrases that according to you best describe Italy!
For example here are five words/phrases that, for me, describe England/Englishness:
1. Order
2. Tea Rooms
3. Windy
4. Moorland
5. Politeness
The more responses I get to this blog, the better, and please feel free to be honest! Stage two will be to ask our friends and family here in Italy to respond to the same question, coming up with 5 key words that describe themselves and their country. So, be brave and click on the ‘Post a Comment link’ below.
Grazie a tutti.
Comments:
Bill Rohwer:
Infinitamente variabile
La gente incredibilmente calorosa e anche molto distante
Molto prevedibile e anche molto sorprendente
Topografia bellissima
Ingredienti alimentari freschissimi
6. Molto buono vino economico (sfuso)
Gail Barnes:
La belleza delle città
La lingua
Il cibo
L’arte
Le spese
Gary:
appassionato
animato
la cultura ricca
caotico
storico
Crystal:
1. Passionate
2. Fashionable
3. Excellent cuisine
4. Churches
5. Renaissance art
leofelix:
Una breve descrizione di Noi italiani?:-)
1) Immaginazione/creatività
2) straordinaria capacità di confondere la passione con l’amore
3) In Patria tendiamo a disprezzare la nostra Nazione e all’estero se qualcuno disprezza le medesime cose, noi andiamo facilmente in bestia
4) il gioco del calcio (purtroppo)
5) Il buon vino e il buon cibo
serena:
@leofelix Salve Leofelix,
In realtà hai dato sei risposte perchè anche dire “Una breve descrizione di Noi italiani?:-)” è una risposta tipica italiana, vero?
Grazie per il tuo contributo, sarà interessante paragonare le risposte degli stranieri con quelle degli italiani!
A presto, Serena
Apollo:
1) Fashion
2) Family
3) Passion
4) Cuisine
5) Quality, not quantity
Nathan:
1. Beautiful
2. Historic
3. Delicious (Food and Wine)
4. Art
5. Family (importance of)
Frank Raffaele:
APERTI!
Janet McCourt:
1. Cafe’s/ strong good coffee
2. Churches/ very religious
3. Fantastic wine/food
4. crazy fast drivers on the autostrada
5. wonderful quaint mountain towns
Connie Rinaldi:
Io sono americana; sono andata in Italia due volte. Ecco i miei cinque frasi che descrivono l’Italia:
il paesaggio belissimo
le belli arti
il cibo costantamente delicioso
la gente gentile coi stranieri
la gente cinica col governo (hanno pure ragione, forse gli americani devono emularli, e`?)
Melanie Dehn:
Italy in 5 Words:
1. Beauty
2. Style
3. Disorganisation
4. Passion
5. Pasta
Hal:
Mmm.
1. La storia.
2. Propria varia
3. Bel cibo e vino!
4. La gente molta gentile
5. La dolce vita.
cln:
Delicious
Friendly
Lila petitti:
voluptuous
art
full
exuberant
happy
Lisa:
1) Le piazze
2) Cacca di cane (Doggie do do)
3) La storia d’arte e l’architettura
4) Il cibo, il vino (slow food) e il caffè
5) La musica, le canzone populare e l’opera
Andy Pedder:
1. Luce del sole
2. belle Paese
3. belle spiagge
4. amichevolezza
5. trasporto pubblico bene
Nikki:
1. Proud.
2. Passionate.
3. Organized chaos.
4. Delicious.
I’ll have to get back to you on the fifth one. I can’t wait to see your list.
Elsa:
1. Italians
2. stunning landscapes
3. excellent food
4. Berlusconi
5. mafia
Victoria Strauss:
l’architeturra
il cibo
il vino
il sole
la gente bella
Olga:
Unique (by history,art, culture, traditions)
Beautiful (in all ways)
Welcoming (people and culture)
Surprising (in all the ways)
Cheerful (people)
Di:
I’m a New Zealander living in Belgium and I spend a lot of time in Genova, Italy. It has become my second home, the place where I go to restore my soul when it misses New Zealand too much.
Five words or phrases:
1. Friendly, warm, proud people
2. Conversations and greetings (this delicious feeling of being part of everyday life even while I work at the kitchen table with the window open to the street)
3. Wine & food
4. Land and seascapes
5. Exquisite light (I’m a photographer)
Job:
1. ospitalità
2. mangiare
3. paesaggio
4. caos
5. clima
Arthur Sgalia:
1. Historic
2. Beautiful
3. Varied
4. Endangered
5. Delicious
Chris:
1. Friendliness
2. Good eating
3. Historical cities
4. Liveliness
5. Erratic driving
John E. Kenul:
Warmth, Beauty, Food, Vine, Tranquil
Jay in Chicago:
Mio cinque parole sono:
1. Cibo / Cucinando
2. calcio 🙂
3. Montagne
4. Storia
5. Passione
Marie Hodge:
1. casual
2. wonderful restaurants, both casual and chic
3. beautiful weather in the south, and the vast vistas in the north
4. the beautiful dwelings that are terraced down to the sea
5. warm, friendly, unpretentious, and congenial
Fa bene!
Marie Hodge
tommaso debenedictis:
Le parole hanno descritto l’italia e l’italiani di americani sono
1 amichevole
2 sempre di aiuto
3 sempre consapevole di bella figura
4 amanti di cuccina e il vino d’italia
5 sono inteligente e sofisticato e fiero della storia d’italia
Vince Mooney:
Salve Serena:
I wrote these without looking at any of the other posts because I did not want to be influenced. I also made a list of the English which you might run by your husband.
ITALY
1. Family
2. Emotional
3. Pride of region and soil
4. Great cooking
5. A love of music
COMMENT:
I think of Italians as being the best in the world in design and style in all things. While the Germans make things work well, the Italians make things look the most beautiful they can look.
ENGLAND
1. Tradition loving
2. Dry, unique sense of humor
3. Multi accented language
4. Bland uninspired food
5. Football thugs
COMMENT:
It has been said of the English that they would have no use for music at all except they like the noise it makes.
Vince
P.S. Americans: ‘Oblivious’ (to the reactions they cause in the natives of the foreign countries they visit.)
serena:
Grazie a tutti per aver risposto così numerosi e in maniera interessante. Keep them coming!
A presto, Serena
Michele Della Croce:
belli paesaggii
belle citta
belle gente
bello cibo
bello modo di vita
UGUALE
uno bellissimo paese!
saluti da canada 😉
Eileen:
Vince, not all americans are oblivious. I used to think like you but more and more I’ve decided to stop apologizing for the bafoons from my country, every country has them.
Now, back on topic (sorry I cannot do it in Italian, I only know perhaps 100 words, thus I visit this blog), but I have visited…
Italy is:
delicious 😉
sultry
alive
unconquered
aware
Giovanna:
Intriguing Exercise — let’s see if I can do it:
ITALY IS …
1. Expressive – in langage, music & art, and person-to-person
2. Of Long Memory – for Love or Hate
3. Celebrates Daily Life – wine, food, coffee, and people
4. Historic – Key in Development of Western Civilization, and then again in creating the Renaissance
5. Hostile to Centralization
Arthur Sgalia:
Chalk up Vince as just one more apologizing American. What would we ugly Americans do without folks like him?
Connie Rinaldi:
Per Vince ed Arthur, per favore, giochino gentilmente, bambini.
Nicola:
1. Moda
2. Cibo
3. Natura
4. Storia di architettonico
5. Grandi famiglie
William Auge:
Salve Serena, Per scegliare solo cinque cose e’ dificile! Ecco la mia lista e la lista di mia moglie.
strati di storia rovine romane
chiesa cattolica buon cibo
l’arte alta moda
passeggiata grande presenza cattolica
elegante design i mercati
auguri da William
William Auge:
Salve Serena, Ho notato che quando postato il blog ha messo insieme le noste due liste. Spero lo puoi capire.
a presto, William
Dianne Hales:
amore
bello
cucina
arte
il sole
James Lupori:
1) giardini fertili
2) cinismo sano
3) un’anima toccate leggermente dall’anarchia
4) la semplicità è profonda
5) Gli italiani celebrano la vita
patrice:
1. warm and helpful
2. a bit stuck in tradition (e.g., formal language, no cappucini after 10:30am, don’t ask anything personal…)
3. wine, wine, wine
4. keepers of a cultured life
5. appreciation of food
beth:
1) delicious food
2) friendliness
3) beauty
4) history
5) Mediterranean
Judy Pusateri:
There are many more than five reasons, but I’ll try to narrow my choices.
1. People – friendliness
2. Cucina
3. Landscapes – mountains, plains, towns
4. History
5. Cities – big and small
6. Feste in small towns
7. oh, and did I mention the food – pasta, fiore zucchini, cinghiale, bruschetta, cappuccino (any time), fagiole, pomodoro (delicious), etc. etc. etc.
Ted Taormina:
Dear Serena, Thank you for the interesting account of your trip to the museum in Parma. The picture of the “Scapigliata” was just beautiful. And also for the delightful tour of that little corner of your garden. I am very touched by your deep appreciation of all of these things, art and nature. As far as five words to describe Italians I must rely on my own personal experience in visiting friends and relatives in Sicily and the mainland. So here they are:
Gracious
Generous (to a fault)
Loving (especially to the children)
Expressive (every one of my relatives and anyone I was ever introduced
to has given me the warmest hugs I have ever received.)
Celebratory (especially when it comes to meal times. It’s always an event)
And if I may add one more, like you, a deep appreciation of the beauty of nature.
Sincerely, Ted Taormina
Jeff:
1. ancient
2. soccer
3. vineyards
4. temperamental
5. seafood!
Jeff:
Okay, I just couldn’t stick to one list, so here’s an alternate 5.
1. political
2. fashion
3. touristy
4. decrepit
5. energetic
Granted, the first list is a bit more favorable, but I feel both are applicable.
Hana:
Alegri
Gelati
Pizza
Cafe
Lingua d\amore
Liz:
5 Parole/frase che descrivano l’Italia
1) Sempre diritto
2) passeggiata
3) Olio d’olive
4) Vaticano
5) il Rinascimento
vitag@att.net:
1 vino straordinario sagrantino sopratutto
2 popolo italiano
3 lingua
4 storia
5 figuriamoci
s:
secondo me:
la famiglia
la storia
il cibo ed il vino
la vitalita’
la politica
serena:
@s Salve S, Thanks for your contribution. Unfortunately it got marked as spam and I just happened to find it by chance. Anyway, it’s been approved now. I don’t know why it was marked as spam, we do get an awful lot of it, but perhaps if you use a proper name instead of just S your future comments won’t get sent to the spam box, although I’m not sure about that. I’ll have to check with admin.
A presto, Serena