For an Italian, talking about Italy is not as easy as one might imagine. Its history, culture, people and land have milestones in different historical periods, and summarizing them is not trivial. Its convoluted history, for example: imagine living in Italy about 2,700 years ago, when only sparse tribes and small communities populated an otherwise florid land. There you meet this ambitious guy Romulus who eventually decides to found a city that is to become the capital of the world: Rome. And then he kills his brother. This is not a good start at all, not even for a legend. Fortunately, this founding act of barbarity has been redeemed by the development of art and literature over the centuries.

When people find out I am from Italy, they think it must have been a paradise growing up in a place so steeped in high culture and history. I guess it is, but I never noticed. Even walking on original Roman pavements, while looking at buildings from the 14th century and paintings from the Byzantine period, can seem pretty mundane if you have done this every day since you were four. Do not call me blind to the sublime accomplishments of my culture. It is natural to eventually grow accustomed even to the most spectacular or peculiar. Think of your life in New York. Admit it, you don’t even notice those crazy people in the subway who play and sing “Under the Boardwalk” anymore, or the runners who jog in the City in shorts and shirts during the snowstorm before going to work. New Yorkers take for granted that there will be at least a Dunkin’ Donuts and a Duane Reade every two blocks, just the way Romans stop noticing that the Colosseum is on their way to work.

Most people form their opinions about Italy based on their experiences as tourists, and there are many cliché jokes about Italians; all true, by the way. For example, Italians are thought to be very attached to their family; we all know the Italian machisimo mama’s boy. And what about the adage that we talk with our hands? Absolutely. Isn’t this much easier than learning different languages? You only need to know “body language” in order to survive in Italy. This is probably why it is such a popular place for tourists. We don’t know English (if you ever tried to speak English in Italy, you know what I mean) and tourists don’t know Italian; it’s just a matter of fact. But no worries, because with some enthusiastic gesticulation everybody can understand your needs. After all, we are friendly people, trying to help poor tourists (especially young blonde American females) with the unpredictability of Italy: for example, we know how difficult it could be to plan a trip during the month of strikes that hits the country every year. The gesticulation is not just for style, it is sometimes a matter of necessity even among Italians. The average tourist might not notice this, but as a matter of fact, we are a country made up of 21 different cultures, as different as Alabama and Massachusetts. Our unification is actually quite recent: politically it didn’t happen until 1861, but culturally we are still slowly coming together. For example, most of our grandparents do not speak Italian, but rather only a local dialect. What has really sped up the reunification was the advent of television and a national soccer league. We now have a common obsession that we can fight about in a common language.

One cannot think of Italy without considering the role that the Church has had in its development. Since the establishment of the Pope in Rome, religion has had a profound influence on the country’s institutions and values and it is very much a part of modern society. Until recently, every public school had a crucifix hanging on the wall, and priests had a central role in the life of small communities. Nowadays, not so many people are practicing anymore, but churches are always packed on the major Christian holidays. The Pope is a real celebrity and everything he says and does is immediately national news: formal meetings with politicians and Church leaders, comments on world affairs, and even his skiing vacations (at least until some years ago) are part of our life.

Living in Italy is not bad at all: good food, good wine, nice people, and great sites to visit. The most common one-week trip is Rome-Florence-Venice, if you want to experience some of the most wonderful cities. Rome stands as a museum by itself, Florence contains an exceptional artistic patrimony (Giotto, Cimabue, Brunelleschi, and Leonardo Da Vinci, for example), and Venice, with its bridges and palaces “floating” on the sea, is a rarity. However, to me most of the precious places are outside of the major tourist cities. Small cities and towns often offer good opportunities for art, culture, and nature lovers without the drawback of the big crowds: Ravenna, for example, with its Mausoleo di Teodorico and several churches from the 18th century is a UNESCO’s World Heritage Site; Parma and Piacenza offer 19 preserved castles from the 15th century along with delicious prosciutto (ham) and cheese; and Tarquinia and Cerveteri show Etruscan art in the gentle countryside.

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