@@TheQKatie 😂😂😂😂 It 's just a matter of habit ... then it can no longer be done without. But stop talking about embarrassing things. The afternoon siesta is a typical custom of southern Italy, mainly linked to the very intense summer heat. However, it is not found in Northern Italy. I am Sardinian but for work I have been in the north for many years and here it is not a widespread custom. Ricordo i miei pomeriggi estivi in casa dei miei genitori quando ero molto piccolo.... ed il divieto di uscire nelle ore più calde. Enjoy your life here in Italy, we are sometimes .... strange but we are absolutelly good people ;)
Well I didnt get that far. After she claimed things were more American than Italian. I stop listening and read some of the comments. I agree with you that it's an European thing. My parents are Italians and most of my relatives have bidets except for us as they couldnt afford it.
In many countries the bidet is a small shower you use on the toilet seat. Separate bidets are almost non-existent in at least northern Europe - and regarded as something very old-fashioned.
@@peremeesz oh.... You are right!! it is much better to have nothing !!! The little gush that comes out of the water is a very hygienic and clean thing !!!! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Quando ero bambina, i miei genitori mi proibivano di uscire o andare a giocare con gli amici nel primo pomeriggio per una questione di rispetto: nel pomeriggio molte persone riposano, specie gli anziani o chi fa i turni di lavoro notturni quindi non si doveva disturbare il loro riposo. In genere si usciva dalle 16 in poi
@@TheQKatie Vivo più al nord, e da me in quelle ore è "obbligatorio" (regole di condominio ed anche educazione generale) evitare di fare rumori forti. Non è vietato uscire, ma visto che la maggior parte dei negozi è chiusa, molti scelgono di rimanere in casa. Anche quando si fa un'uscita con amici, è considerato più gentile organizzarsi per orari successivi ALMENO alle 15.
I live in northern Italy, here the "lunch break" is more around 12:30-3PM and yes, as kids we were not allowed to go out and play or be noisy in any other way because we would wake people up
... And then a booming voice echoed along the streets, silencing every other noise. The windows trembled with the vibrations. The birds flew away in terror, and all people stopped, startled and in awe as the voice imperiously proclaimed: "Donne! È arrivato l'arrotino!"
Your Italian is great. Well done and keep up! I'm proud to know that you choose our country as your own, don t ask me why, but it makes me emotional. I left Italy 7 years ago and I miss it every single day since then.
The most smart and polite thing we came to after years and years of muttering and complaining about the line-cutters...but people tend to be nowadays less tolerable to those who did it (always the older ones 👵👴...)!
@@korteccia true that. when I was a kid I remember that cutting the queue (sorry... the "line" :-) ) was usual, while now it's much less. I think also because since the 90's in many places they started to put the tickets with the serial number (in post offices, in supermarkets for the personal service to the counter, ect...) and people started to get more used to respect the queue and thus we're now more intollerant towards the queue-cutters.
totally right! May be the queue might not seem a "real queue", may be it looks like more like a bunch of people waiting without any order, but be sure that everyone knows who's the person before them and usually also after them, so a queue-cutter can be spotted immediately. when you arrive, just ask who's the last person in line and probably you'll be asked by new comers if you're the last one in the queue. It might seem silly, because the actual line probably doesn't look like a line at all, but everybody knows it's position in the queue.
"La cervicale" means pain in the neck basically, it's a colloquial way of saying cervical pain, it is induced either by nerve or skeleton/muscolar damage or inflamation and it can spread to arms and cause headaches. Having wet parts of your body when it's cold outside can definetely cause inflamation and pain, and of course sudden changes in temperature are not good for your immune system, that is part of why people in the winter get colds and viruses easier. It's a medical fact, not really an Italian cultural thing! For some reason the general public in Italy is more aware of this basic medical facts than some other countries, maybe because we get 4 full seasons and the weather changes a lot from sea to Appennini/Alpi
In the north it’s all about avoiding the ‘colpo d’aria’- sudden draughts, or getting ‘a chill’ to certain parts of your body. It’s considered to be practically fatal to be ‘hit by air’. Crazy! I’d say it’s far more cultural than proven medical.
@@Roslyngal like many other bullshit that people say in italy like "air conditioning is bad" "ice is bad" or "you have to wait 3 hours before swimming afte lunch" all crap that have no proven reasons....italy is an irrational and anti scientific country
@@toffonardi7037 i would agree that as a country we live with a lot of tradition and also home remedies that aren't scientifically correct but still work in some cases. also the "cervicale " thing it's not illogical neither is air conditioning especially as used by Americans. Also ice is a preference in drinks and i'm glad we don't use it here because it's unnecesary unless its summer.
@@toffonardi7037 the thing about not swimming after lunch is illogical, but just in part. If you dive into the water before 2/3 hours have passed there is a high chance you can get a congestion and die in case it’s not treated immediately. If you enter calmly in the water, without diving, the digestion starts/continues in the water, there aren’t considerable temperature changes and you can swim safely ^^
I try to explain my international colleagues I go offline for half an hour for a penichiella, no one gets it. Now I just schedule it as "internal retrospective". No questions asked.
@@TheQKatie Well, the main reason is climatic: meaning that, especially in the south around that time is too hot to do any outdoor activity (which is the same reason why they do siesta in Spain). It is something started in the countryside and then became cultural, so it is nothing bizarre or unreasonable it's just common sense :)
My folks were from Italy. When I was about 6 (this was mid-century) I walked over to my neighbors to play. I had WET HAIR and my mom came to get me, crying...thinking I would die! Wonder what the history is behind Italian people's fear of WET HAIR. Loved your presentation.
Italian here, my mom was the same and it was because they believe you'll get sick if you go around with wet hair for some reason, even in the summer, in the winter is even worse they used to not even let me out the bathroom without first drying my hair
I'm Italian but moved to Canada a few years ago. Here I teach at the university and the first student evaluation I received said that many students thought I was mad to them. Now at the beginning of every course, I say to the class that I'm never mad at them but I have just a passionate way to express myself. Nevertheless, at the end of the semester, there are still some people who think I get mad.
Riccardo =.= non sai cosa accade a noi toscani all'estero , visto che per qualche misteriosa ragione siamo abituati a parlare con un volume decisamente alto ^^ ,sopratutto all'esterno. La moglie americana di un mio caro amico era schoccata ^^ credeva sempre che litigassimo
Siamo casinisti c'è poco da fare, provate a chiedere a dei giapponesi cosa pensano di una nostra normale ed amichevole conversazione (ammesso e non concesso che riusciate a farvi dire cosa pensano veramente :p)
Yes, the image of Italy is contrary and odd ---- People define France by Paris, the richest city, but people define Italy by the smallest town in southern Italy or Sicily instead of the bigger cities. The Italian stereotypes are like a story and folklore all powerful on their own ....
Being from the North (Liguria), I had never heard of this and was going to say the same... Guess it's because Southern temperatures are generally much higher and going out at 2pm is not ideal at all 😅
I’m from Liguria in the north and I didn’t knew what controra was until they explained it, but it is a thing not to go out until 15 or something mostly cause the shops are closed by that time
My grandparents were off-the-boat Italians, and my Nana was adamant about not going out with wet hair. Her conviction was that you would get sick with a “cold in the neck” (cervicale) or worse, pneumonia. She hated having drafts on her neck from an open window or AC.
As an Italian American in NY I was in Sicily visiting relatives one summer. Every morning I had lemon ice and a brioche. The first dish for dinner is always pasta then meat etc. Reminded me of holidays. The markets where everything is outside reminded me of growing up in the Bronx going to Arthur Avenue. So it really wasn't much of a culture shock. The traffic in Rome is nuts. Worse than NYC. Very scary.
Il segreto per gestire la coda caotica, almeno dalle mie parti, è comunicare con tutti i partecipanti. Chi è arrivato prima, chi dopo, rendere noto che sei lì e che ti aspetti una certa sequenza. Una volta che hanno parlato con te, non potranno fare finta di ignorarti. E se lo fanno, gli accordi sono già stati spiegati e sei autorizzato a protestare vivacemente :)
Si confermo la cosa essenziale è far capire a chi è già in coda che ci sei anche tu e parte del loro gruppo, pertanto quando qualcuno proverà a superarti sarà visto come uno che sta provando a fare il furbo con tutti costringendolo quindi desistere e a presentarsi come tutti
Però se c'è il distributore di biglietti con tanto di display che mostra di chi è il turno PRENDI IL CAZZO DI BIGLIETTO! Mi dà parecchio fastidio che la gente non prenda il biglietto e si arroghi il diritto di fare come tu descrivi, non ha senso! Non è rispettoso!
As an italian who lives in South Italy (near Naples) I can say that Covid at least has a positive side: slowly we are starting to learn how to queue, because I can assure you that, before the outbreak of the pandemic, queues were wayyyy more messed up and there were lots and lots of people who were cutting lines (especially elderlies)
Holy Cannoli, I haven't been back to Italy for long but it would certainly be a shock to me to see that they've learned to make queues in Southern Italy!!! 🤣 Thank goodness for covid social distancing!
i was born in switzerland from italian parents and used to go see my family every summer in Puglia. I remember vividly that once when i was 5 or 6 i was woken up by my grandma and aunt shouting at each other, i asked my mom: why are they arguing? Mom: they aren't, they're just having a conversation. :D
I had a friend long ago which transferred to Berlin due her parents job. Once he returned and somebody called him. He started to yell a lot and after he hang up I asked him if it was ok and if there was any problems... ... The guy invited him for a pizza and he accepted. "german is a lovely sweet language"... :|
I've read somewhere that Mediterranean people have more difficulties processing milk (as an italian, I confirm) and that's why we dont drink milk like in the middle of the afternoon, cause we would have to run to the bathroom. I dont know how accurate this is.
Assolutamente vero. Tutti gli animali quando diventano adulti smettono di bere il latte e perdono la capacità di digerire il lattosio. Questa capacità digestiva per gli adulti fu mantenuta solo da alcune popolazioni umane nordiche per le quali il latte, in mancanza di altro cibo, diventò una parte importante della dieta, un fattore di sopravvivenza. Da allora il consumo del latte tra gli adulti si è lentamente diffuso, ma è ben evidente ancora oggi come l'intolleranza al lattosio aumenti mano a mano che si va da nord a sud.
I'm Italian and when I lived abroad I was so shocked because people go out with wet hair! I thought it was so weird but not because of the cervicale but because it's just nonsense to me. It seems sort of rude to show yourself with wet hair at school or at work
Disclaimer: I was born and raised and still live in the north-western part of Italy. First of all you have to understand that customs and traditions vary WILDLY from north to south; not saying one is better than the other but what may be "shocking" in the southern regions may not be in the north and vice-versa: #1: in the south they have a more traditional approach to coffee consumption than in the north; it's still not common to see someone have a cappuccino outside of breakfast but it's not really frowned upon. I've had cappuccinos in the afternoon when I wanted some caffeine but wanted something easier on the stomach. #2: completely true, even though if you dig enough you can find salty things to eat for breakfast too. #3: 100% true, if you stray from the traditional recipe just show the end result rather than explain what you did ;) #4: never heard of it for the cervicale specifically, being dry after a bath/shower is just considered good manners in general, moms usually say to dry thoroughly in order not to catch a cold. #5: definitely a southern thing. In the north babies and elderly people tend to have a nap after lunch but for the most part everything is open from 2pm to 4pm #6: it depends where you're going to. Public administration places tend to be open to the public for a short amount of time and therefore a lot of people have to queue up and yes, tickets and numbers are a thing here but if I have to be honest I prefer it this way, it's harder to cut the line this way. #6.5: spot on #7: again, I think it's less prominent here in the north but on the other hand I've been accustomed to it and don't mind. #8: can't say much, I've been taught to use it since I was little. #9: This is disappearing here in the north, we still have what is called a "mercato" where a group of people arrive in convertible vans full of goods and sell them directly to you once or twice a week but for the most part we shop in small supermarkets and malls. The "mercato" still gathers quite a good amount of people every time though.
this is an extremely italian thing: for a foreigner, used to countries that have a tremendous higher amount of diversity than italy, they on't see so many differences
Ah, yes, Veneta here, I second everything. The no supermarket thing, I remember my sister complaining about that too when she vacationed in Puglia last year, there are a lot of big chain store type of supermarkets here, also a lot of malls.
Came here to say that. I live in Piemonte now, had some brief stay in Naples and these are completely different worlds. For a Polish expact like me it was way easier to settle in north than in the south, the culture shock is definitely smaller for me. Then i visited the province of Bolzano and, oh boy, that's yet another story, haha.
you can have a cappuccino (with a cornetto) even in the afternoon, it's normal as a break. The only rule is you mast drink it at least 3 hours from lunch and dinner (where it is supposed you eat meat, fish, vegetables, tomato souce etc. that do not fit well with the milk of cappuccino) Instead having a coffee at the end of a big meal, is the rule...
Many of the things you are talking about are found in the south of Italy, but in the north things are quite different. Please note that traditions in Italy can vary a lot. Thanks
Controra mostly has to do with S. Italy being traditionally agricultural. So if you went to the fields to work at 4 am, you got home around noon, ate, and then went to sleep a bit because you woke up so early and worked so hard.
No cappuccino after midday comes from the realization that milk with certain foods does not go well, not just for taste but also in your stomach. I still don’t understand how people can drink a latte with a sandwich or at lunchtime and still not to have to run to the bathroom.
Ahh I get this, many other cultures do the same. I'm Pakistani and milk is not a good combination with certain foods due to the difficulty in digesting IT.
yes milk is not easy to digest. I agree. I personally don't like it. But who cares if someone wants some in the afternoon. I mean, where's the problem? Who cares. I don't like it = I don't drink it. Someone likes it = just drink it. Tolerance! There's no reason to refuse a cappucino in the afternoon, or laugh at someone who has different habits than ours.
It's not mafia's fault, it's the fact that after the war politicians were scared as shit of fascism coming back and created a system that made it very hard to be thrown on itself, obviously it comes with its disadvantages but I prefer it that way, better to waste an hour in paperwork than being afraid of some punk restoring fascism (which even though not apparent, still relevant)
From an Italian perspective, always been appalled at the lack of bidets in Northern Europe. So for 40 years here in England I’ve plumbed in bidets to over 30 properties I’ve refurbished & sold. My theory being that from tiny acorns mighty oaks grow and hence the English might learn the hygienic uses thereof... Yep and pigs will fly!
7:00 the ticket thing was introduced precisely to avoid chaotic queuing and quarrels. I remember when it was introduced in the early 1990s and I still consider it a blessing !
Born, bred and living in Italy and I've always had cappuccino in the afternoon, nobody will say anything if you order it and it's not really weird, have no idea where that cliche comes from. It probably depends which part of Italy you're in, as people are different and habits are different everywhere. I personally don't use the bidet but it's handy to wash socks. It just depends what you're used to. If you think queues are an italian thing, you couldn't be more wrong. Nobody queues anywhere, it's like herding cats more like it. England, now that's queueing at its finest.
About queueing: Usually when you have to line you ask "chi è l'ultimo?" ("Who's the last?") so that you have to remember that the person answers "me" comes right before you. It's actually pretty easy and useful, you can go around, talk at the phone...
It's true. Pepole usually queue without queueing. To understand when will be your turn you need to know who is the last one before you. It is a bit funny but works!
Actually, in the north of Italy, we don't call "controra" the rest time but we do respect that. Since we were kids our parents used to told us "after lunch you must rest" (if you don't want to sleep you have to leave in peace the adults and do not disturb). At 4 pm the day can go on... Don't forget the merenda!
Same thing my parents taught me and Im german. I really appreciate that custom even Im not using it very often myself. It allows the ones around you to „recharge batteries“ (like babies, toddlers, parents with babies/toddlers, elderlies, overworked,...or just when you need a nap nomatter what for) Its very respectful manner cause not everyone has the ability to work from dusk till dawn without a break. So I really love that custom. Additionally it gives structure to a day which we all could need in times of being always-online-and-available-mentality. I still get uncomfortable when people start their drilling machine (or other noisy things) between 12 and 3pm (except its a company who has no other choice). You can still work, but just without distracting others from their (often lifesaving) rest. I like these customs in general. And BTW Iove this video. Great job!!!!!❤️
because in Italy the line is not a physical entity or doesn't show geometrically, it's on a higher logic layer, you ask who's the last in line and then you can move around knowing when is your turn... I think it's better like this..
When I travelled to Italy. I was so surprised with bidet at the hotels. Then I found that it is very useful and convenient for women and children. It makes you feel strange at first time but you will use it often later.
I think bidets are very useful, they have the same function of a sink, only for the lower parts of your body (sometimes you need just to wash a part of your body, not the whole of it). Anyhow I confess I consider them a very personal piece of furniture. I never use bidets when I'm in a hotel or at somebody else's home....
The bidet is a pretty neat feature to have at home. You can't have a shower every time you go to poop just as you can't take a shower every time you just need to wash off your hands. I usually shower in the evening but in the morning after working out and eating breakfast I need to set up a meeting with the bidet ;) Some times toilet paper isn't just enough (the situation may even get worse)
Controra its not when bad people are outside ahah, its that time of the day after lunch when people tend to relax and usually take a nap before going out or coming back to work. Beautiful video!
That guy actually didn't cut the line; he probably booked an appointment on the website or with the proper app. Agenzia delle Entrate and Poste Italiane offer that kind of service. It's a virtual web ticket specifically made to cut the lines.
@@TheQKatie Yes, you can book an appointment of 30 mins each for the more complicated stuff, but you could also use the "elimina code" web ticket for simpler things (but it must be used in the same day). You can find it on Agenzia delle Entrate home page - contatti ed assistenza - assistenza fiscale - elimina code online.
When you move from Puglia to Piemonte you'll have another culture shock and several others in between. Consider turning Italy upside down using Milan as the pivot. Southern Italy would be around Scandinavia. So just think of the many different experiences you'll have between Scandinavia and Milan now. Italy is a kaleidoscope of different cultures. That's just one of the reasons it's such a great place to live if you can adapt to the differences.
my parents went to Spain in 1970 and told me about the mid afternoon siesta and the fact that people are up very late in the evening. 11 pm not uncommon. Think it is a Mediterranean thing where the afternoons are intolerably hot.
@@nicolariva4982 Here in the Roman provinces and Rome itself ,you can order it in any bar. I often drink one. However here there are no rules about an afternoon cafelate or cappuccio either. Good luck odering one.
Having moved to Italy in 2019 and going through the exact same situations I was laughing hard through the whole video. Especially challenging for me has been the unbelievable bureaucracy. I went through the long lines at the Questura, infinite paperwork at the Poste Italiane, and the many hoops that I had to jump through to get my Carta de Identita, Tessera Sanitaria, etc. I tell folks that my full-time job is keeping all of my paperwork up to date. All in all though, I would gladly go through that to stay in this Country. I am really happy here. I wish you two the best and greetings from The Veneto.
@@filippop.6172 I'm disabled and have to deal with a ton of bureaucracy to even just get the benefits I deserve by law. Truth is people there are stressed and also want to work as little as possible but usually if you can make them feel pity for you or just treat them very well (as in having good manners) they tend to even make you skip some steps sometimes. Even skipped an entire appointment at the INPS because of that believe it or not. It's also why I'm so obsessed with having good manners, saying to your barista or a person behind the counter "please" and "thank you" costs you nothing and it might please them. I don't know why they aren't held in high regard in other countries too
The markets and food shops are great in Italy. They used to have the same in France, but that is much much less now, and as a result the quality of food in France has dropped massively in the last few decades. Long live traditional italian food shopping!
@@TheQKatie fruttivendolo, complimenti comunque parli già un ottimo italiano, davvero. Vivendo all'estero sono sempre un pò shockato quando vedo la gente prendere il cappuccino di pomeriggio. Ormai mi sono vinto e riesco a berlo anch'io, bevo persino il caffè americano e mi piace pure!!! 😂😂
Speaking of food traditions: I have a Belgian friend who was working through a doctorate in musicology at the University of Bologna. He told me about a time he was visiting people elsewhere in Italy, and at a meal they asked why, if he lived in Bologna, he ate his food in a particular manner. When he then told them that he actually lived in a small village on the outskirts of Bologna, his hosts said "oh, that explains it!"
When you go in a line you should ask “who is the last one?” So you have need to give attention only to one person (this how is used in Italy 🇮🇹, the order in the disorder 😌 genius forevermore)
'ca vacca, non me lo dire... :| "Colpo della strega" which in english is "witch stroke" is when you try to get down by bending your back and when you try to get up you have a *GIGANTIC* pain on your lower back... Last time I had it it was going to cuddle one of my cats before going to work... ... I never made it to work, i barely crawled to the bed and called the physician and the workplace saying I had to take some days off... ... "Some day off" became *2 WEEKS* before I could move without crying. This should give a slight idea of how painful is... ... nut kicks or having a baby are quite comparable with it in pain scale...
I lived in Italy for 8 years so this video made my laugh so hard xD I moved to Scotland 6 years ago, loved the queue especially now when people respect the social distancing. What I miss most about Italy is the bidet and buying fruit/vegetables not in a plastic bag. Looking forward to another cultural shock this summer as I am transferring to the Netherlands but I will definitely buy myself a bidet, even if I will have to carry it from Italy myself. Un bacione ragazzi!
This is very much based on the south of Italy. In the rest of Italy there are supermarkets (for example Esselunga, Carrefour) and no people in trucks. Controra doesn’t exist, people have maybe an hour for lunch. This is very much based on southern Italy and probably a smaller town.
It's so interesting listening to what you are experiencing in the Italian culture. I'm happy that you mentioned life in the south is a little different than the north - especially in the afternoons when many people in the south still do take that break. My life is in the states most of the year but my heart is always in Italy.
Breakfast in Genoa salty edition: focaccia and cappuccino salty edition - next level : focaccia topped with onion and cappuccino old style edition: focaccia and a glass of white wine very old style (until the end of the 19th century ?): "sbira" - tripe broth
I'm from tuscany and I can say that I don't like to leave the house between 2 and 4 pm because after lunch I'm tired and need to digest and take a rest lol Also, in summer it is not recommended to go outside between 12noon and 4pm because the sun is way too hot. In più, in campings in hot places it is "prohibited" to make noises until 4pm because between 2 and 4pm is the "sonnellino" time, and you won't see anyone around at those hours also for the heat
I live in Rome and I’ve never heard of this thing for which you can’t leave your house before 2. I got internal cultural shock, if that makes sense. So interesting.
I live in Rome but my family is from a small town in Marche, and there it gets deserted after lunch. I think it's just not a thing that happens in big cities, but in towns it's very alive, it's the "pennichella" time. They don't call it controra though, I think it must just be southern dialect.
Mah ,più che altro nelle regioni del Sud il discorso della “pennichella” (che poi coincide con la siesta che fanno in certe zone della Spagna) è dovuto anche al fatto che nei mesi estivi in quella fascia oraria fa caldissimo. Quindi le 18 diventano le 15-15,30 ed infatti poi la giornata prosegue a quel ritmo.
Thank you for posting! My parents are from Puglia Bari area. Grumo Appula and Casamassima! I love your enthusiasm for the Italian culture and the fact that you are embracing the local traditions. Please keep making more videos!
Actually if you'll come in Sicily, you'll find a whole type of salty food made for every hour of the day (or night), it's quiet popular even for breakfast. P.s. of course you can also eat pizza for breakfast (the one of the night before)
We use dry and wet toilet paper and do not pee over our fingers. By our excellent food our poop is like a teflon torpedo, you know you dumped, but there are no traces at the bowl or the paper. With pasta and white bread the poop becomes like a chocolate spread, sticking even on non stick ceramic under water.
It's funny because some years ago I had some friends at home (from the US and from Argentina) and they where shocked because people here eats focaccia or small sandwiches or any other salty stuff in the morning. Of course people here eats also brioches and sweat stuff... but anyway. I'm from southern Piemonte (north), maybe it's not exactly the most "italian" place in Italy...
Amazing video! Just one thing: in the south of Italy we actually do eat pasta with tomato sauce and meatballs, it's just that they are very tiny (polpettine!), not like those huge american meatballs!
I’m Italian raised American, the wet hair thing is sooo true. I used to go outside with wet hair and all my friends went bananas on me. The other food no no is breaking long pasta to fit the pot
Buongiorno ... I just discovered your channel. I'm a Italian American born in The Bronx. I now live in the S.W. region of the U.S. I am planning on making a bucket list trip to Italy to trace my family roots from Naples and Bari Italy. So I will be watching more of your great channel. Grazie mille for sharing your experience there in Bellissima Italia. Ciao
a dire il vero esiste, ma in modo differente. io di famiglia romana, nata e cresciuta a roma, possi dirti che la cittá magari rimane attiva tutto il giorno, ma comunque é nell'educazione generale che tra le 2 e le 4 c'é "l'ora del silenzio", -anche se son due ore ahah - quindi dentro casa, per esempio, non si passa l'aspirapolvere o non si mette la musica a palla, perché i vicini, anziani o bambini che siano, stanno riposando. molti negozi anche vanno in "pausa pranzo" e la fascia oraria é sempre la stessa! :)
@@ProLocoFicarolo Ficarolo è famosa per la storica rotta del Po. Sono di Modena e la mia compagna è polesana (basso polesine, delta), non siano lontani! Ci capiamo al volo. W il panino al salame, a qualsiasi ora!!
I'm Italian born and raised in Italy, I always drink cappuccino in the afternoon. I always drink cappuccino when I go to a cafe in the winter. No one has ever given me a dirty look. NO ONE. I do not fear the cervicale, I just don't go outside with wet hair as I like to be well combed. I've never heard the word ''controra'' in my life, it is not an Italian word. I'm from nothern Italy, our grandmothers never say to us it's better you don't leave the house after lunch because there are thieves and bad people...I've never heard such thing. However, it's true the fact we have a lot of very rude people in Italy. I often deal with these kinds of people myself. We are not all rude, though.
I think that the fact that we as Italians stay inside between 13.00-16.00 is also related to the sun. In summer, during that hours, not even sun cream can keep you from getting burned 🙃
Ciao il motivo della cosiddetta controra sta nel fatto che nel sud in estate è un momento molto caldo e pertanto la gente sta in casa al fresco. Nel nord non esiste.
@@strikedn Pomeriggio prima delle 5 a San Vito Lo Capo per strada non si vede nessuno. La gente, se non per necessità va in giro, ovviamente in estate. Anche a Palermo i negozi aprono il pomeriggio alle 4. La gente se può rimane in casa con le persiane chiuse, specie se avanti negli anni. Trovo questo intelligente. So di Milano perché vi sono stato e chiaramente fa molto caldo in quel mese, ma anche in luglio. Gli anziani possono stare molto male per un colpo di calore. In Sicilia il clima è più mite con temperature non troppo fredde in inverno e non troppo calde in estate grazie alla azione del mare. Fa eccezione il momento in cui spira lo scirocco, vento molto caldo del Sahara.
I was born and raised in Modena (north of Italy). In 44 years of life that's the very first time I hear about the word "controra" (which is not italian, but I can kinda understand the meaning). I've been in the south for holidays more than one time, but never heard about that.
@@leonardolupi3416 pensavo fosse espressione dialettale (a Modena, ad esempio, in dialetto si dice "basóra" - ora bassa, per indicare il primo pomeriggio). Hai ragione ho controllato ed è termine italiano, non dialettale. Resta il fatto che se qui al nord se dici "controra" temo che nessuno ti capisca, a meno che non abbia origini meridionali o abbia già sentito questo termine (come io adesso). La siesta è roba che al nord non ha mai preso piede. Al sud evidentemente si, forse perché fa più caldo generlamente o forse anche per la dominazione borbonica, quindi ispanica
@@alessioartioli3323 Il punto è che gli abitanti di molte regioni del nord parlano un italiano semplificato perché spesso dialettofoni nel privato, non che la parola sia "meridionale". Il fatto che conosciate "siesta" e non "controra" è significativo del fatto che la parola non è sconosciuta perché connotata culturalmente (come hai scritto te per il caldo etc.) ma perché certi canali linguistici della società di consumo, quali programmi televisivi, fumetti, trasmissioni radio etc. diventano nel nord fonte principale di italiano orale, e privilegiano l'afflusso di parole estere per invogliare curiosità: lo stesso meccanismo per cui prima è stato introdotto jogging, poi footing, ora running, tutto per evitare di dire corsa, perché parole come corsa e controra sono troppo banali e non invogliano all'ascolto, all'acquisto etc.. Certo, se poi a Foggia sono 45° e a Trento 25° è normale che il popolo, pragmatico, l'userà più a Foggia.
@@leonardolupi3416 non saprei onestamente. Al nord l'uso del dialetto sta scomparendo. Io ho 44 anni, conosco il dialetto modenese ma non lo parlo. Della mia generazione quasi nessuno lo parla. Lo capisco alla perfezione, ogni tanto provo a sparlichiarlo ma non riuscirei mai come ci riusciva mio nonno, per dire. Il dialetto resiste al nord solo in campagna (e sempre meno anche lì) e un po' di più in qualche valle montana. C'è solo una regione al nord dove il dialetto tiene botta anche tra le giovani generazioni ed anche nelle città e si tratta del Veneto (per loro è una lingua, più che un dialetto, un'identità forte che viene da una storia ben precisa). Nel resto del nord, dall'Emilia alla Lombardia al Piemonte ecc... sotto i 50 anni difficilmente troverai persone che usano il dialetto come lingua principale per comunicare. Al contrario, quando sono stato al sud, ho avuto l'impressione che sia molto più usato che al nord. Sicuramente in Campania, ma anche altrove (Abruzzo, Puglia, Sicilia, Calabria) anche nelle città. Ma magari è stata solo una mia impressione. Detto ciò, controra mai sentito in 44 anni prima di questo video (di un'americana!! Paradossale...)
@@alessioartioli3323 Sono contento che tu conosca un buon italiano anche se mi dispiace che tu abbia perso la connessione col dialetto. Purtroppo questo non è il caso della maggioranza dei settentrionali, che mescola continuamente dialetto ed italiano semplificato, sia secondo indagini linguistiche fatte nel campo sia per esperienza personale, sostituendo "cocomero" con "anguria", "cornetto" con "brioche", "lavello/acquaio" con "lavandino", ignorando l'uso del pronome dimostrativo "codesto" etc.. Certo anche nel sud Italia il dialetto spesso viene mischiato con l'italiano, però questo avviene soprattutto in contesti sociali degradati (certamente più presenti che nel nord). Trovare un impiegato o addirittura un'insegnante senza coscienza linguistica (che dica cioè "scendimi questo" o "conosco a lui" senza alcuna percezione di trasgredire la norma, a prescindere dal fatto che lo dica o meno) come impressione personale è più raro che al nord.
Bidet should be mandatory in every country!! ;-) I really can't understand why it's used only in Italy. Mystery... With respect to the queue-jumpers, when you arrive and see a queue (even if it might look like a non orderly bunch of people) just ask who's the last one in line and it's done. You know your place and if somebody tries and jump your place, just tell him/her "lei è dopo di me" (you're after me) without much discussion. If they try anyway to by-pass you, ignore them and put yourself phisically in front of them, so you block them. They might argue and complain... don't mind them and stay there. Some people only understand direct and strong beahviours.With these people you don't have to be polite, but treat them for the idiots they are.
Cervicale is a pain in the neck due to air drafts and wind hitting your neck. Moisture from wet hair and/or sweat can accentuate the chance of it happening. The don't going out after lunch until late afternoon is due to the heat. In summer, the temperatures can be quite hot after 10 am, so people got the habit of staying home and resting. In the North it's not as usual, because the temperature is quite different.
Italian cuisine is strictly regional (only use food elements within the region) but I'm willing to overlook that because I love cooking Italian cuisine.
In fact, abroad it is often used to generalize by saying ... "the Italian cuisine", while in fact it should be said more ... the various Italian regional cuisines. It varies a lot from region to region and very often also from city to city.
hey! :D I'm Italian from the north of Italy (Lombardia) and I lived in Ireland for 6 years. Believe me, apart from the bidet, every single point you mentioned is a culture shock for me too anytime I travel to the south of this amazing country XD
Wow, how long have you been studying Italian? For someone who's been living here for only some months, you have a very good grasp of the pronounciation of the words
Doctors often advise not to go outside with wet hair, as you could get sick. You could probably have a cold or have "cervicale" pain. This expression mean having pain and stiffness in the neck, shoulders and nape of the neck. It's a kind of muscle pain that is most common in people living in countries with high levels of humidity in the air.
One of the shock you will have to deal with is how life in Italy is different from the rest of the world, Thousands of years of refined cultural advancements has made a unique lifestyle,especially in the south. Know how,traditions,food,family,makes for a life worth living! One has to experience it to understand, Life made in Italy!
I have spent 31 years of my life in Reggio Calabria, the southern most part of mainland Italy. Never heard of this "controra" or anything like that. I suppose that the post lunch nap or rest is because we actually have a proper meal and not a sandwich for lunch? 🤷♂️
Wow I'm from Argentina and I'm surprised by how many similarities we have with italy. It seems like you're describing Argentina, we do most, if not all, of those things you mentioned.
@@longbeach7623 I don't know .. in the world we Italians are known only as spaghetti and mandolin .. but very little is said about Dante, Giotto, Leonardo da Vinci.. etc..
@@angelofacchinetti6006 I’m speaking to the OP about Argentina and the fact that nearly 70% of the population have some element of Italian descent in their bloodline.
Welcome to Italy! Fascinating to see your early experiences :-) - The 'controra': it's not that 'bad people' go out at that time, it's more that it's so hot in the warm months that it's nuts to go out at that time - Queueing: just find out who the last person is - usually people just come and ask who is waiting last and they know they're after those people... ;-) - 'directness': it's not anger or even directness, it's more familiarity & expansiveness (and good point about the masks, it makes it harder to contextualist)
Prosciutto crudo, in English often shortened to prosciutto, is Italian uncooked, unsmoked, and dry-cured ham. Prosciutto crudo is usually served thinly sliced. It doesn't make a good meal.
I discovered your channel a few days ago and I adore your content about Italy! I would like to add a caveat/clarification for those of your viewers who are watching these video to know more about Italy. It's not always easy but keep in mind that "in Italy things are such and such" is often misleading. Remember that it varies really a lot between North and South, between larger cities and tiny villages, from region to region, even in different cities of the same Province! Example for the Americans: it would be like describing life in the US by describing how things are in New York and expecting the same exact thing to be the same in Las Cruces NM! we are comparatively smaller in area with respect to the US but we had quite a long time to develop very different traditions across the centuries.
I think a "big/little" shock for people coming to Italy from big countries it's our regional differences. Italy is a very small state, from an American point of view for example. Yet, considering history and geography, we have huge difference between different regions. When I talk to stranger people that really loves to travel in Italy, they talk normally to visit the well knows cities (Naples, Venice, Rome, Milan, Florence) but normally they don't get very much that this cities are in different regions, so they can offer very different cultural findings. Just a mention some, from your video: in Liguria you traditionally make savory breakfast with focaccia and caffè. Also in the north, with a colder climate, take a capuccino in the afternoon it's common. So, I suggest to you to explore the universe inside the Italian nation, it can offers a wide range of very different new findings.
it's not just that we do not use that word... it's that we do not have a word for it, and that's because we do not do it. At least in the cities I have lived in.
Ma è una cosa antica, per chi lavorava in campagna, non potevano mettersi sotto al sole estivo e quindi si faceva una pausa, tutto qui. Detto da un pugliese.
What a wonderful channel! I am in America and my father is from Italy and my mother is Italian-I am in process of obtaining Dual Italian Citizenship for me, my children and then my wife. I have watched many channels on Italy and this one is the BEST! Love these two and understand everything they are saying...to understand them I mean is to be Italian in many ways and I am learning much…Grazie Mille!-Steven Garofalo
Here in Italy for making any kind of document... this is a little advice of how I do it: call the office and receive all the information you need, than call it back and be sure to talk to another person and ask for the same informations. Than have a confrontation of them.
@@TheQKatie don't worry there are a lot of Italians that also don't know. Maybe is famous in US because there were a lot of Italian immigrants in the early XX century from Abruzzo.
yep but is very small meatbalss , is not like "american" meatballs is like this www.fantasiedicucina.it/wp-content/uploads/spaghetti-alla-chitarra-con-pallottine.jpg not like this d3cizcpymoenau.cloudfront.net/images/22224/SFS_spaghetti_meatballs_059.jpg
Yes Ilaria, my mother is from Abruzzo, beautiful Vasto actually. We often have spaghetti with meatballs here in lovely Melbourne, Australia. Buona Pasqua!!
You guys are awesome! Yeah, don' t expect to go to a hardware store and NOT have the clerks prying out into your life and asking for every detail of your craft project! But that is a sincere interest, that' s also how you can make new friends :) Hope you guys enjoy living here!
I'm Canadian and when I go into any kind of a shop and if there isn't at least a bit of personal conversation I feel like something is missing. Getting very hard to find these days, we are all so unconnected.
I'm Italian but I grew up in Australia. The thing about not going out with wet hair drives me crazy. If I go to the swimming pool, I'm supposed to stay half an hour more just to dry my hair. I do go out with wet hair, braving all the criticism, but I get strange looks, and get asked 'ma non ti fanno male i cervicali così? ' A LOT
It warns my heart when you talked about Italians talking loud. My grandparents were Italian, both died many years ago. I remember them talking loud to each other. And when they would get together with their friends, you can hear them two houses away!
As a German in Italy I can mostly relate, even though I live in the north. Some things I've completely adopted and other things I just skip, for example I don't feel the urge to hop into bars for a coffee. I let my Italian husband do that part and just wait for him outside 😅
Wait until you guys discover the full extent of the ‘food is medicine’ culture in Italy. Those nonnas critiquing your torta (and many of the food ‘rules’) are actually not just traditional or ‘si fa cosi’ pigheadedness. There’s a real undercurrent of belief that certain foods in the wrong order, quantity or frequency will make you sick. There’s not much science backing most of these, but boy are they (regionally/culturally) important! They are obsessed by food as medicine. A lot of what English cultures think of as Italian ‘food is love’ behaviours is actually a bunch of older people policing your food intake for ‘reasons’. I’m 50 years into learning about this, and still get shocked!
I’m so glad you are loving Italy. I assume you have traveled around Italy. Each region is very different. In places like Milano, Roma, Firenze, etc. shops stay open longer even during lunch hours. I’m first-generation Italian-American and have lived in Italy. So, many things are not culturally strange for me, but even so, I am used to certain amenities in America that differ in Italy. And I have one northern parent and one southern and the regions differ greatly in culture! E quando una vecchia signora vuole tagliare la linea, glielo lasci! Lol! Good luck!
Eh, no. Se io sto facendo la coda da un po' , non esiste che qualcuno mi passi davanti solo perché è più anziano di me. Questa è una furberia molto usata da qualcuno in Italia.
About rule number 6. When there is not a specific Q, just ask "chi è l'ultimo?" ( who is the last one?) and you can enter after that person. Also people that seems to jump the Q, probably have booked their appointment online 👍🏻
It is not strange that the bidet exists in Italy, it is strange that many countries of the world do without it ...
I know my husband would agree wholeheartedly with this statement!
@@TheQKatie 😂😂😂😂
It 's just a matter of habit ... then it can no longer be done without. But stop talking about embarrassing things.
The afternoon siesta is a typical custom of southern Italy, mainly linked to the very intense summer heat. However, it is not found in Northern Italy. I am Sardinian but for work I have been in the north for many years and here it is not a widespread custom.
Ricordo i miei pomeriggi estivi in casa dei miei genitori quando ero molto piccolo.... ed il divieto di uscire nelle ore più calde.
Enjoy your life here in Italy, we are sometimes .... strange but we are absolutelly good people ;)
Well I didnt get that far. After she claimed things were more American than Italian. I stop listening and read some of the comments. I agree with you that it's an European thing. My parents are Italians and most of my relatives have bidets except for us as they couldnt afford it.
In many countries the bidet is a small shower you use on the toilet seat. Separate bidets are almost non-existent in at least northern Europe - and regarded as something very old-fashioned.
@@peremeesz oh.... You are right!!
it is much better to have nothing !!!
The little gush that comes out of the water is a very hygienic and clean thing !!!!
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
We don't leave at 2pm because we have the abbiocco and it's really difficult to walk while you are abbioccato
:-)))))
AHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAH TOP
Io, adesso.. sono abbioccatissima.
HAHAHAHAHHAHA MORTA
And most of the shops are close at that time, so if we need to buy something we have to wait xD waiting the time with the abbiocco! zzzzzz
Quando ero bambina, i miei genitori mi proibivano di uscire o andare a giocare con gli amici nel primo pomeriggio per una questione di rispetto: nel pomeriggio molte persone riposano, specie gli anziani o chi fa i turni di lavoro notturni quindi non si doveva disturbare il loro riposo. In genere si usciva dalle 16 in poi
Interessante!
@@TheQKatie Vivo più al nord, e da me in quelle ore è "obbligatorio" (regole di condominio ed anche educazione generale) evitare di fare rumori forti. Non è vietato uscire, ma visto che la maggior parte dei negozi è chiusa, molti scelgono di rimanere in casa. Anche quando si fa un'uscita con amici, è considerato più gentile organizzarsi per orari successivi ALMENO alle 15.
Io non ne sapevo niente di questa “regola”, forse perché dove sto io (Milano) è sempre pieno di gente a tutte le ore
Aoh za
I live in northern Italy, here the "lunch break" is more around 12:30-3PM and yes, as kids we were not allowed to go out and play or be noisy in any other way because we would wake people up
... And then a booming voice echoed along the streets, silencing every other noise. The windows trembled with the vibrations. The birds flew away in terror, and all people stopped, startled and in awe as the voice imperiously proclaimed: "Donne! È arrivato l'arrotino!"
Your Italian is great. Well done and keep up! I'm proud to know that you choose our country as your own, don t ask me why, but it makes me emotional. I left Italy 7 years ago and I miss it every single day since then.
Idk I’m Italian American and even I noticed problems in her pronunciation, maybe it’s just her American accent that makes it sound mispronounced
For the queue: when you reach a place always ask Who is the last in line? And then you know that after them is your turn..
Great tip. Thanks!
The most smart and polite thing we came to after years and years of muttering and complaining about the line-cutters...but people tend to be nowadays less tolerable to those who did it (always the older ones 👵👴...)!
@@korteccia true that. when I was a kid I remember that cutting the queue (sorry... the "line" :-) ) was usual, while now it's much less. I think also because since the 90's in many places they started to put the tickets with the serial number (in post offices, in supermarkets for the personal service to the counter, ect...) and people started to get more used to respect the queue and thus we're now more intollerant towards the queue-cutters.
totally right! May be the queue might not seem a "real queue", may be it looks like more like a bunch of people waiting without any order, but be sure that everyone knows who's the person before them and usually also after them, so a queue-cutter can be spotted immediately. when you arrive, just ask who's the last person in line and probably you'll be asked by new comers if you're the last one in the queue. It might seem silly, because the actual line probably doesn't look like a line at all, but everybody knows it's position in the queue.
@@TheQKatie It's not just a tip, it's basically how it works!!
"La cervicale" means pain in the neck basically, it's a colloquial way of saying cervical pain, it is induced either by nerve or skeleton/muscolar damage or inflamation and it can spread to arms and cause headaches. Having wet parts of your body when it's cold outside can definetely cause inflamation and pain, and of course sudden changes in temperature are not good for your immune system, that is part of why people in the winter get colds and viruses easier. It's a medical fact, not really an Italian cultural thing! For some reason the general public in Italy is more aware of this basic medical facts than some other countries, maybe because we get 4 full seasons and the weather changes a lot from sea to Appennini/Alpi
In the north it’s all about avoiding the ‘colpo d’aria’- sudden draughts, or getting ‘a chill’ to certain parts of your body. It’s considered to be practically fatal to be ‘hit by air’. Crazy! I’d say it’s far more cultural than proven medical.
@@Roslyngal like many other bullshit that people say in italy like "air conditioning is bad" "ice is bad" or "you have to wait 3 hours before swimming afte lunch" all crap that have no proven reasons....italy is an irrational and anti scientific country
@@toffonardi7037 i would agree that as a country we live with a lot of tradition and also home remedies that aren't scientifically correct but still work in some cases. also the "cervicale " thing it's not illogical neither is air conditioning especially as used by Americans. Also ice is a preference in drinks and i'm glad we don't use it here because it's unnecesary unless its summer.
@@toffonardi7037 the thing about not swimming after lunch is illogical, but just in part. If you dive into the water before 2/3 hours have passed there is a high chance you can get a congestion and die in case it’s not treated immediately. If you enter calmly in the water, without diving, the digestion starts/continues in the water, there aren’t considerable temperature changes and you can swim safely ^^
Trani molto umida.
I try to explain my international colleagues I go offline for half an hour for a penichiella, no one gets it. Now I just schedule it as "internal retrospective". No questions asked.
"internal retrospective.`' I like that!
ahahahahahaha genio
@@TheQKatie Well, the main reason is climatic: meaning that, especially in the south around that time is too hot to do any outdoor activity (which is the same reason why they do siesta in Spain).
It is something started in the countryside and then became cultural, so it is nothing bizarre or unreasonable it's just common sense :)
My folks were from Italy. When I was about 6 (this was mid-century) I walked over to my neighbors to play. I had WET HAIR and my mom came to get me, crying...thinking I would die! Wonder what the history is behind Italian people's fear of WET HAIR. Loved your presentation.
Would have been pretty cool if she had _actually_ explained the thing she _said_ she was going to explain...
Italian here, my mom was the same and it was because they believe you'll get sick if you go around with wet hair for some reason, even in the summer, in the winter is even worse they used to not even let me out the bathroom without first drying my hair
@@sofyacabyou will catch your death with a cold. Makes zero sense. I got the same thing when I grew up.
I'm Italian but moved to Canada a few years ago. Here I teach at the university and the first student evaluation I received said that many students thought I was mad to them. Now at the beginning of every course, I say to the class that I'm never mad at them but I have just a passionate way to express myself. Nevertheless, at the end of the semester, there are still some people who think I get mad.
Haha this is amazing. Thanks for sharing!
Classico
Maybe those who complain at the end of the semester, are the same who are always late at the courses :-D
Riccardo =.= non sai cosa accade a noi toscani all'estero , visto che per qualche misteriosa ragione siamo abituati a parlare con un volume decisamente alto ^^ ,sopratutto all'esterno. La moglie americana di un mio caro amico era schoccata ^^ credeva sempre che litigassimo
Siamo casinisti c'è poco da fare, provate a chiedere a dei giapponesi cosa pensano di una nostra normale ed amichevole conversazione (ammesso e non concesso che riusciate a farvi dire cosa pensano veramente :p)
Btw southern Italy is way different than northern Italy. For example, in Milan, everyone is always in a hurry all day long!
Yes, the image of Italy is contrary and odd ---- People define France by Paris, the richest city, but people define Italy by the smallest town in southern Italy or Sicily instead of the bigger cities. The Italian stereotypes are like a story and folklore all powerful on their own ....
@@ralpschlotsky7645 yeah but there are also big differences between one big city and another in Italy
Nothing to be proud of
I mean in almost every big city in italy there’s people running around though
ma dove cazzo c avranno da andare sti milanesi
Exactly "controra" is 99% in the south of Italy
Being from the North (Liguria), I had never heard of this and was going to say the same... Guess it's because Southern temperatures are generally much higher and going out at 2pm is not ideal at all 😅
I am Sicilian and I never heard about that😳
I am from Milan and have no idea of what that means 😂😂😂
I’m from Liguria in the north and I didn’t knew what controra was until they explained it, but it is a thing not to go out until 15 or something mostly cause the shops are closed by that time
@Rqqà non si smette mai di imparare 😅
My grandparents were off-the-boat Italians, and my Nana was adamant about not going out with wet hair. Her conviction was that you would get sick with a “cold in the neck” (cervicale) or worse, pneumonia. She hated having drafts on her neck from an open window or AC.
As an Italian American in NY I was in Sicily visiting relatives one summer. Every morning I had lemon ice and a brioche. The first dish for dinner is always pasta then meat etc. Reminded me of holidays. The markets where everything is outside reminded me of growing up in the Bronx going to Arthur Avenue.
So it really wasn't much of a culture shock.
The traffic in Rome is nuts. Worse than NYC. Very scary.
Everything with cars here has been another culture shock for sure!
Il segreto per gestire la coda caotica, almeno dalle mie parti, è comunicare con tutti i partecipanti. Chi è arrivato prima, chi dopo, rendere noto che sei lì e che ti aspetti una certa sequenza. Una volta che hanno parlato con te, non potranno fare finta di ignorarti. E se lo fanno, gli accordi sono già stati spiegati e sei autorizzato a protestare vivacemente :)
io per far rispettare le cose in Italia userei le mazze elettrificate che si usano per i buoi
@@toffonardi7037 Hahahah! Centrato! (rido perche' vivo in Canada! :D )
Si confermo la cosa essenziale è far capire a chi è già in coda che ci sei anche tu e parte del loro gruppo, pertanto quando qualcuno proverà a superarti sarà visto come uno che sta provando a fare il furbo con tutti costringendolo quindi desistere e a presentarsi come tutti
Il "chi è l'ultimo?" è cosa che da me si usa spesso :)
Però se c'è il distributore di biglietti con tanto di display che mostra di chi è il turno PRENDI IL CAZZO DI BIGLIETTO! Mi dà parecchio fastidio che la gente non prenda il biglietto e si arroghi il diritto di fare come tu descrivi, non ha senso! Non è rispettoso!
As an italian who lives in South Italy (near Naples) I can say that Covid at least has a positive side: slowly we are starting to learn how to queue, because I can assure you that, before the outbreak of the pandemic, queues were wayyyy more messed up and there were lots and lots of people who were cutting lines (especially elderlies)
Good perspective. We love it here, no matter the lines (or lack thereof!)
@@TheQKatie You are adorable! I stayed in Bergamo, at an Airbnb, and met an Italian who reminds me of you! Sorry ... strange had to say it!
Holy Cannoli, I haven't been back to Italy for long but it would certainly be a shock to me to see that they've learned to make queues in Southern Italy!!! 🤣 Thank goodness for covid social distancing!
@@vincenzo.correale Well they tray uniformed policeo help them a lot
Exactly the same in Germany 🇩🇪 😂
i was born in switzerland from italian parents and used to go see my family every summer in Puglia. I remember vividly that once when i was 5 or 6 i was woken up by my grandma and aunt shouting at each other, i asked my mom: why are they arguing? Mom: they aren't, they're just having a conversation. :D
I had a friend long ago which transferred to Berlin due her parents job. Once he returned and somebody called him. He started to yell a lot and after he hang up I asked him if it was ok and if there was any problems...
... The guy invited him for a pizza and he accepted.
"german is a lovely sweet language"... :|
Did you live in the Italian speaking part of Switzerland?
😂😂😂
Of course! What was wrong in it? Nothing, I'd dare say...
conversation 😮
I've read somewhere that Mediterranean people have more difficulties processing milk (as an italian, I confirm) and that's why we dont drink milk like in the middle of the afternoon, cause we would have to run to the bathroom. I dont know how accurate this is.
pasteurization has been the norm for decades...
Assolutamente vero. Tutti gli animali quando diventano adulti smettono di bere il latte e perdono la capacità di digerire il lattosio. Questa capacità digestiva per gli adulti fu mantenuta solo da alcune popolazioni umane nordiche per le quali il latte, in mancanza di altro cibo, diventò una parte importante della dieta, un fattore di sopravvivenza. Da allora il consumo del latte tra gli adulti si è lentamente diffuso, ma è ben evidente ancora oggi come l'intolleranza al lattosio aumenti mano a mano che si va da nord a sud.
@@sergiogsmartinez grazie per la conferma
I'm Italian, I don't have any problem with milk.
@@sergiogsmartinez Io non ho nessuna intolleranza al lattosio.
I'm Italian and when I lived abroad I was so shocked because people go out with wet hair! I thought it was so weird but not because of the cervicale but because it's just nonsense to me. It seems sort of rude to show yourself with wet hair at school or at work
what if it just rained
@@mmaxine1331 It could happen of course, it's just that in Italy we dry our hair at home before going to work or school
I went to work with wet hair in the Veneto, and all the reception came out to watch me and look at me in horror
Disclaimer: I was born and raised and still live in the north-western part of Italy. First of all you have to understand that customs and traditions vary WILDLY from north to south; not saying one is better than the other but what may be "shocking" in the southern regions may not be in the north and vice-versa:
#1: in the south they have a more traditional approach to coffee consumption than in the north; it's still not common to see someone have a cappuccino outside of breakfast but it's not really frowned upon. I've had cappuccinos in the afternoon when I wanted some caffeine but wanted something easier on the stomach.
#2: completely true, even though if you dig enough you can find salty things to eat for breakfast too.
#3: 100% true, if you stray from the traditional recipe just show the end result rather than explain what you did ;)
#4: never heard of it for the cervicale specifically, being dry after a bath/shower is just considered good manners in general, moms usually say to dry thoroughly in order not to catch a cold.
#5: definitely a southern thing. In the north babies and elderly people tend to have a nap after lunch but for the most part everything is open from 2pm to 4pm
#6: it depends where you're going to. Public administration places tend to be open to the public for a short amount of time and therefore a lot of people have to queue up and yes, tickets and numbers are a thing here but if I have to be honest I prefer it this way, it's harder to cut the line this way.
#6.5: spot on
#7: again, I think it's less prominent here in the north but on the other hand I've been accustomed to it and don't mind.
#8: can't say much, I've been taught to use it since I was little.
#9: This is disappearing here in the north, we still have what is called a "mercato" where a group of people arrive in convertible vans full of goods and sell them directly to you once or twice a week but for the most part we shop in small supermarkets and malls. The "mercato" still gathers quite a good amount of people every time though.
Love this intel. Grazie Mille! I love how regional and varied things are across Italy. Can’t wait to explore it all!
this is an extremely italian thing: for a foreigner, used to countries that have a tremendous higher amount of diversity than italy, they on't see so many differences
Ah, yes, Veneta here, I second everything. The no supermarket thing, I remember my sister complaining about that too when she vacationed in Puglia last year, there are a lot of big chain store type of supermarkets here, also a lot of malls.
Totally agree with itamitch having similar background.
Came here to say that. I live in Piemonte now, had some brief stay in Naples and these are completely different worlds. For a Polish expact like me it was way easier to settle in north than in the south, the culture shock is definitely smaller for me.
Then i visited the province of Bolzano and, oh boy, that's yet another story, haha.
"Controra" do not exist in northern Italy. I think it's because in the south after mid day it's too hot to do anything
ahhh... adesso ho capito :|
Si è per quello. Il solleone in campagna è devastante. E' un attimo a passare da abbronnzato a kebab.
@@TheIceThorn non solo in campagna, dappertutto
@@lorenz08_ in campagna specialmente... anche se pure in montagna non scherza.
It's too hot in summer, not in the rest of the year. Would you say that in, I don't know, february or april it's too hot in the afternoon? Not at all.
Contreras in the North it does exist and it’s alive, spend whole. I think having the cities to ourselves for pictures
you can have a cappuccino (with a cornetto) even in the afternoon, it's normal as a break. The only rule is you mast drink it at least 3 hours from lunch and dinner (where it is supposed you eat meat, fish, vegetables, tomato souce etc. that do not fit well with the milk of cappuccino) Instead having a coffee at the end of a big meal, is the rule...
Correct title:
9 CULTURE SHOCKS OF LIVING IN PUGLIA
Many of the things you are talking about are found in the south of Italy, but in the north things are quite different. Please note that traditions in Italy can vary a lot. Thanks
Controra mostly has to do with S. Italy being traditionally agricultural. So if you went to the fields to work at 4 am, you got home around noon, ate, and then went to sleep a bit because you woke up so early and worked so hard.
No cappuccino after midday comes from the realization that milk with certain foods does not go well, not just for taste but also in your stomach.
I still don’t understand how people can drink a latte with a sandwich or at lunchtime and still not to have to run to the bathroom.
Why? Maybe you are lactose intolerant!! :)
@@LOSADM02 surely every italian is lactose intolerant
Lmao I feel u, in America it’s just like ehh drink it and run to the bathroom, who cares! Lol kinda gross tho
Ahh I get this, many other cultures do the same. I'm Pakistani and milk is not a good combination with certain foods due to the difficulty in digesting IT.
yes milk is not easy to digest. I agree. I personally don't like it. But who cares if someone wants some in the afternoon. I mean, where's the problem? Who cares. I don't like it = I don't drink it. Someone likes it = just drink it. Tolerance! There's no reason to refuse a cappucino in the afternoon, or laugh at someone who has different habits than ours.
me, an Italian, laughing at the embarrassing difficult bureaucracy in this country.
simply impossible
It’s all part of the life that we signed up for here. And that life is always an adventure!
Good that you see it that way, there will be a lot of it; enjoy.
Try to live in France for a while... It’s much worse than here 🤣
It's all mafia's fault
It's not mafia's fault, it's the fact that after the war politicians were scared as shit of fascism coming back and created a system that made it very hard to be thrown on itself, obviously it comes with its disadvantages but I prefer it that way, better to waste an hour in paperwork than being afraid of some punk restoring fascism (which even though not apparent, still relevant)
From an Italian perspective, always been appalled at the lack of bidets in Northern Europe. So for 40 years here in England I’ve plumbed in bidets to over 30 properties I’ve refurbished & sold. My theory being that from tiny acorns mighty oaks grow and hence the English might learn the hygienic uses thereof... Yep and pigs will fly!
You are bringing civilization!
@@pietromilano9933 in which city did you do that? I might need to move to one of the properties you mentioned 👀👀
@@pietromilano9933 Magari! Ma questo popolo arrogante non vuole imparare niente da nessuno... E così rimangono sporchi!
Bravo 👏 good man.
You got me for a second there, I thought you were an English man! 😂
7:00 the ticket thing was introduced precisely to avoid chaotic queuing and quarrels. I remember when it was introduced in the early 1990s and I still consider it a blessing !
Born, bred and living in Italy and I've always had cappuccino in the afternoon, nobody will say anything if you order it and it's not really weird, have no idea where that cliche comes from. It probably depends which part of Italy you're in, as people are different and habits are different everywhere. I personally don't use the bidet but it's handy to wash socks. It just depends what you're used to. If you think queues are an italian thing, you couldn't be more wrong. Nobody queues anywhere, it's like herding cats more like it. England, now that's queueing at its finest.
About queueing:
Usually when you have to line you ask "chi è l'ultimo?" ("Who's the last?") so that you have to remember that the person answers "me" comes right before you. It's actually pretty easy and useful, you can go around, talk at the phone...
It's true. Pepole usually queue without queueing. To understand when will be your turn you need to know who is the last one before you. It is a bit funny but works!
Grazie! Saremo anche vittime della burocrazia ma per le file abbiamo trovato una soluzione intelligente
Actually, in the north of Italy, we don't call "controra" the rest time but we do respect that. Since we were kids our parents used to told us "after lunch you must rest" (if you don't want to sleep you have to leave in peace the adults and do not disturb). At 4 pm the day can go on... Don't forget the merenda!
Same thing my parents taught me and Im german. I really appreciate that custom even Im not using it very often myself. It allows the ones around you to „recharge batteries“ (like babies, toddlers, parents with babies/toddlers, elderlies, overworked,...or just when you need a nap nomatter what for) Its very respectful manner cause not everyone has the ability to work from dusk till dawn without a break. So I really love that custom. Additionally it gives structure to a day which we all could need in times of being always-online-and-available-mentality. I still get uncomfortable when people start their drilling machine (or other noisy things) between 12 and 3pm (except its a company who has no other choice). You can still work, but just without distracting others from their (often lifesaving) rest. I like these customs in general. And BTW Iove this video. Great job!!!!!❤️
When you are at the airport and you see people at a gate not in queue, but uniformly spread around the entrance... you know it's a plane to Italy.
or Greece.... we're the same XD
this is so funny fghjhf and true
Hahaha, it's pretty funny
Lol, I jst dnt get it. 😂 I am used to strict queues in South Africa.
@@aurazero0 una faccia una razza 🤝
because in Italy the line is not a physical entity or doesn't show geometrically, it's on a higher logic layer, you ask who's the last in line and then you can move around knowing when is your turn... I think it's better like this..
When I travelled to Italy. I was so surprised with bidet at the hotels. Then I found that it is very useful and convenient for women and children. It makes you feel strange at first time but you will use it often later.
I think bidets are very useful, they have the same function of a sink, only for the lower parts of your body (sometimes you need just to wash a part of your body, not the whole of it). Anyhow I confess I consider them a very personal piece of furniture. I never use bidets when I'm in a hotel or at somebody else's home....
The bidet is a pretty neat feature to have at home. You can't have a shower every time you go to poop just as you can't take a shower every time you just need to wash off your hands. I usually shower in the evening but in the morning after working out and eating breakfast I need to set up a meeting with the bidet ;)
Some times toilet paper isn't just enough (the situation may even get worse)
Controra its not when bad people are outside ahah, its that time of the day after lunch when people tend to relax and usually take a nap before going out or coming back to work. Beautiful video!
Thanks for watching!
I would add that it is an old memory with modern jobs😅
That guy actually didn't cut the line; he probably booked an appointment on the website or with the proper app.
Agenzia delle Entrate and Poste Italiane offer that kind of service. It's a virtual web ticket specifically made to cut the lines.
Good point! We had also booked ahead for that days appt. Still figuring it all out!
@@TheQKatie Yes, you can book an appointment of 30 mins each for the more complicated stuff, but you could also use the "elimina code" web ticket for simpler things (but it must be used in the same day). You can find it on Agenzia delle Entrate home page - contatti ed assistenza - assistenza fiscale - elimina code online.
When you move from Puglia to Piemonte you'll have another culture shock and several others in between. Consider turning Italy upside down using Milan as the pivot. Southern Italy would be around Scandinavia. So just think of the many different experiences you'll have between Scandinavia and Milan now. Italy is a kaleidoscope of different cultures. That's just one of the reasons it's such a great place to live if you can adapt to the differences.
my parents went to Spain in 1970 and told me about the mid afternoon siesta and the fact that people are up very late in the evening. 11 pm not uncommon. Think it is a Mediterranean thing where the afternoons are intolerably hot.
Winters in northern Italy are very cold.
The deal with cappuccino is more "It doesn't go with lunch" than a general afternoon thing
Afternoon? WTF
The problem is espresso.....Too bitter.! Perhaps she doesn't realize that she can order a cafe americano machiata instead.
@@marilynjaneleate9417 cafe americano in Italy? Hard to find! Better an espresso with sugar
@@nicolariva4982 Here in the Roman provinces and Rome itself ,you can order it in any bar. I often drink one. However here there are no rules about an afternoon cafelate or cappuccio either. Good luck odering one.
@@marilynjaneleate9417 here in Milan we're always in a hurry, an expresso as quick as possible! ;)
Having moved to Italy in 2019 and going through the exact same situations I was laughing hard through the whole video. Especially challenging for me has been the unbelievable bureaucracy. I went through the long lines at the Questura, infinite paperwork at the Poste Italiane, and the many hoops that I had to jump through to get my Carta de Identita, Tessera Sanitaria, etc. I tell folks that my full-time job is keeping all of my paperwork up to date. All in all though, I would gladly go through that to stay in this Country. I am really happy here. I wish you two the best and greetings from The Veneto.
I'm so happy to be here, too! Longs are nothing compared to this wonderful adventure!
@@filippop.6172 I bought and apartment and I am remodeling it now.
you moved to the best region of Italy!🦁❤️
@@filippop.6172 I'm disabled and have to deal with a ton of bureaucracy to even just get the benefits I deserve by law. Truth is people there are stressed and also want to work as little as possible but usually if you can make them feel pity for you or just treat them very well (as in having good manners) they tend to even make you skip some steps sometimes. Even skipped an entire appointment at the INPS because of that believe it or not. It's also why I'm so obsessed with having good manners, saying to your barista or a person behind the counter "please" and "thank you" costs you nothing and it might please them. I don't know why they aren't held in high regard in other countries too
@Alpha B all very best wishes for you. 😊
The markets and food shops are great in Italy. They used to have the same in France, but that is much much less now, and as a result the quality of food in France has dropped massively in the last few decades. Long live traditional italian food shopping!
we love our fruitivendoli!
@@TheQKatie fruttivendolo, complimenti comunque parli già un ottimo italiano, davvero. Vivendo all'estero sono sempre un pò shockato quando vedo la gente prendere il cappuccino di pomeriggio. Ormai mi sono vinto e riesco a berlo anch'io, bevo persino il caffè americano e mi piace pure!!! 😂😂
"Controra" is more on South Italy, specially for shops' closing! I've seen it in Bari but not in my city (I'm from Piedmont)
Speaking of food traditions: I have a Belgian friend who was working through a doctorate in musicology at the University of Bologna. He told me about a time he was visiting people elsewhere in Italy, and at a meal they asked why, if he lived in Bologna, he ate his food in a particular manner. When he then told them that he actually lived in a small village on the outskirts of Bologna, his hosts said "oh, that explains it!"
When you go in a line you should ask “who is the last one?” So you have need to give attention only to one person (this how is used in Italy 🇮🇹, the order in the disorder 😌 genius forevermore)
Ha, ha, the same in Bulgaria!
The same in Germany❣
I agree, There is some sort of order and it's usually respected. As for British queues, I own I find them sort of masochistic..
The same in Romania.
Oltre alla cervicale in Italia c'è anche il famoso "colpo della strega".
della strega!? oh nooo!
Colpo della strega is lower back pain, it has nothing to do with wet hair.
Per non parlare del 'colpo d'aria'. It's when a draft of cold air hits you!😅
'ca vacca, non me lo dire... :|
"Colpo della strega" which in english is "witch stroke" is when you try to get down by bending your back and when you try to get up you have a *GIGANTIC* pain on your lower back...
Last time I had it it was going to cuddle one of my cats before going to work...
... I never made it to work, i barely crawled to the bed and called the physician and the workplace saying I had to take some days off...
... "Some day off" became *2 WEEKS* before I could move without crying.
This should give a slight idea of how painful is...
... nut kicks or having a baby are quite comparable with it in pain scale...
Don't forget "il colpo di Sole"
I lived in Italy for 8 years so this video made my laugh so hard xD
I moved to Scotland 6 years ago, loved the queue especially now when people respect the social distancing. What I miss most about Italy is the bidet and buying fruit/vegetables not in a plastic bag.
Looking forward to another cultural shock this summer as I am transferring to the Netherlands but I will definitely buy myself a bidet, even if I will have to carry it from Italy myself. Un bacione ragazzi!
This is very much based on the south of Italy. In the rest of Italy there are supermarkets (for example Esselunga, Carrefour) and no people in trucks. Controra doesn’t exist, people have maybe an hour for lunch. This is very much based on southern Italy and probably a smaller town.
It's so interesting listening to what you are experiencing in the Italian culture. I'm happy that you mentioned life in the south is a little different than the north - especially in the afternoons when many people in the south still do take that break. My life is in the states most of the year but my heart is always in Italy.
Congratulations for how you roll your tongue when you pronounce R! You're a pro! That is not easy!
hahaha grazie mille! thanks for watching!
Breakfast in Genoa
salty edition: focaccia and cappuccino
salty edition - next level : focaccia topped with onion and cappuccino
old style edition: focaccia and a glass of white wine
very old style (until the end of the 19th century ?): "sbira" - tripe broth
Wine for breakfast!? Yes, please. Lol.
😍😍😍😍
Jesus man! I don't know if you're a legend or a treat to this coutry. 😂 Maybe both
Guys, you should go to visit Liguria and try focaccia and farinata... :P
Belin! Focaccia fresca (e bella oleosa) più cappuccino. Lo “staple food” per eccellenza a Genova
I live in the north of Italy and i've never even heard about the "controra" 😂
We don't have
Why people sleep in the afternoon in Italy? I would like to move in Italy but I'm scared of that.
@@horscaste that's not true actually, i never slept in the afternoon. Some people do that on holidays, but its not a rule
you guys are great. I've lived here for long periods of time over the years and you guys are right on with your content. keep it up.
I’m from Romagna, never heard of “controra”. Some shops close at lunch time, because they stay open later at night, especially in summer.
I'm from tuscany and I can say that I don't like to leave the house between 2 and 4 pm because after lunch I'm tired and need to digest and take a rest lol
Also, in summer it is not recommended to go outside between 12noon and 4pm because the sun is way too hot.
In più, in campings in hot places it is "prohibited" to make noises until 4pm because between 2 and 4pm is the "sonnellino" time, and you won't see anyone around at those hours also for the heat
love this!
None of you guys do have a job? I’m Italian and never had a nap in the noon… hot or cold…😂😂😂
I live in Rome and I’ve never heard of this thing for which you can’t leave your house before 2. I got internal cultural shock, if that makes sense. So interesting.
I'm from Como and same here, not only I've never heard the word "controra", but I've never seen everything closed and a desert for 2 full hours
I live in Rome but my family is from a small town in Marche, and there it gets deserted after lunch. I think it's just not a thing that happens in big cities, but in towns it's very alive, it's the "pennichella" time. They don't call it controra though, I think it must just be southern dialect.
E' cosa del sud: Puglia, Calabria, specialmente Sicilia.
@@biancacamillagambrioli5830 no, è italiano.
Mah ,più che altro nelle regioni del Sud il discorso della “pennichella” (che poi coincide con la siesta che fanno in certe zone della Spagna) è dovuto anche al fatto che nei mesi estivi in quella fascia oraria fa caldissimo.
Quindi le 18 diventano le 15-15,30 ed infatti poi la giornata prosegue a quel ritmo.
Hey guys, Italian here, nice video! I feel that many characteristics you described apply to small towns or villages and not to italian cities though
It is true.
Thank you for posting! My parents are from Puglia Bari area. Grumo Appula and Casamassima! I love your enthusiasm for the Italian culture and the fact that you are embracing the local traditions. Please keep making more videos!
Actually if you'll come in Sicily, you'll find a whole type of salty food made for every hour of the day (or night), it's quiet popular even for breakfast.
P.s. of course you can also eat pizza for breakfast (the one of the night before)
How can you not have a bidet ?? They are essential for personal hygiene!
We use dry and wet toilet paper and do not pee over our fingers. By our excellent food our poop is like a teflon torpedo, you know you dumped, but there are no traces at the bowl or the paper. With pasta and white bread the poop becomes like a chocolate spread, sticking even on non stick ceramic under water.
@@markusfederico8732 Wait a moment, do you have any clue of what a bidet is for?
@@markusfederico8732 drop the flask
@anna-maria Having to fully undress, get into the shower, and then fully dry yourself off everytime you poo definitely doesn't sound practical.
It's funny because some years ago I had some friends at home (from the US and from Argentina) and they where shocked because people here eats focaccia or small sandwiches or any other salty stuff in the morning. Of course people here eats also brioches and sweat stuff... but anyway. I'm from southern Piemonte (north), maybe it's not exactly the most "italian" place in Italy...
non e' stata torino la prima capitale? piemonte sicuramente italiano. non confondiamo italia con folklore.
@@margotmargot4426 Io non mi sono mai sentito del tutto Italiano, Europeo si.
Io vivo in Piemonte, più italiano di così non so che cosa ci sia.
@@pinky6789 Io sono piemontese da generazioni e se vado a Roma non mi sento proprio a casa.
Amazing video! Just one thing: in the south of Italy we actually do eat pasta with tomato sauce and meatballs, it's just that they are very tiny (polpettine!), not like those huge american meatballs!
I’m Italian raised American, the wet hair thing is sooo true. I used to go outside with wet hair and all my friends went bananas on me. The other food no no is breaking long pasta to fit the pot
Buongiorno ... I just discovered your channel. I'm a Italian American born in The Bronx. I now live in the S.W. region of the U.S. I am planning on making a bucket list trip to Italy to trace my family roots from Naples and Bari Italy. So I will be watching more of your great channel. Grazie mille for sharing your experience there in Bellissima Italia. Ciao
The controra is valid in small cities but in big cities like Rome Milan Naples It doesn't exist .
It doesn't exist in big cities because at 2 p.m. the locals are having lunch!
a dire il vero esiste, ma in modo differente. io di famiglia romana, nata e cresciuta a roma, possi dirti che la cittá magari rimane attiva tutto il giorno, ma comunque é nell'educazione generale che tra le 2 e le 4 c'é "l'ora del silenzio", -anche se son due ore ahah - quindi dentro casa, per esempio, non si passa l'aspirapolvere o non si mette la musica a palla, perché i vicini, anziani o bambini che siano, stanno riposando. molti negozi anche vanno in "pausa pranzo" e la fascia oraria é sempre la stessa! :)
@@BB-ql4jk cacchio hai ragione !
Breakfast in the northern Italy: sweet at first but, then, a sandwich and a glass of wine in mid-morning! 😁🥰
breakfast in Veneto: panino al salame (sandwich with salami) and "un goto de vin" (in venetian dialect, which means "a glass of wine" ... red one).
@@alessioartioli3323 noi siamo veneti di confine con Emilia e Lombardia: un paninazz col salam da l'aij e un bicér ad vin a mità matìna! 😂
@@ProLocoFicarolo Ficarolo è famosa per la storica rotta del Po. Sono di Modena e la mia compagna è polesana (basso polesine, delta), non siano lontani! Ci capiamo al volo. W il panino al salame, a qualsiasi ora!!
I'm from the north, never seen ANYBODY taking a glass of wine in mid morning...maybe in north east but for sure NOT in north west
@@toffonardi7037 just kidding a bit, but not so unusual here in Veneto. Si scherza, ma non troppo😅
your italian accent is really on point
Grazie!
its really american 😅
I'm Italian born and raised in Italy, I always drink cappuccino in the afternoon. I always drink cappuccino when I go to a cafe in the winter. No one has ever given me a dirty look. NO ONE. I do not fear the cervicale, I just don't go outside with wet hair as I like to be well combed. I've never heard the word ''controra'' in my life, it is not an Italian word. I'm from nothern Italy, our grandmothers never say to us it's better you don't leave the house after lunch because there are thieves and bad people...I've never heard such thing. However, it's true the fact we have a lot of very rude people in Italy. I often deal with these kinds of people myself. We are not all rude, though.
I think that the fact that we as Italians stay inside between 13.00-16.00 is also related to the sun. In summer, during that hours, not even sun cream can keep you from getting burned 🙃
Ciao il motivo della cosiddetta controra sta nel fatto che nel sud in estate è un momento molto caldo e pertanto la gente sta in casa al fresco. Nel nord non esiste.
Hai mai provato Milano in Agosto? 40 gradi di afa?
@@strikedn Pomeriggio prima delle 5 a San Vito Lo Capo per strada non si vede nessuno. La gente, se non per necessità va in giro, ovviamente in estate. Anche a Palermo i negozi aprono il pomeriggio alle 4. La gente se può rimane in casa con le persiane chiuse, specie se avanti negli anni. Trovo questo intelligente.
So di Milano perché vi sono stato e chiaramente fa molto caldo in quel mese, ma anche in luglio. Gli anziani possono stare molto male per un colpo di calore.
In Sicilia il clima è più mite con temperature non troppo fredde in inverno e non troppo calde in estate grazie alla azione del mare. Fa eccezione il momento in cui spira lo scirocco, vento molto caldo del Sahara.
I was born and raised in Modena (north of Italy). In 44 years of life that's the very first time I hear about the word "controra" (which is not italian, but I can kinda understand the meaning). I've been in the south for holidays more than one time, but never heard about that.
Mi spiace per te ma è italiano, anche se un americano lo pronuncia "kontwowa" è comunque italiano
@@leonardolupi3416 pensavo fosse espressione dialettale (a Modena, ad esempio, in dialetto si dice "basóra" - ora bassa, per indicare il primo pomeriggio). Hai ragione ho controllato ed è termine italiano, non dialettale. Resta il fatto che se qui al nord se dici "controra" temo che nessuno ti capisca, a meno che non abbia origini meridionali o abbia già sentito questo termine (come io adesso). La siesta è roba che al nord non ha mai preso piede. Al sud evidentemente si, forse perché fa più caldo generlamente o forse anche per la dominazione borbonica, quindi ispanica
@@alessioartioli3323 Il punto è che gli abitanti di molte regioni del nord parlano un italiano semplificato perché spesso dialettofoni nel privato, non che la parola sia "meridionale". Il fatto che conosciate "siesta" e non "controra" è significativo del fatto che la parola non è sconosciuta perché connotata culturalmente (come hai scritto te per il caldo etc.) ma perché certi canali linguistici della società di consumo, quali programmi televisivi, fumetti, trasmissioni radio etc. diventano nel nord fonte principale di italiano orale, e privilegiano l'afflusso di parole estere per invogliare curiosità: lo stesso meccanismo per cui prima è stato introdotto jogging, poi footing, ora running, tutto per evitare di dire corsa, perché parole come corsa e controra sono troppo banali e non invogliano all'ascolto, all'acquisto etc.. Certo, se poi a Foggia sono 45° e a Trento 25° è normale che il popolo, pragmatico, l'userà più a Foggia.
@@leonardolupi3416 non saprei onestamente. Al nord l'uso del dialetto sta scomparendo. Io ho 44 anni, conosco il dialetto modenese ma non lo parlo. Della mia generazione quasi nessuno lo parla. Lo capisco alla perfezione, ogni tanto provo a sparlichiarlo ma non riuscirei mai come ci riusciva mio nonno, per dire. Il dialetto resiste al nord solo in campagna (e sempre meno anche lì) e un po' di più in qualche valle montana. C'è solo una regione al nord dove il dialetto tiene botta anche tra le giovani generazioni ed anche nelle città e si tratta del Veneto (per loro è una lingua, più che un dialetto, un'identità forte che viene da una storia ben precisa). Nel resto del nord, dall'Emilia alla Lombardia al Piemonte ecc... sotto i 50 anni difficilmente troverai persone che usano il dialetto come lingua principale per comunicare. Al contrario, quando sono stato al sud, ho avuto l'impressione che sia molto più usato che al nord. Sicuramente in Campania, ma anche altrove (Abruzzo, Puglia, Sicilia, Calabria) anche nelle città. Ma magari è stata solo una mia impressione. Detto ciò, controra mai sentito in 44 anni prima di questo video (di un'americana!! Paradossale...)
@@alessioartioli3323 Sono contento che tu conosca un buon italiano anche se mi dispiace che tu abbia perso la connessione col dialetto. Purtroppo questo non è il caso della maggioranza dei settentrionali, che mescola continuamente dialetto ed italiano semplificato, sia secondo indagini linguistiche fatte nel campo sia per esperienza personale, sostituendo "cocomero" con "anguria", "cornetto" con "brioche", "lavello/acquaio" con "lavandino", ignorando l'uso del pronome dimostrativo "codesto" etc..
Certo anche nel sud Italia il dialetto spesso viene mischiato con l'italiano, però questo avviene soprattutto in contesti sociali degradati (certamente più presenti che nel nord). Trovare un impiegato o addirittura un'insegnante senza coscienza linguistica (che dica cioè "scendimi questo" o "conosco a lui" senza alcuna percezione di trasgredire la norma, a prescindere dal fatto che lo dica o meno) come impressione personale è più raro che al nord.
Hey. I'm a Brit living in Salerno, Campania and I totally embrace the bidet! Best thing ever 😅👍🏻
And the queue jumping really pisses me off... 😑
Every place has its downsides. Even in sunny paradise! Thanks for watching!
Bidet should be mandatory in every country!! ;-) I really can't understand why it's used only in Italy. Mystery...
With respect to the queue-jumpers, when you arrive and see a queue (even if it might look like a non orderly bunch of people) just ask who's the last one in line and it's done. You know your place and if somebody tries and jump your place, just tell him/her "lei è dopo di me" (you're after me) without much discussion. If they try anyway to by-pass you, ignore them and put yourself phisically in front of them, so you block them. They might argue and complain... don't mind them and stay there. Some people only understand direct and strong beahviours.With these people you don't have to be polite, but treat them for the idiots they are.
@@alessioartioli3323 because the Bidet was invented by the french for prostitutes, but i guess that we didn't give a damn and used them regardless XP
@@sgrizzo48 and we did it well! It's so hygenic and useful that I can't imagine how to do without it...
I am italian and the queque jumping pisses me off as well
Cervicale is a pain in the neck due to air drafts and wind hitting your neck.
Moisture from wet hair and/or sweat can accentuate the chance of it happening.
The don't going out after lunch until late afternoon is due to the heat.
In summer, the temperatures can be quite hot after 10 am, so people got the habit of staying home and resting.
In the North it's not as usual, because the temperature is quite different.
FANTASTIC video, TYVM! I want to move from LA to Sicily, those $1 houses in near-abandoned medieval towns look amazing.
Italian cuisine is strictly regional (only use food elements within the region) but I'm willing to overlook that because I love cooking Italian cuisine.
In fact, abroad it is often used to generalize by saying ... "the Italian cuisine", while in fact it should be said more ... the various Italian regional cuisines. It varies a lot from region to region and very often also from city to city.
hey! :D I'm Italian from the north of Italy (Lombardia) and I lived in Ireland for 6 years. Believe me, apart from the bidet, every single point you mentioned is a culture shock for me too anytime I travel to the south of this amazing country XD
Wow, how long have you been studying Italian? For someone who's been living here for only some months, you have a very good grasp of the pronounciation of the words
I've took a week long course in Rome when I was researching for my book in 2019. And now, I just work at it every day. Glad you think it's working!
Doctors often advise not to go outside with wet hair, as you could get sick. You could probably have a cold or have "cervicale" pain.
This expression mean having pain and stiffness in the neck, shoulders and nape of the neck.
It's a kind of muscle pain that is most common in people living in countries with high levels of humidity in the air.
One of the shock you will have to deal with is how life in Italy is different from the rest of the world,
Thousands of years of refined cultural advancements has made a unique lifestyle,especially in the south.
Know how,traditions,food,family,makes for a life worth living! One has to experience it to understand,
Life made in Italy!
I have spent 31 years of my life in Reggio Calabria, the southern most part of mainland Italy. Never heard of this "controra" or anything like that. I suppose that the post lunch nap or rest is because we actually have a proper meal and not a sandwich for lunch? 🤷♂️
The controra is time for the afternoon nap! A restoring pause, sleeping after lunch
I'm learning to embrace the restorative pause!
Wow I'm from Argentina and I'm surprised by how many similarities we have with italy. It seems like you're describing Argentina, we do most, if not all, of those things you mentioned.
A lot and i mean A LOT of Argentinians have italian ancestors
e te credo.. in argentina 70% es italians... hahahahaa rooooots.. italian rooots :)
How can you be surprised? Seriously. 🤨Are you unaware of your country’s heritage?
@@longbeach7623 I don't know .. in the world we Italians are known only as spaghetti and mandolin .. but very little is said about Dante, Giotto, Leonardo da Vinci.. etc..
@@angelofacchinetti6006 I’m speaking to the OP about Argentina and the fact that nearly 70% of the population have some element of Italian descent in their bloodline.
Welcome to Italy! Fascinating to see your early experiences :-)
- The 'controra': it's not that 'bad people' go out at that time, it's more that it's so hot in the warm months that it's nuts to go out at that time
- Queueing: just find out who the last person is - usually people just come and ask who is waiting last and they know they're after those people... ;-)
- 'directness': it's not anger or even directness, it's more familiarity & expansiveness (and good point about the masks, it makes it harder to contextualist)
Prosciutto crudo, in English often shortened to prosciutto, is Italian uncooked, unsmoked, and dry-cured ham. Prosciutto crudo is usually served thinly sliced. It doesn't make a good meal.
I discovered your channel a few days ago and I adore your content about Italy!
I would like to add a caveat/clarification for those of your viewers who are watching these video to know more about Italy. It's not always easy but keep in mind that "in Italy things are such and such" is often misleading. Remember that it varies really a lot between North and South, between larger cities and tiny villages, from region to region, even in different cities of the same Province!
Example for the Americans: it would be like describing life in the US by describing how things are in New York and expecting the same exact thing to be the same in Las Cruces NM! we are comparatively smaller in area with respect to the US but we had quite a long time to develop very different traditions across the centuries.
I think a "big/little" shock for people coming to Italy from big countries it's our regional differences. Italy is a very small state, from an American point of view for example. Yet, considering history and geography, we have huge difference between different regions. When I talk to stranger people that really loves to travel in Italy, they talk normally to visit the well knows cities (Naples, Venice, Rome, Milan, Florence) but normally they don't get very much that this cities are in different regions, so they can offer very different cultural findings. Just a mention some, from your video: in Liguria you traditionally make savory breakfast with focaccia and caffè. Also in the north, with a colder climate, take a capuccino in the afternoon it's common. So, I suggest to you to explore the universe inside the Italian nation, it can offers a wide range of very different new findings.
Love this! Can’t wait to explore more! Thanks for watching.
Ah, grazie per avermi ricordato quanto sia buona la focaccia qui a Genova
We don't use the word 'controra' in the north
it's not just that we do not use that word... it's that we do not have a word for it, and that's because we do not do it. At least in the cities I have lived in.
@@backslash68 yes, you are right
Ma è una cosa antica, per chi lavorava in campagna, non potevano mettersi sotto al sole estivo e quindi si faceva una pausa, tutto qui. Detto da un pugliese.
What a wonderful channel! I am in America and my father is from Italy and my mother is Italian-I am in process of obtaining Dual Italian Citizenship for me, my children and then my wife. I have watched many channels on Italy and this one is the BEST! Love these two and understand everything they are saying...to understand them I mean is to be Italian in many ways and I am learning much…Grazie Mille!-Steven Garofalo
Here in Italy for making any kind of document... this is a little advice of how I do it: call the office and receive all the information you need, than call it back and be sure to talk to another person and ask for the same informations. Than have a confrontation of them.
In Abruzzo Spaghetti with meatballs (chitarra con le palottine) is a traditional dish.
I'm learning how diverse Italian culture truly is! I will have to try this dish... hopefully in Abruzzo. Thanks for watching!
@@TheQKatie don't worry there are a lot of Italians that also don't know. Maybe is famous in US because there were a lot of Italian immigrants in the early XX century from Abruzzo.
yep but is very small meatbalss , is not like "american" meatballs is like this
www.fantasiedicucina.it/wp-content/uploads/spaghetti-alla-chitarra-con-pallottine.jpg
not like this
d3cizcpymoenau.cloudfront.net/images/22224/SFS_spaghetti_meatballs_059.jpg
@@ilariarapini5348 TI AMO!
Yes Ilaria, my mother is from Abruzzo, beautiful Vasto actually. We often have spaghetti with meatballs here in lovely Melbourne, Australia. Buona Pasqua!!
You guys are awesome! Yeah, don' t expect to go to a hardware store and NOT have the clerks prying out into your life and asking for every detail of your craft project! But that is a sincere interest, that' s also how you can make new friends :) Hope you guys enjoy living here!
We LOVE it here! Thanks for watching!
I'm Canadian and when I go into any kind of a shop and if there isn't at least a bit of personal conversation I feel like something is missing. Getting very hard to find these days, we are all so unconnected.
I'm Italian but I grew up in Australia. The thing about not going out with wet hair drives me crazy. If I go to the swimming pool, I'm supposed to stay half an hour more just to dry my hair. I do go out with wet hair, braving all the criticism, but I get strange looks, and get asked 'ma non ti fanno male i cervicali così? ' A LOT
It warns my heart when you talked about Italians talking loud. My grandparents were Italian, both died many years ago. I remember them talking loud to each other. And when they would get together with their friends, you can hear them two houses away!
As a German in Italy I can mostly relate, even though I live in the north. Some things I've completely adopted and other things I just skip, for example I don't feel the urge to hop into bars for a coffee. I let my Italian husband do that part and just wait for him outside 😅
Connor doesn't even *like* coffee, so I can relate!
I'm Italian and for me it's the same. I don't like coffee, I will never understandwhy to stop for 30 seconds inside a bar to drink a drip of coffee.
Wait until you guys discover the full extent of the ‘food is medicine’ culture in Italy. Those nonnas critiquing your torta (and many of the food ‘rules’) are actually not just traditional or ‘si fa cosi’ pigheadedness. There’s a real undercurrent of belief that certain foods in the wrong order, quantity or frequency will make you sick. There’s not much science backing most of these, but boy are they (regionally/culturally) important! They are obsessed by food as medicine. A lot of what English cultures think of as Italian ‘food is love’ behaviours is actually a bunch of older people policing your food intake for ‘reasons’. I’m 50 years into learning about this, and still get shocked!
Oh wow, I'm fascinated by this idea!! I'm excited to learn more about that part of the culture. (Thanks for watching!)
I'm italian and this is bs.
Especially in the south, we italians are very sensitive aboutn taking a cold outside. Or even a draft!
Haha I’m really noticing that. Thanks for watching!
I’m so glad you are loving Italy. I assume you have traveled around Italy. Each region is very different. In places like Milano, Roma, Firenze, etc. shops stay open longer even during lunch hours. I’m first-generation Italian-American and have lived in Italy. So, many things are not culturally strange for me, but even so, I am used to certain amenities in America that differ in Italy. And I have one northern parent and one southern and the regions differ greatly in culture! E quando una vecchia signora vuole tagliare la linea, glielo lasci! Lol! Good luck!
Can’t wait to travel more when it’s allowed! Italy is so awesome!
Eh, no. Se io sto facendo la coda da un po' , non esiste che qualcuno mi passi davanti solo perché è più anziano di me. Questa è una furberia molto usata da qualcuno in Italia.
About rule number 6.
When there is not a specific Q, just ask "chi è l'ultimo?" ( who is the last one?) and you can enter after that person. Also people that seems to jump the Q, probably have booked their appointment online 👍🏻
We love living in Italy! We've got dual citizenship (USA/IT) - we're lucky. We left crazy and came to beautiful Italy.