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Life in Italy vs. Life in the United States: Family

I selected family as my final topic of research because I realize the importance that it plays in everyday life. No matter where you live, or who you are, family has shaped you in one way or another. Family also means many different things in many different cultures. Although Italian families are not always the stereotyped "big Italian family," family is still a very important part of the Italian lifestyle. Families often live very close together, and like to spend time together. Families will go on outings together and spend time around the home. I feel so lucky to have been able to spend so much time with my extended home stay family, meeting cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. Every member of the family had their quarrels, and got on each others nerves, but in the end they would always kiss each other goodbye. In this way they were very similar to Americans, and to global families in general. Although stereotypes usually say otherwise, the typical Italian family now is actually rather small: the average family only has one to two children. The average American family also has 2 kids, but only 25% of families have both parents. 55% of Italian households have at least one pet, whereas only 37% of American households also house furry friends.
One of the primary things that stuck with me throughout my three days with my home stay was the importance of family in Italy. My family in America is very close and look out for each other every day, but it surprises me how many families don't. My home stay family saw their extended family every day. We would stop by for snacks, or go shopping, or just sit around discussing our days. Regardless of the circumstance, the family stuck together and were always near each other. My family accepted me in as one of their own, including the grandmother telling me "you family now." It really lifted my spirits to see a family as close as mine in America, and was probably the biggest lesson I will carry forth from my stay with an amazing family.

My Beautiful Italian Family

Life in Italy vs. Life in the United States: Holidays

As in America, Holidays are celebrated traditionally in Italy. Each holiday comes with it's own customs and traditions in Italy as in the United States. My home stay family and I both shared similarities in some of the holidays we celebrated, particularly Christmas and Easter. One observation I made around these holidays is that they lacked commercialism in Italy, whereas in America Christian holidays are profusely used as marketing ploys. We discussed some of our holiday traditions we didn't share, such as prolonged and weeklong celebrations, but we also discovered traditions that were universal, such as the big family dinners and Santa Claus (or Babbo Natale, as he's known in Italy.) As we figured out holidays we realized that there were many we didn't have in common. The Italians had no reason to celebrate holidays like Thanksgiving, as they had no relevance to their culture. In Italy they celebrate far more holidays relating to Christian Saints and Deities. They also celebrate similar vacations to us. Christmas is observed for 2-3 weeks, as in America. However, summer vacation only lasts one month in Italy versus 2 months in the United States. There are many ways that holidays are both a observation of different cultures, as well as an influence for others.

Rome at Christmas Time (Courtesy of Wikimedia)

Life in Italy vs. Life in the United States: Religion

Religion is a monumental influence in Italy. Religion influences many things including architecture, music, and visual art. Italy's population is nearly 90% Roman Catholic, with a good portion of that statistic being practicing Catholics. Religion played a major influence in early Italian culture, ranging from the many chapels that were built to beautiful works of art like Leonardo Davinci's paintings inside the Sistine Chapel. Italy is firmly based in the Christian religion, whereas religions are far more varied in the United States. Although nearly 70% of our population is Christian, this is spread out in a number of branches, including Protestant with 51% and Catholic with 23%. This can largely be contributed to the many different cultures that come to call America home. With our incredibly diverse background the United States is a society backed by many different religions. I found it interesting while wandering around Perugia with my home stay family to see all of the different chapels and churches, each with different architecture and a different story. Each chapel had a reason for standing, and it really gave a lot more depth and meaning behind a sector of the Christian religion I didn't know very much about. My family was also Roman Catholic, and explained to me the story behind each chapel we visited. One church was even built around the original, with the original still standing firmly in the middle. All the original artwork was preserved and told a story that was hundreds if not thousands of years old. Seeing how religion can have such a big impact on things really made me think about things that religion, particularly Christianity, has impacted in our country.

Inside a Chapel in the Vatican

Life in Italy vs. Life in the United States: Music

Music in Italy was hugely influenced by American music, even more so than I thought it would be. The first day I was with my home stay, as we were driving out to see some of the local sights, they turned on the radio to Michael Jackson's "Love Never Felt So Good." I started jumping up and down, saying "I know this, I know this! This is an American Song!" My home stay family told me that they listen to a lot of American music, mostly artists like Michael Jackson, Rihanna, and whatever was popular on the radio at the time. It made me think bout how our culture influenced Italian culture and music. Throughout my home stay I saw that my home stay family enjoyed many forms of American music, including rock and jazz. The first night of my home stay I was treated to a spot watching the Umbria Jazz Festival with my family. I heard very clear, American jazz at the festival, as well as certain styles that made me stop and listen, as I didn't recognize them. I found it interesting that a style of music that was founded in the United States had taken on such a big roll in a different culture, and to me it really highlighted a  way in which one culture can effect another. Through our music, a "universal language," so to speak, I think we can find different ways in which cultures can come together and unite.

A View of the Umbria Jazz Festival (Courtesy of Umbria Jazz)

 

Life in Italy vs. Life in the United States: Technology

Throughout my many observations of Italian culture, I found that technology was never a staple of daily life like it is in America. Although there was a computer in the house, my home stay father only turned it on for work or to find out things about Maine and where I lived. Federico had a smartphone, and both he and Eli had video games they liked to play, but for the most part the daily focus was away from the technology surrounding us. Contrary to sometimes popular belief, Italy is a technologically advanced society. They share almost all instances of technology that we have, including smart phones, computers, and internet access. I found it interesting to compare America, a technologically advanced and dependent society, to an are like Italy that, although technically advanced, was not as fixated on electronics. In America, nearly 75% of all households have and use the internet, while in Italy a similar study yields only 50% of the Italian population have internet in the home. Our American way of life has evolved over the years to give us the best access to all of the things we as Americans have to come to see with the "American dream." Italy is still a developing nation and does not always have access to many of these things. In 2013, 60% of Americans owned a smartphone, while only 41% of Italians were smartphone owners. From all of these statistics, as well as my experience through my home stay, I was able to assume that both Italy and America were technologically advanced, but in many ways Italian technology access was still lacking behind that of the United States.

Orion Takes a Picture of the Statue of David

 

Life in Italy vs. Life in the United States: Shopping

Shopping culture is very different in Italy than it is in the United States. Here in the United States we live in a "consumer society" that throws out nearly 99% of the things we buy after owning them for 6 months. We live off of the latest technology, the latest equipment, and the latest trends. In Italy, however, consumption has actually decreased in the past year. On the last day of my home stay my family and I went to a local Italian shopping mall to play at the arcade and get gelato. Upon entering the mall I observed the layout. The first thing I noticed was that there were no fast food restaurants, and if there were then they had a better quality than in America. First we stopped to get gelato, and I observed many shops that I recognized from America: Federico even stopped into GameStop! There were many more niche shops in the Italian Mall, including a stationary shop and a shop specializing in pens that we do not have in America. In the good court there was a As we walked through the mall I noticed that, unlike in America, there were no people carrying bags upon bags on their arms. There was a lack of consumption about the mall. I attributed this back to the Italian way of life, which is usually much less materially focused than the American one. Throughout my entire home stay experience, I noticed very little need for physical possessions, but more a need for family, friends, and an enjoyment of life. This is definitely something I have taken back with me to America, and it has inspired me to waste less and live a less materialistic life.

the Italian Shopping Mall I Visited With my Homestay Family