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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

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

Throughout my travels in Italy I was introduced to many different pastimes, many of which we also have in America. The first pastime I came to notice was video games, which my host brother and sister both immensely enjoyed. My host sister introduced me to the Italian version of "Just Dance" which was, in many ways, quite similar to the "Just Dance" here in America. Eli showed me how to use the game by moving my arms and legs, and earning points on the Wii. Federico, however, was much further inclined to his Play Station, which he used over the Wii. I found it interesting that video games and similar media seemed to be just as prevalent in Italy as they were here in America. Sports, as previously mentioned, were also a very popular pastime in Italy. My home stay siblings and I did a number of athletic activities, including playing basketball and volleyball in the area beside their home. As another activity, we went to visit the extended family of my home stay mother.  they were all very welcoming of me, and just as interested in learning about my culture as I was learning about theirs. My family told me that they see their family multiple times throughout the week, and that they are very close. The last pastime we partook in was going to an Italian Mall and Arcade. At the arcade we play many American video games as well as a few Italian ones. It was interesting to observe the differences between American and Italian pastimes, and I found I drew more similarities than I did differences.

Eli Playing "Just Dance"

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

In both Italy and America sports play roles in shaping culture and society. I was lucky enough to be in Italy during the FIFA World Cup, a major event in Europe. My host family were big fans of Germany, and we all stayed up to watch the final match between Argentina and Germany. As I watched the cup I thought about the differences between American and Italian athletics. We have very different sports that are enjoyed in their respective countries. In Italy I found that soccer was a very prevalent sport, as was motocross. My host brother Federico particularly enjoyed motocross, his favorite rider being Valentino Rossi, number 46. Motorcross in Italy is similar to that in America, but far more popular. Federico made the observation that motocross in Italy was very close to NASCAR in America. I also told my host family about popular sports in the United States, including football and baseball, and we were able to compare many similarities and differences between the sports. I also observed how Americans were celebrating the World Cup, and how that differed from World Cup festivities in Italy. For example, I observed that there were many banners and/or decorations advertising the World Cup all around the city but not very many communal areas where people were watching it on the television, whereas in America, although we had no banners, we did have many places where people would come together to watch the games. It was interesting to observe the similarities and differences between the different athletic activities people engage in in different countries.

Valentino Rossi, Number 46
Image Courtesy of Wikipedia

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

Although Americans try to re-create Italian cuisine, it is difficult to re-create food that is so different from ours here in America. In Italy there are three meals per day as in America, however, meals are very different in size and food offered.

Breakfast: In Italy the breakfast usually consists of a multitude of pastries, cold cuts, and cheese, with an espresso on the side. Unlike is America milk, especially in espresso, is never served cold and is usually served warm with sugar. 

Lunch: Unlike in the United States, lunch in Italy is the biggest meal of the day usually consisting of 3 courses. The first course of the lunch is traditionally an appetizer of some sort similar to those offered in America. On my first lunch with my home stay family we had an appetizer consisting of fruits, cheeses, and different meats. The second course offered is a pasta dish, typical of Italian cuisine. Pasta is a staple in Italian dining, and has been seen on the Italian dinner table for years, many believing it was brought back by Marco Polo in the year 1271. The third course of a lunch varied from day to day, but was mostly filled with bread and meat. 

Dinner: In Italy dinner would usually consist of 2 courses. First we would begin with a course of cheeses and fruits, many of which my host mother had just bought earlier in the day. Fruit would also be served for desert upon occasion, though this was not a daily occurrence. Our second course was similar to the last course of lunch. We usually had a meat, be it roast beef or salami, as well as another side dish that could be a variety of things. At the end of dinner everyone, except for little Eleanora, would usually have a shot of espresso to wash everything down.
Drinks: Water was a staple in every meal.  It was kept chilled, but never with ice like in the United States. In Italy you had to specify sparkling or still water, and both were usually placed on the table at the beginning of the meal. Although Americans commonly assume Italians to have alcoholic beverages at every meal, I found that alcoholics beverages were never present on the dinner table.

This differed significantly from the traditional meal in the United States, where our portions are much larger than those in Italy, but meals have far fewer courses. In Italy, this way of eating has been a tradition for years. Americans also eat meals far quicker than they do in Italy, with an Italian meal taking multiple hours, while an American meal takes only about 1 hour according to the USDA.

A traditional Italian pasta dish: Ravioli

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

Upon my arrival with my home stay family, I began by analyzing how greetings in Italy differed from greetings in the United States. In the United states greetings typically consist of a handshake, or occasionally a hug if both parties are previously associated. In Italy, however, greetings change substantially from those in America. Italian greetings usually consist of a handshake between men and women, and kissing between members of the same gender, as well as close friends and family members of the opposite gender. When I was first introduced to my family I was greeted with a handshake from both the mother and the father, Ombretta and Fabrizio, as well as a quick hug from their 11-year-old daughter Eleonora. On day 2 I was introduced to the maternal grandmother, who greeted me with a big hug as well and a kiss on the cheek, as well as Ombretta's sister who greeted me with a handshake, and later with a hug. This gave me the opportunity to analyze why greetings in the United States differ so significantly from those in Italy. I was able to trace at least some of the United States greeting origins back to our earlier ancestors in England. In England, customary greeting are far more similar to those of the United States then those of other European nations, including Italy. English greetings consist of a customary handshake, as well as a hug or kiss on the cheek for close friends and family. Italian greetings, however, extend much further back, and have been customary in Italy for centuries. 

Meeting my host sister, Eleonora (Image credits: Michelle Renee Guerard)