anyone in italy out there ??

leomom72

a friend of mine is wanting to move to italy, and he is going for a purpose, though, i don't know EXACTLY what..i think he wants to try to take american customs with him, but he is afraid of the multiculturalism, and how italians do things..he is afraid they will reject him, and i said i would ask around..SO what he specifically wants to know is are italians open minded about their culture, and welcome new things, or do they only accept things THEIR way ?? any insight i can pass along would be terrific

bregalad5

Not sure how it is elsewhere in Italy, but I lived in Rome from Aug 2010-March 2011 and... it was interesting. The general population will give you nasty looks and reject you if you don't speak Italian, but once you're "in" with certain people, they're very open and nice. I had two English students, and when I was in their homes, their parents were amazing and helped me with lots of things. But, when I went to the store or whatever, the workers would roll their eyes at my poor Italian, or if I spoke to them in English. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions or whatnot.

lawtechie

Have to laugh at your friends thoughts. It sounds as if he's afraid of the Italian's culture, he's afraid of multiculturalism and he wonders if the Italians will be open minded?

I think in general, if he goes in himself close minded, others will treat him like that. Be open minded, and you're more likely to be treated that way -- in customs and in life.

Where in Italy is he going? Even within the different cities, there are different customs.

miam4nia

italy is gorgeous, but i'd rather not be there right now because of all the awesome carbs that would be tempting me.

Schraudt814

I've been to Italy twice...My experience was very different from the previous poster...The first time I went to Rome in 2006 and although I did not speak Italian very well, everyone was very nice and helpful as long as I made an effort. For many Italians that is the most important art is that you TRY. The second time was with my boyfriend who is Italian in July 2010 and we were in the Naples area...much less touristy and many people just really didn't seem to care one way or another. I did try but I still don't speak much Italian...most people just didn't really tr yto communicate with me because they did not speak English and I wasn't very good with Italian. I do think a lot of it is effort though...you're in their country, so you should at least make an attempt to communicate.

bregalad5

I've been to Italy twice...My experience was very different from the previous poster...The first time I went to Rome in 2006 and although I did not speak Italian very well, everyone was very nice and helpful as long as I made an effort. For many Italians that is the most important art is that you TRY. The second time was with my boyfriend who is Italian in July 2010 and we were in the Naples area...much less touristy and many people just really didn't seem to care one way or another. I did try but I still don't speak much Italian...most people just didn't really tr yto communicate with me because they did not speak English and I wasn't very good with Italian. I do think a lot of it is effort though...you're in their country, so you should at least make an attempt to communicate.

Were you living there or there as a tourist? There's a huge difference. Everyone I know who has been there as a tourist loved it, and everyone I know who has lived there hated it. Living in another country is very different than just visiting, as you're usually outside the touristy areas, and more immersed in the local culture and with the local people. Trust me, I put in A LOT of effort, as did my boyfriend at the time. I was taking Italian classes, and tried to speak with them in Italian to the best of my ability, but because I wasn't fluent, they weren't willing to help me. Near the end of our stay we had found a couple cashiers at the grocery store who were more patient with us, but really, I wouldn't want to live there again.

Vienna, on the other hand... I'd live there again in half a heartbeat.

Schraudt814

I've been to Italy twice...My experience was very different from the previous poster...The first time I went to Rome in 2006 and although I did not speak Italian very well, everyone was very nice and helpful as long as I made an effort. For many Italians that is the most important art is that you TRY. The second time was with my boyfriend who is Italian in July 2010 and we were in the Naples area...much less touristy and many people just really didn't seem to care one way or another. I did try but I still don't speak much Italian...most people just didn't really tr yto communicate with me because they did not speak English and I wasn't very good with Italian. I do think a lot of it is effort though...you're in their country, so you should at least make an attempt to communicate.

Were you living there or there as a tourist? There's a huge difference. Everyone I know who has been there as a tourist loved it, and everyone I know who has lived there hated it. Living in another country is very different than just visiting, as you're usually outside the touristy areas, and more immersed in the local culture and with the local people. Trust me, I put in A LOT of effort, as did my boyfriend at the time. I was taking Italian classes, and tried to speak with them in Italian to the best of my ability, but because I wasn't fluent, they weren't willing to help me. Near the end of our stay we had found a couple cashiers at the grocery store who were more patient with us, but really, I wouldn't want to live there again.

Vienna, on the other hand... I'd live there again in half a heartbeat.

I did not mean to insinuate that you didn't put in effort. And yes both times I was visiting- the 2nd time it was a huge difference because we were in Castel Volturno outside of Naples and it was NOT touristy at all...probably similar to the places you experienced when living there...I relied on my boyfriend to translate much of it because he is fluent in Italian...I don't know what I would have done had he not been there...I was just saying that my experience there was that trying was well-received in the areas I visited