Ma che minchia fai?

Intro

It’s my first day in Sicily. My Sicilian husband and I relocated for several months in order to re-stress from our busy lives. Rent is cheaper, food is better, people take it easy plus it shines all the time. Why would you want to stay in London?
I have been here for only 2 weeks before, visiting friends and family last summer. I had a glimpse of what life is, or could be for us, but now I am looking forward to observing this interesting culture and writing about my own experience here.

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The first thing anyone would notice, no matter whether you understand anything of the language or not, is the amount of talking going on. Italians talk a lot, I knew that and I was expecting it. But, mamma mia, I could have never been prepared for the waterfall of words streaming constantly out of their mouths. Talking a lot is not an issue, I talk a lot too. The language is designed for talking quick, it flows very smoothly and intonation-wise it is like a song. And Italians make the best of it. They talk about anything and everything, no matter how important or irrelevant. Quantity is virtue, not quality. And as passionate people as they are, it sounds everything they talk about is of dire importance. At times I thought they would be fighting for good 10 minutes, and then when I ask what the issue is, it turns out they are discussing where the car keys are.

Also, in order to cram more talking in shorter periods, they talk at the same time. The conversation doesn’t follow the common pattern of” I speak, you listen, and then you answer” and vice versa. No! They all talk at the same time, and in order to make sure they are heard, they shout. Obviously, duh!

Oh, did I mention the hand gesturing going on simultaneously while talking? If you tie the hands of any Italian, he or she would not be able to speak, I guarantee. In order to add importance or emphasize on what they are saying, they wave, point, shake, thrust, squeeze, slap, hold, etc their hands. It is a theatre spectacle all the time. And it’s free. :)

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Italians take life easy. Or so it seems to the outsider. The rules are vaguely defined and even more vaguely followed. They love sipping their espressos in the local cute Italian cafes, talking loud, laughing a lot and enjoying the sun. Shops and even big retailers are closed at lunch time for 2-3 hours. Enjoying the good food and enjoying a slower pace of life is part of the culture. And I value this highly since your own health and wellbeing is the most important at the end of the day.

But this attitude would undoubtedly clash with the contemporary capitalist society. Not that Italians have problem consuming. Not at all, they love their fancy clothes and are ready to buy expensive products they can’t afford. One would think that would be the ideal place for a consumer society. But it is not. The culture doesn’t buy this “working hard” issue; rules and regulations are there to be disregarded. And this clash is what creates the pains of contemporary Italians and what creates a lot of material for me to write.