If you enjoyed reading about Letizia's Favorite Event In Umbria or Monica's Favorite Osteria In Venice, you are going love reading the next post in my series My Favorite Things In Italy. This one comes from Steve Brenner. Steve and his wife, Linda, are the owners of The Beehive Hotel in Rome and Cross-Pollinate, a website featuring B&Bs and apartments for rent in Rome, Florence, Venice, Paris, Barcelona and London. They moved to Rome in 1999 and currently live in Orvieto, a medieval Umbrian hill town one hour north of Rome, with their three daughters, Giulia, Paloma and Viola.
5 Quirky Things I Love About Italy
I lived in Italy almost 13 years (with the exception of 2 years in South East Asia) when the things I loved about Italy became very clear. Many were specific--a pizzeria, a certain bottle of wine--while others were more conceptual--things that captured the specialness of Italy and defined what is unique about it. Here, in no particular order, are 5 quirky things I love about my beloved Italy:
1. L'ora di pranzo e sacra (the lunch hour is sacred)! Here's a typical scene:
I'm sitting in a meeting in my lawyer's office discussing a contract that was to be signed. My phone rings and when I answer, the person on the other end politely asks if I'm busy. "Yes," I answer. "I'm in the middle of an important meeting with my lawyer. Can you call me back?"
"Oh, OK," they respond and then continue on with, "It's just that I needed to ask you about a reservation you made the other day. I don't think I got the email, and I can't remember the arrival time..."
However, when I answer the phone and simply say, "I'm eating," the caller will always say, "OK, scusa, I'll call you later."
2. You can never be overdressed in Italy (apparantly, even if you are riding a scooter).
3. It is common knowledge in the U.S. that pregnant women should not drink wine. In Italy, a pregnant woman finds it OK to have a glass, or two.
4. When you cook, you don't have to say that you made something from 'scratch.' There's only one way to cook!
5. The eye candy. Where else can you have a good-looking trash man or ditch digger?
I think if we were all honest, we'd agree with Steve's list, especially with #1 and #5, right? Is there a quirk about Italy that makes you love it even more? I'd love to hear about it!
