I have actually been fortunate enough to live in two different cities in Italy and experience the difference between the two. Rome is basically the dividing line between Northern and Southern Italy and just like any rival teams or how NorCal and SoCal bash each other, there are quite a lot of differences and rivalry between the two. Okay where do I start?
First of all, their accent and Italian language is different! I actually had no idea, but Italy has quite a few of their own dialects. In the south, Naples and Caserta Regions, they speak Napolitano…. Extremely different from the Italian I learned and I feel like I am learning a completely new language … and forget about even pronouncing the words in the proper accent… so for now, I am going to do my best to learn it and understand it but will stick to speaking formal Italian as that is already a challenge for me. =) Actually, Florence is known to speak the most purest of the Italian language which explains why it was much easier for me to understand when Italians were speaking to me in Siena. =) It’s interesting how many Italians can tell what region you are from because of the difference in accents… I have yet to master that.
Siena was actually voted to be the #1 city for highest standard of living in Italy. It is no surprise to me. The people there are sooooo kind and still family oriented. The scenery and Tuscan hillside is breathtaking and I never got sick of staring in awe every day I passed by them. The Chianti wine is still my favorite red wine of all. This medieval town seems to have stood still in time and holds so much history. Just looking at the fortress that still stands tall helps you easily visualize the days when there was war. I can sit and people watch in Piazza del Campo all day long. The Tuscan style homes with stoned walls have so much character and beauty. The Palio allows the city to have a “college-like” atmosphere as each of the 13 contradas the city is separated into have so much pride and spirit and parade around the town all year long and always have celebrations on the streets. It truly is one of a kind. Notwithstanding, there are so many quaint little towns nearby as well to take day trips to and explore.
I do miss my dear Siena where I have so many memories. It’s where I studied the Italian culture and language and met some of my closest friends. It’s where my life completely changed and I met my husband and where we got married. =) Siena will always hold a very dear place in my heart.
As for Vitulazio, it is very important to me as well because it is officially my new home. It is where my husband grew up and his whole family lives. When I think about how bizarre it is that we are such worlds apart, it is so amazing that I have this opportunity to see his childhood first hand everyday now. I can’t tell you how many people in the town will retell stories to me about him as a child and although they were more about how naughty he was, it is extremely entertaining and I am so grateful. =)
The cost of living is much cheaper here, thankfully, compared to Siena. And when I say cheaper, I am talking about 20-30% difference in food prices. As for rent, you can rent an apartment for €200 for two bedrooms here when Siena would cost about €800 for a one bedroom… extremely huge difference. Of course, it will be more expensive for rent once you go closer to the city centers but I am sure Milan still is the winner in highest cost of living in Italy.
Okay, I must go on to the food! I am sorry Siena, but Southern Italy is the winner for me in food…. Of course all of Italy has exquisite food but every region varies in their specialties and foods that originated in those regions. As for our regions, the PIZZA! Omg, to die for… seriously… if you have been to Italy, you have not tasted the best pizza until you have been to Naples or Caserta. It is like no other. I thought it was great in Siena, Florence and Rome but they are no comparison to the south. I think the water is different here which makes the dough different but the Mozzarella originated here as well and that is just yummy. It is the fresh mozzarella from the buffalos here that are absolutely delicious on everything! I even tasted Da Michele’s in Naples which was voted as the #1 pizza and it is quite heavenly. So if you are ever in the Naples city center, you have to go there and try their pizza. The only things on their menu are the Pizza Marinara, Pizza Margherita, Pizza double Margherita, Water, Coke, and Beer…. So you won’t have a hard time choosing… It is a total mom and pop, hole in the wall shop but there is always a ton of people (lots of tourists) waiting outside for a table at all hours… I believe they are open from 10am to 3am. =)
In the Toscana Region, they are known for their Fiorentina Steak (1 kilogram T-bone steak) and their wild boar among other things… definitely ideal for you meatlovers and carnivores out there but the pizza won my heart. =)
As for shopping, there is a huge difference as well! I love the shops on the streets where you just walk outdoors and pop in to any store you pass by…. Very convenient and definitely a different kind of atmosphere. It’s the reason why I love going to Old Town Pasadena and The Grove, but, being the city girl I am, I need my MALLS! There were weekends in Siena where I was dying to get into a nice big mall, my sanctuary, and just stay in there for hours going to my favorite stores… no such luck AT ALL in Siena. I would have to take day trips to Florence to get my shopping fix since they had more stores on the streets but still no malls. And finally, I found my sanctuary in the south! Okay, so they might be owned by the… should I say it… is it safe to say it…. mafia… ok I will only say it once….who knows, it is highly likely they have some involvement, but they are malls and I need them for survival. Oh sooo wonderful… okay so not exactly as big and wonderful as my usuals in LA but good enough. And the fact that they don’t close from 1pm to 4pm is just sublime.
Alright, last topic for this blog because I can really go on and on but it is getting too long…The driving.. omg the driving…. I think any big city in Italy and all cities in Southern Italy consist of absolutely crazy drivers…. Well I will say that they are very skilled and drive very well defensively, but still crazy. Siena was pretty good at keeping order and most people respected the stop signs and red lights and weren’t weaving and cutting all around. But, when you enter a city or the south, it’s chaos. It’s every man for themselves – lane dividers do not exist, tailgating is the norm and everyone is honking everyone. I will leave an entire blog on Naples for another time and get further into their driving dynamics…
First of all, their accent and Italian language is different! I actually had no idea, but Italy has quite a few of their own dialects. In the south, Naples and Caserta Regions, they speak Napolitano…. Extremely different from the Italian I learned and I feel like I am learning a completely new language … and forget about even pronouncing the words in the proper accent… so for now, I am going to do my best to learn it and understand it but will stick to speaking formal Italian as that is already a challenge for me. =) Actually, Florence is known to speak the most purest of the Italian language which explains why it was much easier for me to understand when Italians were speaking to me in Siena. =) It’s interesting how many Italians can tell what region you are from because of the difference in accents… I have yet to master that.
Siena was actually voted to be the #1 city for highest standard of living in Italy. It is no surprise to me. The people there are sooooo kind and still family oriented. The scenery and Tuscan hillside is breathtaking and I never got sick of staring in awe every day I passed by them. The Chianti wine is still my favorite red wine of all. This medieval town seems to have stood still in time and holds so much history. Just looking at the fortress that still stands tall helps you easily visualize the days when there was war. I can sit and people watch in Piazza del Campo all day long. The Tuscan style homes with stoned walls have so much character and beauty. The Palio allows the city to have a “college-like” atmosphere as each of the 13 contradas the city is separated into have so much pride and spirit and parade around the town all year long and always have celebrations on the streets. It truly is one of a kind. Notwithstanding, there are so many quaint little towns nearby as well to take day trips to and explore.
I do miss my dear Siena where I have so many memories. It’s where I studied the Italian culture and language and met some of my closest friends. It’s where my life completely changed and I met my husband and where we got married. =) Siena will always hold a very dear place in my heart.
As for Vitulazio, it is very important to me as well because it is officially my new home. It is where my husband grew up and his whole family lives. When I think about how bizarre it is that we are such worlds apart, it is so amazing that I have this opportunity to see his childhood first hand everyday now. I can’t tell you how many people in the town will retell stories to me about him as a child and although they were more about how naughty he was, it is extremely entertaining and I am so grateful. =)
The cost of living is much cheaper here, thankfully, compared to Siena. And when I say cheaper, I am talking about 20-30% difference in food prices. As for rent, you can rent an apartment for €200 for two bedrooms here when Siena would cost about €800 for a one bedroom… extremely huge difference. Of course, it will be more expensive for rent once you go closer to the city centers but I am sure Milan still is the winner in highest cost of living in Italy.
Okay, I must go on to the food! I am sorry Siena, but Southern Italy is the winner for me in food…. Of course all of Italy has exquisite food but every region varies in their specialties and foods that originated in those regions. As for our regions, the PIZZA! Omg, to die for… seriously… if you have been to Italy, you have not tasted the best pizza until you have been to Naples or Caserta. It is like no other. I thought it was great in Siena, Florence and Rome but they are no comparison to the south. I think the water is different here which makes the dough different but the Mozzarella originated here as well and that is just yummy. It is the fresh mozzarella from the buffalos here that are absolutely delicious on everything! I even tasted Da Michele’s in Naples which was voted as the #1 pizza and it is quite heavenly. So if you are ever in the Naples city center, you have to go there and try their pizza. The only things on their menu are the Pizza Marinara, Pizza Margherita, Pizza double Margherita, Water, Coke, and Beer…. So you won’t have a hard time choosing… It is a total mom and pop, hole in the wall shop but there is always a ton of people (lots of tourists) waiting outside for a table at all hours… I believe they are open from 10am to 3am. =)
In the Toscana Region, they are known for their Fiorentina Steak (1 kilogram T-bone steak) and their wild boar among other things… definitely ideal for you meatlovers and carnivores out there but the pizza won my heart. =)
As for shopping, there is a huge difference as well! I love the shops on the streets where you just walk outdoors and pop in to any store you pass by…. Very convenient and definitely a different kind of atmosphere. It’s the reason why I love going to Old Town Pasadena and The Grove, but, being the city girl I am, I need my MALLS! There were weekends in Siena where I was dying to get into a nice big mall, my sanctuary, and just stay in there for hours going to my favorite stores… no such luck AT ALL in Siena. I would have to take day trips to Florence to get my shopping fix since they had more stores on the streets but still no malls. And finally, I found my sanctuary in the south! Okay, so they might be owned by the… should I say it… is it safe to say it…. mafia… ok I will only say it once….who knows, it is highly likely they have some involvement, but they are malls and I need them for survival. Oh sooo wonderful… okay so not exactly as big and wonderful as my usuals in LA but good enough. And the fact that they don’t close from 1pm to 4pm is just sublime.
Alright, last topic for this blog because I can really go on and on but it is getting too long…The driving.. omg the driving…. I think any big city in Italy and all cities in Southern Italy consist of absolutely crazy drivers…. Well I will say that they are very skilled and drive very well defensively, but still crazy. Siena was pretty good at keeping order and most people respected the stop signs and red lights and weren’t weaving and cutting all around. But, when you enter a city or the south, it’s chaos. It’s every man for themselves – lane dividers do not exist, tailgating is the norm and everyone is honking everyone. I will leave an entire blog on Naples for another time and get further into their driving dynamics…
I can also go into the difference in the people and their characteristics but I think that is subjective... however, I will go further into the Napolitanos at a later time. =)
All in all, wherever you live, you make the most of it and there will always be pros and cons. If you choose to come visit Italy, be sure to get a good taste of the different regions because they are all quite different in food, culture, people, atmosphere, scenery, etc. You can’t just go to Rome and say you have “seen” Italy. Don’t sell yourself short, there is so much to see and appreciate here. If you are an expat living in Italy, you may want to consider experiencing the big city life and the little town life as well. The big city life may be comforting because there are many others like you and the Italians are use to tourists and don’t stare at you like you are an alien. I know I was hoping to be in a big city since I thought that would help me adjust much more easily and that I wouldn’t stick out like a sore thumb as much. But you will be amazed about how much more you get to dive into the Italian culture and traditions if you are in a little town. Wherever life takes you, just remember to live it. As my husband says, “La vita รจ una sola” (You only live life once).
All in all, wherever you live, you make the most of it and there will always be pros and cons. If you choose to come visit Italy, be sure to get a good taste of the different regions because they are all quite different in food, culture, people, atmosphere, scenery, etc. You can’t just go to Rome and say you have “seen” Italy. Don’t sell yourself short, there is so much to see and appreciate here. If you are an expat living in Italy, you may want to consider experiencing the big city life and the little town life as well. The big city life may be comforting because there are many others like you and the Italians are use to tourists and don’t stare at you like you are an alien. I know I was hoping to be in a big city since I thought that would help me adjust much more easily and that I wouldn’t stick out like a sore thumb as much. But you will be amazed about how much more you get to dive into the Italian culture and traditions if you are in a little town. Wherever life takes you, just remember to live it. As my husband says, “La vita รจ una sola” (You only live life once).
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