Непутевые заметки о Италии or Live from Pizza - Pasta land:)

Soo it has been already 5 weeks since I’m in Italy. I even can’t believe such a long time passed.
Today during the lunch I noticed the fact that I got used to being in Italy (and actually few people told me that I’m becoming Italian), to some typical behaviors, so I felt like sharing my observations here.

Italy. Italians. Italian way of life

People. Most probably the most difficult part to describe – they are so different and so far I haven’t seen any common qualities or values of Italians. They are definitely not like we think about them in Ukraine – not soo emotional, not sooo loud (apart from some cases). I almost got used to hear people (men) outside saying “Ciao, Bella” (hello, beauty) and they continuing with discussion of different parts of my body. It’s definitely not something what I don’t enjoy. Some of them are really helpful, even though a lot of people don’t speak Italian (when I’m usually trying to find my way after being lost somewhere), they try to help you:), sometimes by giving the wrong direction, but it’s fun anyways:)
Food. Italian food (or at least what I understand by now as Italian food = what we usually it in MC) is not so tasty as I expected. In fact food ingredients are more or less the same as in Ukraine, but the way they mix it is really strange. So the favorite dish is of course pasta – pasta with tomatoes, with tuna, with vegetables, with cheese, cold pasta…. Sometimes I think this is kind of obsession – to eat pasta each day for lunch:) And they think that putting ketchup into pasta is something like violation:) Salads are quite perverted here (those who know my addiction to salads with mayonnaise will understand:)). Pizza and ice cream are the only things that I really love here! Pizza is delicious and is quite different from what we eat in Eastern Europe! Here you can never find pizza with chicken meat! Ice cream is perfect also, very expensive I’d say – at least 1,5 euro, even 2,5 in city center. But it’s worth each cent you spend for it! The rest of the food I can eat:) aaaa, forgot my another addiction apart from pizza and ice cream – mozzarella and tomatos:)
Cars. Well, obviously you can see Ferrari on the street, but not so often, or at least not at places where I usually walk:) But biggest observation and surprise is that Italy is country of hatchback cars, I barely can see few sedans on the streets. Only hatchback (mainly hatchbacks:)) and family cars.
Milan. I broke quite a lot of my stereotypes here, especially about life in Western Europe;) So the city itself is very nice in center – I’m totally in love with Duomo, every time I pass by it I have a strange emotions - can’t believe that I live in city with such a beautiful building that is representation of history itself.

Every time I pass by, I have an amazing feeling of touching history! There are also few very beautiful places like Castello, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele and others which names I don’t remember ;) In the area where we live, Milan isn’t much different from other cities I’ve seen, maybe it’s a bit cleaner. Milan is the city of foreigners - it’s something that is very unusual for me here. When you go to city centre, to shops during sales, in metro, you see more foreigners that Italians. They are everywhere – outside, on streets Africans are selling you D&G, Fendi, Gucci etc:), Arabs are cooking and serving in cafes, usually a lot of Asian people I see in metro, but I never noticed places where they work, a lot of Russians and rich Arabs in shops:) It’s something what makes you feel being citizen of the world and it in fact makes me personally feel not so alone, even tough I don’t know any of these people:)
Way of life. Italian way of life is quite an interesting storyJ Firsly, what was quite strange for me is their meals – they tend almost not to have breakfasts, then have pasta for lunch and then have late, very late (starting usually at 9 – 9.30 pm!!!!!!) and very heavy dinners! During the lunch time a lot of shops are closed, even markets are closed. Sunday is generally a “dead” day everywhere apart from city center, you can’t even to trade center or supermarket – it’s closed, it’s Sunday. Bars, caffess and restarautns work only during lunch time and then after 7. In between they usually are closed! Ordering pizza is quite the same – you can’t eat pizza when you want :) You have to want to eat pizza only when it’s the time for eating pizza:)
This is the end of “Live from Pasta land” report! Wait for more updates about “Life in Via Andora or Italian way of living AIESEC”
Your favorite journalist:)