10 things

By I’M Team

Italy does better than others

(According to Americans)

In a post a few months ago, CNN published an article entitled: “The 10 things that Italy does better than any other country”. It is an invitation to travelers to visit us because “beyond the clichés, you will find 10 other things that Italy shines for”. Reading it helps us to understand how others see us, for better or for worse, and to recognize some national peculiarities (as long as you appreciate the irony). Here is a summary.

1

The flattery

"A historic tool for both disarming and defusing, flattery is the fulcrum on which Italian society falters," reads the article. Which quotes the great journalist Luigi Barzini who, in the book The Italians, explained that we use it to "obtain advantages, destroying rivals and conquering power and wealth, and to defend ourselves, as the squid uses ink, from powerful men and for confuse dictators and tyrants ". 2

4

The thermal baths

Lazing on the beach

Governments pop up

In Italy, CNN counted 380 spas and spas, including “the island baths (such as those of the volcanic Ischia), the Tuscan spas, the mountain spas in the city of Bormio and the Garda thermal park”. “So convinced is the Italian government of the healing power of thermal springs and geothermal mud packs that it covers the cost of some therapies for its citizens.” 3

"With 7,400 kilometers of coastline, Italy boasts the largest number of beaches in Europe and 27 marine parks. In summer the temperature in many places is just below 30 C, compared to 20 C in France and Portugal. It's like swimming in tropical waters, with fewer sharks, and hawkers. When it comes to beaches, it's a tough choice between blinding white dunes, gravel and even grass shores. And 248 Italian beaches have been awarded the blue flag for clear waters and the uncontaminated sand ". 5

The curses

“Whether in Italian or any other language, the native Italian accent transforms any imprecation into a blunt instrument. Rhythmic,” staccato “and with an almost operatic” legate “that blends the syllables together like a hammer note on the guitar, swearing here is also an art “. And there is also some for blasphemies. “Inspired mainly by pigs, orifices and promiscuous women, Italian blasphemies - which vary from region to region - sound equally dramatic, angry and comical.”

The volcanoes

On CNN they were struck by Etna: “It is the second most active volcano in the world”, we read. And not only: “Leads Tripadvisor’s list of ten unmissable volcanoes, along with four other Italian nozzles, including Vesuvius”.

“Since the end of the Second World War, - writes CNN, not without irony - Italy has had 62 governments under 38 prime ministers (40 if you count Berlusconi’s three terms) and only one lasted a full five-year term. Fearing the rise of another Mussolini, Italy has an executive that requires majorities in both legislative chambers to do anything. Which, combined with an already fragmented political landscape, makes the average length of an Italian government barely 12 months “. 6

The desserts

Other than pasta, pizza and antipasti. “the real stars of Italian cuisine are ice cream, tiramisu, cannoli,” neapolitan “, biscuits, spumoni, truffles, zeppole - Diavolo! The number of Italian desserts is almost as high as that of past governments”. And again: “Italian pastry chefs work in all media, combining cakes, biscuits and even frozen creams to create the largest and tastiest arsenal of sweets in the world”.

Speleology.

“Italy is one of the most pockmarked countries on the planet, with over 35,000 earth cavities and even more underwater. The Grotta Gigante (in Sgonico, Trieste, ed) holds the world record for the largest accessible cave in the world. A “yawn” 850 meters wide, with 500 steps that descend 100 meters into the depths of the earth. Other important caves are the Blue Grotta of Capri, where Emperor Tiberius loved to swim. And the Grotta del Vento, where the wind whip, through its winding paths, at 40 kilometers per hour “.

The sports cars

Here the article focuses on the genius of Dino Ferrari: “who was born as a racing car manufacturer in 1930, and has become the symbol of the dream car. In 2012 - we read - Ferrari sold only 7,000 cars, but he earned $ 3 billion from it. “ And then: “The Lamborghini may also have become the property of the German Audi, but the sides are still all Italian”.

River cruises.

And finally, CNN shows us a little-known aspect of our country: “Unlikely to be among the first two, three or a hundred things that come to mind when you think of Italy, but river cruises on the peninsula are a lively business” . “Italy’s rivers are not as long or easily navigable as those in the rest of Europe, but visitors can float from one beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Site to another.”