10 Things I HATE and LOVE about Living in ITALY


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In this video I share what I Hate and Love about living in Italy. I share my personal feelings about Italy and the system but would …

50 replies
  1. Steven Salerno
    Steven Salerno says:

    On the other hand, the exact opposite of everything you said is also true at different times. My family has to sistemarsi EVERYTHING. Dresser drawers were full of neatly stacked clothes identically folded, and, for the really expensive stuff that you wore to weddings, there was tissue paper in between. We plan a food shopping trip like it’s the invasion of Normandy. When I was a kid we arrived an hour early to everything. My parents gave us enough chores to violate child labor laws.

    All that said, too many Italians in one place give me a headache. So stubborn, testa dura!

    Reply
  2. Livia Palmieri
    Livia Palmieri says:

    All the things you mentioned plus the cattiveria the crime the corruption the drug lords and cities, all the ugly side of Italy , tourists do not know, so much so that I could write about it. People are not nice in Tuscany they are obnoxious and unfriendly they never say please and thank you. Io ho trovato un Italia triste povera negozi chiusi imprese a terra…i veri Italiani sono quelli che vogliono lavorare e per farlo devono emigrare. Comunque complimenti per il canale.x

    Reply
  3. Steph M
    Steph M says:

    France doesn't have 100, but 1.200 different cheeses listed by the Centre National Interprofessionnel de l’Economie Laitière. Depending on the source and the definition of cheese, you have up to 1.800 different cheeses without counting the unknown ones just made in some remote villages (just like in Italy).

    Reply
  4. EvL
    EvL says:

    Vicenzo, you live in Australia and talk about other country politics??? Broski, lets talk about Scott Morrison? About the dictatorial politics towards liberty? And trust you me, I was born in a communist regime, I can smell totalitarism 10.000km away 🙂

    Reply
  5. Niko Bella-Khouf
    Niko Bella-Khouf says:

    Sono un misto mediterraneo (sardo, greco, armeno e cananeo). Puoi scambiare l'Italia con qualsiasi paese del Mediterraneo e questo elenco sarà ancora vero, ad eccezione della moda, gli italiani prendono la vittoria per la moda. I punti negativi che hai indicato sono veri in tutto il Mediterraneo e in alcune altre parti del mondo.

    Reply
  6. Pewtah
    Pewtah says:

    Thanks from me as a wheelchair user for your mention of the many barriers in Italy for people with disabilities. What a shame, compared to countries like Sweden, for example. Italy can really do better.

    Reply
  7. Barbara Z.
    Barbara Z. says:

    When I worked as a tour guide my drivers were Italians. When it rained I wanted to keep my umbrella open in the bus so it dried without the black mouldy marks in the folds. I was told all the time I couldn't because to have an open umbrella inside the house brings bad luck. When I objected that we were e.g in Germany and in a bus the reply was always that it was an Italian bus, so it counted as Italy and as the bus was like his home it counted as a house. Wtf?! 😂😂

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  8. OKuusava
    OKuusava says:

    These I do not hate in Italy, but wonder or laugh about: nowhere is drain in bathroom floor. The twin-seating in bathrooms as hand shower is much easier, better and not consuming the space like the bidet-bowl, what italians seem love over anything in this world. In opening doors. It is funny that in small toilets door open in, and you cannot fit there with the damn door! And flats have these too, and thats why there could be comical 7 locks and security bar. No sandwiches in cafes in the morning, only sweet cornettos. No coatracks in apartments if even hallway. If there is any radiators, they are small and many times situated in the middle of apartment, not under the window. Which has only one glass etc. But yes, I still love Italy.

    Reply
  9. Szcz00r
    Szcz00r says:

    I live in Poland, where climate is quite colder, but we still get warm summers and enjoy good temperatures for around 7- 8 months. Our culinary tradition is not as rich as yours, but our cuisine is very tasty as well. It's known mostly for pierogi (dumplings) kiełbasa (sausage), eventually oscypek (smoked sheep's cheese – goes great with cranberry jam), but there's also a plethora of different soups (eg. żurek, barszcz), stews (like hunter's stew), salads, roasts, tenderloins, casserole dishes, fish dishes, pastries (karpatka, pączki). We have an abundance of different types of delicious sausages, and deli meats, includiing a ton of smoked meats. Walking into a butcher's shop in Poland, is like a paradise for meat lovers. We also love our bread – crusty, grainy, with pumpkin seeds, onions, herbs, rye bread – you name it. There's a bakery pretty much every 500 – 1000 metres. In my region of Silesia (southern Poland), one of the most common sunday family dinner is "rolada śląska, modro kapusta i kluski". This is typically served with either the juice from baking the meat, gravy, portobello mushroom sauce, or one made from freshly foraged mushrooms. Rolada Śląska is a marinated beef meat strip stuffed with onion, mustard, bacon, pickled cucumbers, salt + pepper, rolled and tied with a string, put in a casserole along with broth/stock, and baked in an oven. Kluski is something similar to gnochh but it has a little bowl shape inside to hold onto the sauce, it's made from mashed potatoes, egg and flour, boiled in salted water. Modro kapusta is red cabbage mixed with finely chopped onions fried on butter, with the addition of grated apple and squeezed lemon juice. We have amazing vodka (our invention after all), and pretty good beers from smaller and craft breweries. I happen to live in very close proximity to Czech Republic (50 kms), which has amazing beers at a low price, and nicely managed bathing areas near their lakes. Internet speed in Poland is pretty good, according to statistics #25 in the world with 64 mbps on average. I have 500 mbps for around 16 euro/month. Online banking is pretty advanced here, You can pay with credit card, or a phone pretty much everywhere, even in a temporary stall. It's so convienient that most people rarely carry cash these days. We have pretty good expressways, and cheap (by european standards) highways, whereas in my vovoideship (Silesia) all the highways are free, so I can get around pretty quickly. Mountains, lakes, other cities, are never more than an hour drive away. Visiting a castle in let's say in Ogrodzieniec (110 kms) no problem – you hop into a car, and you're there an hour and a half later. Getting around with a car in the middle of a city, is also quite easier than in some mediterranean towns, with little to no tight squeezes. Shopping is also quite convenient – in the vicinity of 1 km from my house, I have like 5 supermarkets, one super store, 2 DIY (or home-improvement) stores, a couple of furniture stores, and one shopping mall, and it's a small city of 60 000. I have no troubles finding some of my favorite imported products like sri-racha, parmigiano reggiano, gorgonzola, ajvar, czech beer. For such a small city, there are also many places serving delicious food, with new popping up each year. I don't have to drive to a bigger city to sample Thai cuisine, Korean BBQ, Sushi, eat a juicy beefy burger, authentic wood fired Italian Pizza or Italian Gelato. The prices are also quite good. You can eat a quality meal for around 7 euro per person, and in a "Bar Mleczny", you can even eat a traditional Polish dinner for as low as 2- 3 euro. My city, as many other in the region is also surrounded by forests, ponds and an occasional lake, so you can take a stroll, walk for a couple kilometres and find yourself surrounded by nature. Other than our shitty government I simply love my life here :).

    Reply
  10. Alex Kuznetsov
    Alex Kuznetsov says:

    My friend what you describe in regards to discipline is something that I feel is very relevant for all southern countries. I am Bulgarian and a lot of the points you describe apply to my country also 😁

    Reply
  11. maarten van hove
    maarten van hove says:

    Unfortunately now a very extreme right winged lady in Italy is probably gonna win the election. She sees Italians who left Italy to life abroad as non-Italians… she wants to take their Italian citizenship away

    Reply
  12. Pietro Scarpa
    Pietro Scarpa says:

    I have family in Napoli and every time I go back to Belgium (where I live) a piece of my heart remains there. It's such a huge difference compared to the culture and life here. In Napoli you truly feel alive, you meet people so easily there and friendships are created in a instance, it's crazy, you have to experience it by yourself. You are part of the biggest family in the world there, truly a unique place. ❤️

    Reply
  13. miamiking
    miamiking says:

    Eh gia purtroppo ho dovuto lasciare l'italia 10 anni fa per trovare un lavoro..non sono ancora sicuro di aver preso la scelta giusta visto che l'italia mi manca molto ma purtroppo è molto difficile trovare un lavoro che ti permetta di vivere una vita dignitosa in italia

    Reply
  14. Lois Manzi
    Lois Manzi says:

    Vincenzo , I love your haircut! I come from a long line of Italian barbers and become the first woman barber in my family back in 1979. Even though I haven’t cut hair since I started my family I still get excited to see a beautiful cut . You look very handsome in that style did you get it in Italy if so maybe that would be added to your love list good barbers! Many Blessings

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  15. Mariann Castelli Hier
    Mariann Castelli Hier says:

    Vincenzo, You nailed it!
    All four of my grandparents were born on Italy. Since the 1980’s, we have visited all of my cousins in the Marche. In 2005, after two years of searching, we bought a condominium in a 6 family building in Tuscany. All local families. We travel back and forth from the Boston area, USA to our home in Italy. Our town in Italy is small. A lot of old traditions. We have made so many close friends over the years. Invited to confirmations, birthdays, pizza parties, meals in Italian homes and in local restaurants. We feel the best in Italy. The USA is so stressful! It’s simply the best place for quality of life. Period.

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  16. Fenix 1980
    Fenix 1980 says:

    Salve Vincenzo. I'm from Belgium. Love your videos. So long since I've been to Italy. An amazing country, culture, cucchina! Wheter it is Tuscany, Lago di Garda, Venice or Sorrento. Most beautifull souvenirs. Hope to go back one day, in Bocca Lupo. Ciao.

    Reply
  17. Jason Groat
    Jason Groat says:

    Spending 6 days in Bologna for work, I completely agree with everything you said Vincenzo. I loved the experience to be there, but most people I encountered seemed destraught, too envolved or just upset. I ate at al Donatelo's twice because it was so good and very welcoming to have us. The morning I had to fly back home, there were 18 booths set up in the piazza in front of our hotel. The smell from the bolognese being prepared, made me want to stay. In my broken italian and american english I asked what was happening. "It is just another political rally, they happen all the time." I hope to take my Wife for a visit to Bologna in a year or two. I loved the food and meeting a few new friends.

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  18. Charles D. Wisdom
    Charles D. Wisdom says:

    I love that you see both the good sides and the bad sides of where you come from. Too many people see only one or the other. I think a person has to leave their home country to develop that kind of rich perspective about it.

    Reply
  19. Ralph Davis
    Ralph Davis says:

    I have had some of the very best food, in Italy, but, sadly some of the worst food ever. we lived in Italy for a year, so many likes and dislikes. overall, I still love Italia.

    Reply
  20. The Whyte Rhyno
    The Whyte Rhyno says:

    I love Italy! As you said, it’s a beautiful country. We got caught in a tourist trap restaurant in Pisa. The food was horrible. It tasted like food from Olive Garden. But the authentic restaurants were amazing. Can’t wait to go back.

    Reply
  21. kieran taylor
    kieran taylor says:

    I really enjoyed that and your comment about discipline resonated with me. I remember being in Assisi and the only people who were talking in the chapels/taking photos when they shouldn't have been were the Italians! It is a truly wonderful country and one that I will visit again and again.

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  22. GenX
    GenX says:

    Ciao Vincenzo !
    I love Italy for the beauty of the cities, the landscapes, the kindness of Italians and the Italian food, wines, which, imho is one of the very best on the planet.
    My favourite city is Firenze.
    Favourite scenery has to be Amalfi Coast.

    Reply

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