Italy Beyond the Obvious

3 Tips for learning Italian (or any language)

I've shared my top 3 tips for learning languages on Dianne Hales' wonderful blog, Becoming Italian Word by Word. If you've learned a language, do you agree with any of these tips? 

4 things I wish I knew before my student exchange to Italy

 

Two decades ago this month, I was on the plane on my way back to Canada after a year abroad with AFS. I've since spent five of the last 20 years living and working in Italy, and with each experience (as a nanny, a tour guide, a corporate expat), I learned a huge amount. But the learning could have been a little less painful that first year had I been able to give my 18-year old self some advice. Despite the fact that I likely would not have taken it, if I could go back in time, here are four things I would tell my young self before my student exchange to Italy.

 

1. People live in smaller spaces. You grew up in that big house with the big back yard and a bedroom all to yourself. Well guess what? Land is plentiful in the Canadian prairies, and the Milan apartment you'll share with your host family costs 4 times that house and is a quarter of the size. You'll need to be much neater, make do with less personal space, and respect how common areas are used. And you'll need to get into the habit of using less electricity and less water.

 

2. Italians get angry and then they're done. It may seem like your host family is angry with you all the time, but they really, truly are not. When they get angry, it does not represent pent-up anger they've been holding on to. And when they're done, the anger is gone. Two seconds later, they are no longer angry. It's a different way of expression, and will take some getting used to.   

 

3. Religion is important. You may think that religion is intellectually interesting, for the stories and the history and the culture, but don't bring that up. Go to church with your host family and don't assume their beliefs are flexible. Probably a topic of conversation to avoid for the first few months or unless they ask you directly (and then of course, be honest). 

 

4. Work on relationships, not your travel checklist. You're young, and you'll be back. There is so much to see in Italy, and if you get the opportunity to see some of it during your exchange year, that's fantastic. But if your host family expects you to stay home and participate in family life, you need to do it. The relationships you build will allow you to come back again and again. In particular, spend time with your host mother in the kitchen. It will be worth every second.

 

Do any of these resonate with those of you who have lived in Italy or done a student exchange?

 

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Ode to Ronchi (via San Maurilio 7, Milan)

 

I've been de-cluttering for the last few months to get ready to move to San Francisco. SF will be the eleventh city I've lived in and the fifth my husband and I have lived in together, so I've been-there-done-that and going through Stuff is still not fun. But for this move, I'm going to finally say goodbye to an empty wine bottle that I've carried from Milan to Boston to Chicago. It's time.

I wanted to memorialize it with a post about the restaurant it came from, Ronchi, so I decided to call this post "Ode to Ronchi". Then I looked up the precise definition of ode, and tried to write one. The result is not exactly, precisely, an ode (that would be ABABCDECDE), but I think it gets the message across. 

Ode To Ronchi (Via San Maurilio 7, Milano)

Down a narrow street of cobblestone

near Milano's famous church,

below the rooms we called our own,

the locals came to perch.

 

Ronchi's live music wafted up, loud and fun till late.

We went in only a couple times: with friends and on a date.

But we saw them daily, and they'd smile,

always with a friendly "ciao ciao!"

And my Ronchi bottle's traveled miles,

That is until, well, now.

 

Ronchi's still there, so if you're in Milan,

definitely drop by.

Stay for music, wine and cheese;

(I hear they now have wi-fi!)

And one more thing, if you don't mind: please say hi from me;

thanks for the bottle, thanks for the music,

and thanks for the memories.

What about you? Do you have your own "Ronchi" somewhere in Italy?

 

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Meet the locals, but share your perspective, too

 

Mingling with locals definitely brings a foreign destination to life, but there's one thing no local has: your perspective. They will never know that you love cobblestones unless you tell them.

 

When I was in high school, our family hosted 2 girls from Yokohama, Japan. I showed them Edmonton's main sights, and we compared daily life in Canada and in Japan. One weekend, we took them to the Rocky Mountains. Breathtakingly spectacular, we promised. But unfortunately I knew the five-hour drive all too well: endless horizon-to-horizon wheat fields punctuated by a few grain elevators and random smatterings of cows and horses. It was mind-bogglingly boring.

 

But the minute we left the city limits, my Japanese friends were glued to their passenger windows. For five hours, they photographed wheat fields, grain elevators, trees, the sky, the clouds and who knows what on earth else. They exclaimed again and again, "the sky! The sky is so big!". I'd never noticed. But when I visited them in Japan, I understood: the sky over Tokyo definitely seemed smaller. 

 

The main tourist attractions are worth seeing, and the locals can add depth to your experience. But share your perspective with them, too. And if your most memorable moments after a day in Rome include the street signs and door knockers, that's okay. Share it with a local and help them see their own city in a different light.

 

Photo of poetry in the winter sky in Turin by Madeline

 

This post has been entered into the Grantourismo HomeAway Holiday-Rentals travel blogging competition

Three favorite Italian songs

When an Italian classmate asked about the lyrics to a Bob Marley song, it was a lightbulb moment for me. We were on a field trip from Milan to Assisi, and the song was playing on the bus. Even though I'd heard it many times, beyond the refrain I had no idea what Bob Marley was singing. More significantly, I knew that just listening to it again would not help. And yet my Italian classmate thought his English must be terrible because he couldn't understand the lyrics. 

So English-speakers-learning-Italian rejoice: you can (eventually) understand the lyrics to most Italian songs just by listening. Below are three of my favorite songs, each picked not only for the music and the lyrics but for a language-learning milestone. And coming soon: a few posts on my friend Guido's picks for the best Italian songs, ever.

 

1) Il Gatto e La Volpe, Edoardo Bennato

I learned this song my very first week in Italy - when I spoke absolutely no Italian - as an AFS exchange student during orientation week. Our Italian hosts played the guitar, and we sang this over and over, sitting around a campfire on Lake Como. We foreigners could only sing a few words from the refrain, but I'll never forget them.

2) Non l'hai mica capito, by Vasco Rossi

Apart from the fact that I just like this song (and Vasco Rossi is just, well, Vasco), at the time I heard it, I was trying to figure out how the Italian expressions "ti voglio bene" and "ti amo" were different. In English they both translate as "I love you", though the former is used for family and friends, and the latter is what we'd associate with "in love". As a linguist, I find it fascinating that certain cultures and languages express this nuance with different words, while others, like English, rely on context. 

3) Le Cose in Comune by Daniele Silvestri

I don't remember where I first heard this song, but I'd already learned Italian, and the tongue-in-cheek lyrics about relationships made me smile. The lyrics are about everything the two people have in "common", including both being born in the '60s, ordering the same potatoes at the same restaurant, and even having the same bones. And not only that. Silvestri sings: "when I sleep, you sleep. When I cry, you cry. When I laugh, you laugh....". And if you listen carefully, you'll hear my favorite line: "when I cry, you laugh...."

While I was writing this post, I found out about a brand new website dedicated to learning Italian through music, and submitted my 3 songs. So if you're interested in the full lyrics in Italian or their English translation, head over to Italyrics!

Are there any Italian songs that have helped you learn the language? Write them in the comments, or go submit them to Italyrics!

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Interview on the Eye on Italy Podcast

I was a guest on the Eye on Italy podcast (a podcast I love - subscribe!) this week, talking with the hosts, 3 fabulous Italy bloggers, about the different jobs I've had in Italy and how I found each one. I went into more detail about my corporate expatriate assignment in Milan, and talked about a few of my top picks for where to hike and bike in Italy. 

This episode also covers the Italian team in the World cup, each person discusses their Italian "pick of the week", and they talk about a couple Italian idiomatic expressions. 

So go listen, and enjoy!

http://www.eyeonitaly.com/podcast/episode-8-world-cup-fever/

Seven weeks of travel in Italy

How would you spend your time if you had seven weeks to travel in Italy? My husband and I had that opportunity before we moved from Milan to the USA, and because I get the "what should I see in Italy" question so often, I thought I'd share what we decided to see on that particular trip, and why we chose each place.

If it had been our first trip to Italy, I would have started with something along the lines of Jessica's (aka Italylogue's) fabulous two week detailed Italy itinerary (which as she explains you can easily stretch out to 3 weeks or more). But after 5 years in Italy I'd done all that, so our itinerary became a mix of places neither of us had been (Dolomites, Isola della Maddalena, and Ischia), and places I'd been but my husband hadn't.  

 

 

The Dolomites  We started at the end of June, and spent a week hiking in the Val Gardena in the Dolomite mountains. Why we chose it: We both love hiking, and July is the perfect month to visit the Dolomites, because it's warm and not as crowded as August. Some of the most incredible hikes I've ever done were on this trip - and I grew up hiking in the Rocky Mountains.

Tuscany  We rented a car and spent 10 days in Tuscany exploring the countryside. We also hit Siena, San Gimignano, Monteriggioni, Montepulciano and Pienza. Why we chose it: It was partly a wandering-the-hills-of-Tuscany trip for photography (which meant early mornings), looking for fields of sunflowers and just waking up in the morning and doing what we felt like that day.

 

Naples, Pompeii, and Ischia  We spent 5 days in Naples, then hit the archaeological ruins of Pompeii and spent 4 days on the island of Ischia. Since it was high season, we chose Ischia over the island of Capri because there were fewer crowds. We rented motorinos on Ischia to get around, and loved Ischia's natural hot springs. Why we chose it: I like the balance of putting Naples, Pompeii and Ischia together, because you start with a big vibrant city, then visit an incredible must-see attraction (but with lots of tourists), and then end with off-the-beaten-track island beach time. 

The Amalfi Coast  We spent 4 days on the Amalfi Coast after driving on impossibly narrow and twisting roads over the mountain from Naples -- which I would not recommend for any couple ;) Why we chose it: I had been, and wanted to go back with my husband because it's such a romantic spot (or became romantic after we made up post mountain-crossing!)

 
 
 

Isola Maddalena, Sardinia  We flew to Sardinia and then took a boat to Isola Maddalena and spent a week exploring the island, lying on the beach, going for bike rides, and SCUBA  diving (I got my certification there). Why we chose it: With only a week, we didn't have nearly enough time to visit the huge island of Sardinia, so we chose 1 spot, saw it well, and relaxed.

Sicily  We spent 2 weeks on the island of Sicily, which I've written about before. Why we chose it: I had been to Sicily before and wanted to go back. Sicily is another great place for a balanced vacation. We climbed a volcano, lay on the beach, walked through Greek ruins, spent time in large bustling cities, saw incredible art, and ate and drank well. 

So that adds up to a little more than 7 weeks believe it or not! (We actually had more time off, and also took a week to go up to Switzerland and see the Montreux Jazz Festival, on at the end of July every year.) And after all that, am I satisfied? Well, yes. But my still-to-visit list in Italy is long, because when you go to Italy with a list of things to see, you don't come home with everything checked off. You come home with a longer list.

Photos: me hiking in the Dolomites, detail from the Nile Scene mosaic at the archaeological museum in Naples, view from Isola Maddalena of the bridge to Caprera. All photos by Sanjay.

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Meeting boys on Italian trains

I thought it would be fun to enter this little story into the Grantourismo-HomeAway travel writing competition!

An American friend and I were on a train full of Italian military boys. Noses in guidebooks, we'd been planning our day trip in peace until they'd gotten on. We had started in Monza, where we lived as exchange students, and were probably off to visit an ancient ruin or medieval town or cathedral, but I don't remember and our destination that day isn't the point.

The boys were plotting -  in Italian of course - their strategy for meeting "the American girls" (never mind that one of us was Canadian).  We listened as they discussed which one of them should approach us (the one with the best English); what he would say (they tried out several variations); how his friend - and which friend - would then join him; and how we might respond. 

They didn't realize we could understand every word they said. 

 

And so we counter-plotted: should we smile and flirt? No, we weren't that impressed. Should we reject them with a sarcastic zinger in Italian and a toss of the head? No, too mean. We were a little surprised that these not-even-twentysomething boys were actually talking about us pretty respectfully. So when the chosen one approached, we answered him in Italian, complimented him on his English, and waited for his reaction as it sunk in that we had understood everything. He tried to make the most of it, but the train had pulled in to our station. As we disembarked, we heard the group laughing as he went back to join his friends, high-fiving and back-slapping.  

I don't wish I'd spent more time on that train, but that snippet of every day life reminds me of many things I love about Italians:  their passion and go-for-it attitude; the chivalry of Italian men and their appreciation of the opposite sex; and the way young Italians socialize in groups of 20 or 30 - their compagnia. 

The train ride became jumbled with other Italy memories until years later, when it somehow rose to the surface. I couldn't put my finger on why until I remembered a quote about travel by Henry Miller: "the destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things".  It can be difficult to identify the precise moment perspectives were changed, because it happens slowly, and in pieces, and upon reflection. And sometimes, on trains. 

Photo by Madeline

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Guest post on expat+HAREM about my expat experiences

I was honored when the expat+HAREM editor asked me to do a guest post for their site, which is dedicated to aspects of the expatriate experience. My post is up today, and you can read it here.

If you've ever lived abroad or have an expatriate in the family, take some time to explore the posts and conversations on the site, which does a great job giving the reader bite-sized (300 words or less!) food for thought. And the comments are just as interesting as the posts!

Amateur Traveler Podcast: The Life of an Adventure Travel Tour Guide

The most fun I've ever had while also getting paid was probably when I led week-long cycling tours in Italy, but it was also the most work of any job I've ever had. 

I've since noticed that lots of people have the skills to do this job and (from their comments when I try to encourage them) that they don't realize it. For example, people assume that being able to lead biking and hiking tours means you have to be fit enough to say, train for the Tour de France (not even close) or have a Ph.D in Art History and be a sommelier (again, not at all necessary). 

I get quite a few questions about how to work in Italy, so I started writing a blog post about the critical and not-so-critical skills for this job - which I think is a great way to work in Italy without going through any work visa issues. But the post became too long, so I contacted Chris Christenson of The Amateur Traveler to do his magic with a podcast. He agreed, so here it is: everything you ever wanted to know about how to be a tour guide. 

Amateur Traveler Episode 217 - The Life of Adventure Travel Tour Guide

Disclaimer: I should mention that in this podcast I talk about my own experience only, working for Butterfield & Robinson in Italy. Other companies may have different requirements, and required skill sets may change with the economy and applicant pools. I am not currently in the business of hiring tour guides, so if you're interested in a job like this and have additional questions, contact the hiring manager at the company you're interested in.