Are Italian Stereotypes True? — Kate's Corner Blog

On my recent trip to Italy, I prepared myself for the worst - handsy men, obnoxiously loud locals, and heavy inebriation. But when I had time to soak up the northern Italian culture, I quickly came to realize the error in my ways in making such snap judgments.

I think I can blame the movie industry for the misconception that Italian men are especially frisky. I found, however, that they were nothing but respectable. Although I’m not really one for picking up on social cues (like when I’m being flirted with), so it is entirely possible that I was being hit on inappropriately the whole time but never caught the drift. I don't believe that to be the case, though.

As for the stereotype that Italians are rambunctious, I would argue that they're simply passionate. They often gesticulate to add animation to their words, which can sometimes come off as being aggressive, but never obnoxious. You can tell by watching them that they speak with such fervor because they are so committed to the topic of the conversation. It’s actually fascinating being an individual that doesn’t speak a lick of Italian, yet feeling like I get to share in the zeal of a discussion just by watching it and picking up on context clues.

Some of these false assumptions on the lively Italian lifestyle also tend to stem from the belief that they are heavy drinkers. This generalization could not be farther from the truth. I had the pleasure of going to the Maastricht school orientation with a few Italians weeks before my trip to Italy. As I got to know them - both educationally and socially - I saw firsthand how measured they are. They would both drink one glass of wine for the duration of a three-course meal while I was slurring my words to the waitress asking for my third glass before the appetizers were even out.

They taught me that Italians don’t devour life, they savor it. Whereas I’ve grown up on a fast-paced lifestyle being an American, my Italian counterparts really instilled in me this respect for taking one’s time. After getting acquainted with them, I adjusted the expectations of my trip accordingly. Although I can’t assume that all Italians are steady and casual with their drinking, I at least realized that my assumption of all of them being heavy on the booze was likely wrong. And my experiences supported that conclusion.

“Italians don’t devour life, they savor it.”

As soon as I touched down in Milan and got to revel in the culinary delights of the city, I was able to people-watch and what I found was that almost everyone was just as sustained as my Italian friends from school. Perhaps the most important take-away from my trip was that there’s nothing wrong with enjoying one’s time rather than racing through it.

So, are Italian stereotypes true? I'm sure there are those that could prove them to be true, but they would be a part of the minority in this case as I can attest that, for the most part, Italians are really quite tempered and shouldn't be judged based off the actions of a few.