italian culture

A detailed Summary of italian culture

Images of national character cannot be explained by information alone. The values and actions of the citizens help define their national image. Social experiences, social knowledge, and social stereotypes help determine each country's national character. Even though Italy has close ties to other European countries, it still possesses an identity all its own. Culture and tradition, rather than physical characteristics, give Italians their sense of individuality.

In a 1987 fieldwork study, Italians were perceived as spontaneous, expressive, open, lively, uninhibited, and sociable (Wilterdink, 44). They live a life full of extraordinary animation and passion. The commotion begins at dawn and continues into the small hours of the night. Noisy, elated, happy, energetic, busy people swarm streets, piazzas, and marketplaces. Uniformed carabinieri with their stern, serious faces perch on their motorcycles watching and guarding the day to day daily activities. The priests stroll slowly, housewives bear heavy shopping bags, wild youth with long hair and blue jeans swagger about, crowds of young men flirt with pretty girls, and children play through crowded streets. People believe that a bit of flirting and mut

Warrick, Mary-Margaret W. Personal experience. 17-27 May 1999.

d' Aquino, Niccolo. "Italians Confound Stereotypes." Europe. Jul/Aug 1993: 40-41.

Powell, Carla. "Brits should be more like Italians." New Statesman. 128.4439 (1999): 14.

ual attraction in the office will help ease working tensions and provide a more fun workplace (Powell, 14). Carts, shop windows, and stalls flaunt vegetables, flowers, fruits, toys, clothes, shoes, and fishes in the colorful confusion and disarray pouring from their abundance of goods, everything displayed everywhere in dramatic and artistic disorder. Owners strategically place cafe tables so leisurely drinkers can observe the busy people. The noises are usually deafening. People chat, sing, swear, whistle, shout, cry, howl...some in the midst of intense discussions; others immersed in delicate negotiations. One can always hear someone playing a musical instrument or singing a popular song. Vespas, cars, trucks and motorcycles roar past. In fact, the air fills with so much noise that one must talk in a very loud voice just to be heard, thereby increasing the total uproar. The old stone walls, the lack of greenery, and the narrow streets magnifies this gay and happy chaos of noise. Benches, little walls in the sun, balconies along the facades of all houses invite one to watch the calvacade with thousands of characters and hundreds of subplots. This show is so engrossing the many spend a majority of their visit just listening and

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Approximate Word count = 999
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

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