An introduction
If you are reading this it is probably because you are about to, or have just, moved to Italy on a permanent basis, not just for a short vacation. You might appreciate an introduction to this unknown place where culture, habits and, to make it even harder, the language are so different and unfamiliar to you. Italians are masters at making you feel welcome so, provided that your attitude is positive and “smiling”, there is no doubt that this will be an exiting and unforgettable period of your life. The cultural differences you will encounter will simply turn into nice anecdotes to tell when back home, if you remain cheerful and as open to diversity as the Italians themselves. You should consider your move as a two-step adventure: first, the several practical hurdles that you have to overcome in order to settle-in properly, second , the enjoyment of a wonderful and unique country. Here is a list of hints and easy references for you to approach the first part of your task: settling-in. We leave the second part to you!
Business
Italian industrialisation goes back just one century, as most of the economy at the start of the 20th century, despite the mountainous territory, was based on agriculture. Even today approximately 70% of the territory is cultivated. In Italy there are relatively few large industries or corporations. A vast segment of the Italian economy is made up of small to medium sized, family owned businesses which are the backbone of the country and the source of the renowned Italian creativity. Como, in particular , has been known as the world capital of the silk industry for over a hundred years and a majority of top quality silk scarves, ties, shirts and silk material are produced here…
Banking: Recently the banking system in Italy has undergone several mergers that should bring it to the level of other top industrialised countries. Like most other areas of the economy, banking in Italy has been characterised by a high level of fragmentation .
Stock Exchange: The Italian Stock Exchange is located in Piazza Affari in Milan. Though not one of the most important stock markets in Europe, most major international brokers are represented there.
Business Hours
Offices open around 8:30/ 9:00 AM and close around 5:30 to 6:00P.M. with a one hour lunch-break. In big cities like Milan and Rome, due to traffic congestion at rush hour, many companies have what is called “flexible time”. Office employees can start at any time between 8:00 and 9:30A.M. and leave in the evening between 5:00 and 6:30 PM.
Banks in Italy usually open from 8 A.M. to around 1:30 P.M. and then reopen for a couple of hours in the afternoon, but are closed on Saturdays.
Shopping hours vary even more than those of offices and banks. Boutiques and small shops open between 9:00 and 9:30AM, (10 A.M. in the centre of Milan) and close at 12:30 or 1:00PM, for lunch . In winter they re-open at 03:00PM and close at 7:30PM., but sometimes they open later in the summer months. On Monday mornings shops are usually closed, as they are on Sundays, but there are exceptions during the pre-Christmas season or in typical tourist areas. Food shops are closed on Monday afternoons, whereas supermarkets are open all day and close late, several evenings a week.
Clothing
I guess the major distinction to be made when it comes to Italian clothing is the purpose of it. Italians don’t wear clothes. Italians dress up! The primary purpose of clothes is not that of covering the body, but rather that of contributing dramatically to the success of a person’s look. A national concept is defined in an untranslatable manner as: fare bella figura! This concept is at the base of the Italian way of dressing and it has to do with etiquette, with the pleasure of looking nice (and making sure that others will notice you!), with always being up to date with what fashion dictates, etc. All of that and much more is condensed in the concept of “Bella Figura”. Most foreigners get use to, and adapt quickly, to this concept and soon fit right in when they walk around the Italian cities.
When it comes to Business, Italian tradition dictates an “adapted” Business attire, jacket and tie, often worn with light blue shirts and fancy, brown shoes, as opposed to traditional white shirts and black shoes! Not to mention the ties! Most ties are produced in Italy, which means in Como! Just imagine the variety of ties which Italian business men can choose from.
Culture
The relevance of Italian culture is unquestionable, as is its origin. Ancient Greece was the cradle of western civilization and when the Romans invaded Greece, they inherited its extraordinary culture which was absorbed into the Latin culture. Waves of invasions after the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 A.D. were a set back to civilization . New populations dominated Italy during the Middle Ages and slowly but inexorably absorbed Latin civilization in the course of the centuries. The Pontifical State, which dominated a large portion of the Italian peninsula for a millennium, also had a strong influence on Italian culture. Cultural enrichment also came from a blending of western and Arab culture as a result of the Crusades. From the Holy Land the Crusaders brought the scientific and mathematical wisdom of the Arabs back to Europe. The knights also re-discovered the philosophic texts of the Greeks that had been destroyed in Europe during the Middle Ages by the Catholic Church, but were still studied by the Arabs. All this incredible amount of culture and science was the basis for the next evolution: The Italian Renaissance.
The Renaissance, which began in XV century Florence and rapidly spread throughout Europe, was a reaction to the Middle Ages, which were considered an age of darkness.. Culture, the arts and philosophy underwent an incredible evolution, leaving us an extraordinary heritage of masterpieces that we can still admire today.
As far as the Italian nation is concerned, one invasion after the other, combined with the dominance of the Pontifical State, delayed the creation of an Italian State until 1861. At that time, as a result of the “Risorgimento” movement, the country became the Kingdom of Italy, with almost the same territory as that of the present day Italian Republic.
Italy as a nation is officially divided into twenty Regions, each one very different from the other, more like twenty countries, if you consider the true spirit of each Region. Italians have use the term CAMPALINISMO, which means a feeling of identification and belonging to their hometown (symbolised by the bell tower or “campanile”) that used to provide them with protection during the dangerous Middle Ages. Even today CAMPANILISMO is rooted in the Italian soul: an Italian abroad will identify himself as Italian but, when in Italy, as Tuscan, and when in Tuscany as a Florentine! And when in Florence? Well, he’ll claim to belong to the XYZ family, of course!
The historic, cultural and social evolution of the peninsula is at the base of the Italian way of approaching things. Generalising a bit, there are a few things to bear in mind when dealing with Italians. Pragmatism is not widely applied in Italy, everything tends to be analysed and discussed in depth and width, from one angle or the other, . . . to exhaustion! Cutting things short or being too efficient might be regarded as impolite.
There are many positive aspects to the way Italians are and to what they have given to the world over the ages. Just think of the magnificent expressions of culture to be found in Italy. For as long as you might be able to stay and visit places, you will probably never be able to see all the beautiful things that Italy has to offer you.
