A Taste of Italian Culture

There are many reasons why I love Florence. In fact, I feel like I could even create a long list about every single aspect I enjoy. (But don’t worry, I wont bore you with it.) But after spending a couple of months here, I think I have figured out my most favorite thing about this city: it is one big, open cultural museum.  There are so many different creative and aesthetic beauties of Florence. Everywhere I look, Florence is full of ancient architecture, amazing art, divine food, and stylish fashion. By living in this diverse and stimulating city, I have learned so much about Italians, and even more specifically, the Tuscan culture.

I love art. I am not particularly good at any form of art but I truly appreciate it. Florence is full of creations that capture my attention. The Italian culture is full of deep, rich art history that excites me. I love being able to walk in the Academia, the Bargello, or the Uffizi and know what I am observing. When traveling, I love to observe. Culture is fascinating to me and I think it is very important to understand as many cultures as possible. While living in Florence, I feel like I have been continuously expanding my knowledge on the Italian culture. 

One interesting cultural norm I have noticed is that Italians are very focused on the presentation of their appearance, almost to the point of narcissism. They spend most of their money investing in clothes, shoes, and accessories. Italians have a great passion for looking nice. Italian women love to always look classy. I have, in fact, witnessed many women, whose professions range from trash collectors, to even police officers, wear tons of make-up and expensive accessories on the job. When I first noticed this, I was shocked. Most women in America don’t bother to even apply mascara everyday.

One thing I enjoy to do here in Florence is to get a gelato and sit on one of the bridges facing the Ponte Vecchio. As I sit, licking up my delicious gelato that slowly melts down my hand, I watch the locals drive by on their scooters. I particularly enjoy doing this with my roommate Jodie. We find it hilarious how the Italian scooters driving over the very uneven pavement make people bump, bounce, and jostle all about. Even after the two months of living here I still enjoy watching the locals get thrown around by their tiny scooters. After a couple of times of watching this strange form of entertainment, I have noticed that the women who drive these little mopeds have one thing in common; they all wear their high heels. This particularly surprised me because I am used to San Francisco. Whenever I am in the city at home, I find it a quite common to see women walk around in sneakers, even if they are dressed in nice business suits. I have never seen an Italian woman wear any work-out outfit, let alone sneakers. Although their appearance is just one big show, I do at times have to admire their effort and air of elegance. I admit, they do always manage to look very sharp.