Below you will find a short list that hits upon the basics of Italian culture and some of the inferences that I have made based upon my experiences in Italy.  This list just scratches the surface.
 

1)  The family is at the heart of the Italian culture.  It is the most enduring and the strongest element of Italian society.

2)  The church, although diminished today, has played a vital role in fostering family values.  Even though modern Italians may not attend church regularly, they are still governed by the moral foundation that has been established over the millennia.

3)  To get things done in Italy you have to know someone.

4)  The overwhelming amount of history and culture rooted on the Italian peninsula cam be seen as a reflecting pool.  –a way to look at and, perhaps, better understand the human experience.

5)  My experiences in Italy have provided more proof for my long held belief, which is;  People are products of their environment.

6)  The history of Italy perfectly illustrates how even though people are constantly changing and 
evolving, everything (human nature) stays the same.  Many of the social and economic issues of today could have been found in the ancient Roman empire thousands of years ago.

7)  Dining is a huge part of Italian life.  The pace of a restaurant dining experience is much slower than we, as Americans, are accustomed to. They make time for family dinners.

8)  In Italy the integration of outside cultures is much more subtle that it is in the US.  It takes a longer time for outside influences to make their way into the Italian way of life.  Change and diversity are more prevalent in the United States.

9)   It is very difficult to live in Italy while attempting to maintain an American standard of living.
Italy has a higher cost of living.

I have learned so much more than what is listed in these examples.  It will take some time, perhaps years, to fully internalize everything that I have been exposed to during this first year in Italia.

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