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RunningHead:ItalianCulture

ItalianCulture
AndreusGregory
UniversityOfKentucky

WhenyouthinkaboutEuropeannationsthatmakeupEuropewhatcountriescometo
mind?NaturallyonewouldthinkaboutthemuchlargercountriessuchasGreatBritain,France,
Germany,andItaly.Thequestioniswhatmakesthesecountriesdifferfromeachother?The
answertothatisthecultureofthatcountry.BeforeIvisitedEuropeonaschooltripIneverknew
howmuchdifferentothercountryscultureswerecomparedtotheUnitedStates.InitiallyIjust
thoughttherewerelittlethingsthatweredifferentsuchasfoodandlanguagewithsimilar
lifestyles.ThenIgotofftheplaneandItalyandwasmypreviousthesiswrong.WhenIvisited
ItalyIwasamazedabouthowdifferentItalywasfromtheUnitedStates.Someofthe
componentsofculturetheItalianculturedifferedfrommyownculturejustonfirstsightofItaly.
FromthisexperienceIwilltalkaboutafewthingsthatmakeupItalianculturethatvariedfrom
mypreviousknowledgeofculture.TraditionsandcelebrationsFoodandLanguage.
OnemassivecelebrationthroughoutmanyEuropeannationsistherecognitionand
remembranceofworldwarIIandinItalytheircelebrationisbasedonthedayItalywas
liberatedthiscelebrationtakesplaceeveryApril25th.ThisdayinItalyiscalledFestadella
Liberazionewhichtranslatestothedayofliberation.AnotherNationalholidayinItalyisFesta
dellaRepubblicaortheRepublicday.ThisspecialdayhasthesignificanceoftheIndependence
dayintheUnitedStatesofAmerica.ThisdaymarksthedayItalydecidedtochangetheir
governmentfromamonarchytoarepublic1946.Withthatinmindonecandrawsimilaritiesand
adifferenceswiththefourthofJulyintheUnitedStatesofAmerica.Themajordifferenceiswe
celebrateourbreakingawayintoourownprinciplesandbecomingindependentversusItalythe
celebrationiscenteredonthechangefromanolderprimitivegovernmentintoadifferent

foundationofagovernment.Thischangeisbasedontheinvestmentofpowerandhownolonger
thatpowerwasinvestedinasinglepersonwhoisbornintothispower.Powerchangedoverto
thepeoplethatmakeupthenation.Wealsodonthaveanyformalcelebrationsorremembrance
forthesecondworldwarwhichshowshowvaluesdifferbetweendifferentculturessinceadate
thatisanationalholidayforthehistoryofonenationthereisnoformalcelebrationinanother
nation.
AlongwiththeirmajorNationalHolidaystherearealsohugecelebrationsItalyalsohas
religiousholidaycelebrations.SincetheVaticanCityislocatedinItalytherearemanyRoman
Catholic.SoChristmasandEasterareveryimportantandcelebratedthroughoutItalysimilarlyto
America.WhichisexpectedwithChristianitywiththecelebrationsofeasterandChristmaslike
intheUnitedStatescenteraroundfamilyandtogetherness.
OnemostmajordefiningpartsoftheItaliancultureisthefood.Italianfoodhasspreadall
overtheworld,manybelievethatitalianfoodisinitselfsimplyamazingmyselfincluded.From
mypersonalexperiencewhenIwenttoItalyallthefoodwasabsolutelyamazingandevery
restaurantIvisitedthequalitywasoutstanding.MaryAnnEspositoalsoagreeswithme.Mary
AnnEspositoisanAmericanchefandhoststhelongestrunningcookingprograminAmerica,
alsohaspublishedmultiplecookbooksaid:SometimeswhatItaliancooksdowiththeir
beautifulrawingredientsjustleavemespeechless.(Esposito,P.32).Forsomeonethathasthe
longestcookingshowinAmericaandpublished13cookbookstosayItalianfoodleavesher
speechlessthentheremustbesomethingspecialaboutthefoodthatoneshouldexperience.
LuisaDelGiudiceDirector,ItalianOralHistoryInstitutefrom1994presenthadthisto
sayaboutItalianfoodItaliansuseoffoodisgoodforsociallife,forbodies,andfortheplanet.

Theyshowandbalanceandrestraintinfoodconsumption,practicemanageablysizedfood
production(DelGiudice,P.112).AnotherdifferencefromtheUnitedStatesofAmericaand
ItalyisthatinItalypeopledonoteatlargeportionsoffoodandgoforsecondsofameal.Italian
sociallifeisalsobasedofffoodandmealsandhowitbringspeopletogether.
InItalythefoodinmyopinionwasmagnificent.WhereIwassousedtoseeingfastfood
restaurantsoneveryblockinamericathatwasnotthecaseinItaly.Italyhasmoreofafocuson
sitdownrestaurantswhereallfoodismadefromscratch.Thisshowsamajordifferenceinwhat
imusedtoathomebecausetheemphasisismorelaidbackinItalyfromalwaysbeingonthego
backhome.Thisisanothermajordifferenceinthemakeupofthecultureandlifestylethatmakes
ItalydifferentfromAmerica.
Manysociologistbelievethatlanguageisthebasicbuildingblockforcommunication.
Withoutlanguagecommunicationcannotexist.Withoutcommunicationitwouldhardtoput
togetheraculturefullofdifferentideasandtraditionsthatmakeupaculture.Italianshavetheir
ownlanguagewhichalsoisonethedefiningfactorsoftheirculture.Thishasappliedeveninthe
1700sofItaliantheaterlanguagewasthemostimportantpartoftheplay.ThePowerofspoken
languageseemstoprevailoverwrittentext.(Tosi,P.18).Languagehasservedasanimportant
toolforunderstandingothersforanelongatedperiodoftime,andeven200yearsinthepast
languagewasamajorcontributortoapartoftheculture.Withoutlanguagetherewouldbeno
socialstructureanditwouldbehardertoimagineaculturebeingbuiltifthebasicbuildingblock
oflanguageisabsent.
Beforethelanguagewasspreadthroughouttheglobetherewasdebatesaboutwhether
theirlanguageshouldbespreadornotinthe1970s.VincenzoCappellettiaprofessorofhistory

ofscienceattheUniversityofRomeLaSapienzaandRomaTreUniversityfrom1980to2002.
whowasahighlyinvolvedwhenitcametothespreadoftheItalianlanguagethought:Itwas
importanttoberealisticinacknowledgingthevalueofinteractingwithanddependingonother
nations.(TotaroGenevois,P.114).CappellettithoughtthatspreadingtheItalianlanguage
wouldbebeneficial,becauseinteractingwithothernationsatthetimeprovedtobeanimportant.
TogivemeafirsthandpersonalexperienceofitalianculturemembersoftheUniversity
ofKentuckyItalianclubgavemesomeinsightonwhattheythinkabouttheirculture.David
SimmssaysItaliancultureItmakesmereallyuniqueandimproudofmyfamilyheritage.
ThroughthisstatementIdrewtheconclusionthattoDavidhisculturegiveshimandhisfamily
anidentityandwithoutittheywouldbesignificantlydifferent.
Membersoftheitalianculturealsohadacommontrendwithfamilybeingalargepartof
theirculture.ClaudiaAldoanothermembersaid:Wefocusmorefamilytraditionalvalues
AndiClarkwhoisanadvisoroftheclubalsoagreeswiththisshewhenshesaid:Theyvalue
familyandtimeandtimetheyspendtogethermoresothaninamerica.Thesemembersofthe
Italiancultureclubsharetheideathatfamilytiesandfamilyishighlyvaluedandmakesmajor
partoftheItalianculture.
WhenaskedwhatisthedifferencebetweenItaliancultureandAmericancultureandIfit
isgoodtosharetheirculture.AlsowhenItalkedtothemembersoftheItalianculturecluba
commondifferencetheytalkedabouthowItalyismorelaidbackandhowimportantfamilyis.
Thereismoretimetofamily,andpeoplearelessbusyinItalyandthereforespendmoretime
withfriendsandfamily.Betweenthethreeintervieweestheyhadacommonideologythat
sharingcultureisagoodthingbecauseitpromotesdiversityandacceptanceofotherculturesand

itsinterestingtoseehowdifferentotherculturesarefromyourown.Whichisveryimportant
everywherebecausepeoplearedifferentandwhatmakespeopleandtheirfamilydifferentis
special.
ThecombinationofTraditions,food,language,andfamilytiesmaketheItalianCulture
differfromtheothermoreknownculturesaroundtheworld.Basedonmypreviousexperiences
andwhativelearnedthroughItalianculturemademerealizehowmuchculturesvarybyNation.
Aspeoplearedifferentasindividualssoareculturesandtheremaybesimilaritiesthroughoutto
cultures,butnotwoculturesareexactlyalike.Italybeingalessbusylaidbackculturewhere
spendingtimewithfriendsandfamilyisamajordefiningpartoftheeverydayItalianlifestyle.
WhenIfirstexperiencedititchangedmypreviousmindsetthatmostculturesareverysimilar
andpeoplefromdifferentcultureshavesimilarlifestylestomine.Studyingadifferentculture
causesahigherculturerelativismandthatleadstohavingahigherunderstandingaboutanother
culturewhichisgoodbecausemanypeoplecomefromdifferentbackgroundsanditsalways
interestingtoknowmoreaboutsomeonethatlivesadifferentlifestyle.Fromcomponentsof
italianculturethatwereexclusivetoItalyandcomponentsthathavespreadallovertheglobe.
Italianfoodisaprimaryexampletothespreadoftheculturetoapointwheremembersofother
cultureshaveknowledgeofthemanyitaliandishesoreatitalianfoodonafrequentbasis.Italian
asalanguageisofferedandtaughtatmanyUniversitiesinAmericaandEurope.Spreadingof
ItalianshowsthatcomponentsofthecultureisacceptedinmanyplacesotherthanItalyandthat
thecultureisforeveryonenotjustItalians.

References
DelGiudice,L.(2011).TheItalianwayFoodandSocialLife.

Esposito,M.(2014).ARealItalianMealTheSaturdayEveningPost.32.

TotaroGenevoisM(2005)CulturalandLinguisticPolicyAbroadtheItalianExperience.
BuffaloBritishMultilingualMattersLTD.

TosiA.(2006).OralityandliteracyinmodernItalianCulture.
LondonModernHumanitiesResearchAssociationandMaxPublishing.