Stereotypes always tend to have some truth mixed in with a few generalisations and a bit of exaggeration. Here a small list that Italians usually do in their life.

The typically Italian man has dark eyes and a dark complexion, with black hair. He is very passionate and lazy and he works in factory or into an office. The typical Italian woman has a round shape. She is very charming and she works as housewife.

The Italians usually live in flats in the city. They pay a rent once a month because a house of ownership costs too much. They work in factory or in office as employee and once a month they receive a salary. Every day the Italians dink a cup of Italian coffee around ten o’clock, they read “ Il Messaggero”, “L’Arena”, “Corriere dello Sport” and “La Repubblica” newspapers and magazines like “Novella 2000”, “Chi” and others like this.



They usually have fish on Tuesdays and on Fridays, while the others days, they eat meat and soup. At lunch instead they always have pasta and drink Italian white wine. After work, the typical Italian man goes to the gym or practises sport. The lazy Italian man instead usually goes to bar; he likes smoke cigarettes and a very few people smoke a cigar and he usually watches the TV sat in his armchair.



The Italians watch RAI television, Mediaset channel and Sky and they love watch the sport matches on TV. During the evening they usually watch adventure films, documentaries and quiz programmes with a good Italian beer.

In every family there are 3 or 4 persons because the Italians don’t love big families but there’s always a dog or a cat because they are a little bit “mammon”. During the free time the Italians love go to the cinema with the family, to walk to the mountains, eat in small restaurants and for the women talk on the phone to hers friends about cakes and Italian recipes.

About guys, they love going out in pubs or in discos on Fridays and on Saturdays night, skiing and play football and for the girls and women in general they love hanging out in the city looking the showcases. On Sundays afternoon they usually go to the cinema with friends and during evening they have pizza. The Italians guys study at High school or at the university. They love wear well themselves and to take care of their aspect. They like politics but don’t trust very much in political and they don’t love foreign languages.

Finally, there is one detail that unites all the Italians:

-THEY LOVE THEIR MAMAS-

Righetto Michele

Spaghetti and pasta in general are sacred. You cannot take pasta away from an Italian meal otherwise it won't be complete. A typical Italian meal usually includes:

1.Starter (primo): pasta
2.Main course (secondo): fish or meat with salad
3.Fruit or dessert (dolce)
4.Coffee



Here we start running into the first problems, there are some big regional differences in Italy, so you might find risotto replacing pasta in some places!



A good meal should always be shared with someone else. It is a way to share conversation and jokes, forget about work for a couple of hours and enjoy life. Be assured, an Italian will always find the time to eat properly. The Mafia is real: we are not proud of it but it does exists, especially in the South and the island of Sicily. Obviously, not every Italian is a Mafioso and most will feel offended and insulted if you use the term, even when if you mean it as a joke. The most important element of communication are the gestures: the way we move our hands, hold our heads, move our shoulders, our facial expressions, as well as the way we use our eyes and mouths to make ourselves understood. We simply cannot talk without our hands. If they are busy doing something else, we start moving shoulders or other parts of the body for emphasis. Italians speak very loudly in public whether on the bus, in the street or on the phone. We like to travel a lot, but do not speak many foreign languages - maybe because we trust body language more than words. We do enjoy romance and maybe the stereotype of the Italian romantic lover is not completely dead. An Italian guy will never let a girl go home unescorted. Also, the macho ideal is still alive and well in Italian culture.



We are also fashion victims: you can recognize Italians by the way they dress from the head to feet. We usually dress strictly black Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses; Calvin Klein boxers; Levi's jeans; Gucci handbags; tanned skin all year long; perfect make up). We will dress stylishly for every possible occasion. You won't ever see an Italian wearing sporting short pants combined with long socks: it's simply against our fashion rules (let alone our sense of style)! We are chaotic. Nothing in Italy is well organized or easy-to-use. You have to fight to get the smallest scrap of information. Don't be surprised to see Italians fighting to get into the buses or jumping the queue to be served first at the coffee bar. Italy’s slow-moving and stressful bureaucracy has made us more pushy and resourceful.