American stereotypes about Italians (Part 1)

I already talked about some stereotypes other cultures have about Italians in a previous article – Eight common stereotypes about Italians.

However, searching the web, I came across a video entitled “Some questions Americans have for Italians”. I decided to watch it, and I found out that many of those questions are based on American stereotypes about Italians.

So, in today’s article I’ve decided to answer to the first part of these questions, hoping in this way to clarify any doubt Americans might still have about Italians.

How come Italian men eat all the pasta they want but they can still be hot?

Italians love pasta, this is true. They love it so much that they have invented many different recipes so as they can never get sick of it – amatriciana, lasagne,  pasta with pesto, etc.
The fact that they can eat all the pasta they want and still be hot and in good shape, instead, is kind of a myth. In fact, first of all, not each Italian man is in good shape. Secondly, Italian men that actually are in good shape, either do some sport, or are just blessed with good genetic.

Do Italians ever get sick of pasta? Because you eat it everyday…or not?

This is one of the most common American stereotypes about Italians. Italians love pasta but they do not eat it every single day! They have other recipes too, like gnocchi, risotto, legumes soup, crepes, and so on.

What do I do to marry a man like Claudio Marchisio?

Honestly, I don’t have a clue. Just being yourself? If he turns you down, it’s his loss.

How can you stay tanned the whole year?

This is another of my favorite American stereotypes about Italians. Some people see Italians as a tanned dark-haired population. However, this is far from being the reality. Indeed, many Italians have blond or red hair and they have also pale skin.
People who stay tanned all the year, most probably, either live in Southern Italy – where temperatures are generally higher – and have a good dose of melanin, or just go to Lampados, that’s to say, they have a UV tanning session.

Why do you speak with your hands?

Italians generally use gestures to emphasize what they’re saying. In Italy gestures are considered an important non verbal language. Italians have gestures to indicate that they’re hungry, thirsty, bored, and so on.

Moreover, for many Italians gestures are like an “international language”, a useful resource to be used when they want to communicate with someone without knowing his/her language.  

How are Italians so sexy? What’s your secret?

Are we? Really?

Are there any road rules in Italy? If there are, why does nobody follow them?

Yes, there are. But it’s also true that sometimes there are people who do not follow them. I’m probably going to write an article about this.

Why do you have so many dialects?

1. The first reason is that during its history, Italy was invaded by many different cultures – i.e. Germanic tribes, Arabs Spaniards, French and Austrians.
2. The second, is that before its unification, in 1861, Italy was divided in many different political entities. Although Latin was considered the official language, each entity had a different history and a different vulgar language.

You can find the second part of this article here: American stereotypes about Italians (Part 2)

Do you know other typical American stereotypes about Italians?
Are there similar stereotypes about Italians in your country too?
I can’t wait to read your comments 🙂

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Credits

Original image by kpgolfpro