L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 2018 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 2 W e all have our own way to live and see things. And, being aware of it, we should ask ourselves why we let other people's opinions influence us so much. This being involved, conditioned, carried away by thoughts that aren't our own often turns into prejudice and stereotypes: we end up thinking the same as everyone else, instead of using our own head. Certainly, social media should have thought us something about it! For this reason, when we blindly trust what others have felt and experienced, we risk to forget we may have different tastes and needs. It happens also when we go on holiday or we think of Italy. A tourist guide shouldn't really tell us much more than museums' addresses and opening hours, or the location of a specific monument. It should simply suggest possible ways to visit a place, without "holding our hand" or, even worse, make us think something about it before we even saw it with our own eyes. It's like being at the restaurant: do you let the waiter choose for you, or do you check the menu and decide whether you want fish or meat, a main or a simple salad? Of course, you may ask some advice about the right wine, but your friendly waiter can't know if you're really hungry or just peckish, if you want barbecued meats or a dessert. It's common to make a list of places to visits when leafing through a tourist guide. Then, we run from a monument to the other, making do with the 10 or 11 lines the author decided to dedicate to each location. Even the quality of our time is penalized: 5 minutes here, fifteen there, half an hour in the other street. If you want to see what's in that list, you need to play jigsaw with opening times and public transport, running a tiring marathon from a corner to the other of the city. A chase that leaves us more tired at the end of our holiday than when we disembarked our plane. And most of all, the collection of pictures and selfies we bring home won't do the beauty of that place justice, nor will be able to awaken its memory because, when there, we only took some snapshots, instead of trying to know that place, full of history and architecture, art and culture, of course, but also rich in humanity and Your point of view is important: leave home all stereotypes when visiting Italy From the director social experiences we could have had, if we only took the time to chat with locals. This isn't easy, because it isn't a matter of jumping on a carriage and letting it drive us through the streets of Rome, following a path horses have known by heart for years but, rather, of choosing, among all roads and alleys, those leading us through the thousands treasures of our Capital, or the little trafficked calli of Venice, where its most intimate corners are hidden. Of course, we don't feel like to think too much when on holiday, nor to make efforts and spend time looking at maps. Still, what we'd like to suggest is to give yourself the time to truly experience the places you choose to visit, to discover "your own" Italy and to build "your own" memories of it, even if that means to exclude something of your must-see list of attractions. "Your" point of view is extremely important: it's what will remain in your mind, what will make the difference. Even if you have a well referenced map in your hands, or the luck to be personally accompanied by an expert guide, it'll always be your curiosity and your mood to etch clearly in your memory feelings and emotions tied to a Raphael's painting or a Michelangelo's sculpture, to a beautiful square where daily life flows quietly or to busy shopping streets, filled with stores, cafés and gelaterie. Have you chosen Italy as your next holidays' destination? Perfect! Leave stereotypes locked in your hotel room, all that you think to know about Italians and the Bel Paese. Italy is what you'll meet and see in the street, it'll be your own personal experience of it, the things you'll see, the flavors you'll try, the colors leading your eyes. Leave what you heard about the country back in your suitcase: Italy is more than good food, spaghetti, gelati, sun, blue sea and hills, more even than art cities and fantastic monuments. Italy is what you'll live. It's also the beauty of running around looking for shelter during a summer storm, it's a rough sea, the sand twirling in the wind. It's even that restaurant where you ate the worst pizza in history: you certainly won't forget that one! Don't consider your holiday ruined, take advantage of the situation and find out about what others didn't have the chance to see. Don't exclusively choose trendy bars, try to discover the hidden ones: maybe in there you'll find that smile, that friendliness, that attention to the customer a very busy establishment wouldn't be able to offer you. Fair enough, you may have not liked the pizza, but you'll have tried a slice of real Italy, away from all stereotypes. Simone Schiavinato, Director NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS

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