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17th July 2017Did Napoleon have a Dane-complex?
19th February 2018
Italian driving is the italian way
Spending the time in Italy as a tourist, one can’t help, but wonder why in the world do the Italians drive so recklessly. And for the most part unnecessarily recklessly.
Constant overtaking, regardless of the restrictions, prohibitions and those fine solid lines. The honking of the horn and parking that makes no sense at all.
Just like most of you I have hard time adoption to this type of behaviour, but unlike most of you I know why the Italians act so recklessly in traffic.
The answer is quite simple. It’s the Italian way. There isn’t much settle about the Italians and that’s the reason why in any corner of this planet you can say “Italian” and people will immediately be able to mention at least ten things that are Italian – Ciao, pizza, vino, pasta, Ferrari, Grazie … etc.
Looking at the map Italy is a very small country, especially taking the impact of the Italian culture in consideration. Sure, there were times when Roman empire was vast, but in general the humongous impact of Italian culture on the rest of the world is not due to the size or colossal conquering. It’s due to the way of the Italians.
They are loud and in-your-face with just about anything. It can be the actual talking, it can be the gesticulation, the unnecessarily button-down shirts for full display of the chest hairs and golden chains, it can be the half-naked female TV anchors, the bizarrely out-there car designs or their driving culture.
Regardless what and regardless how we feel about their way, the fact is that their loud approach to life has made them one of the most recognisable and widespread cultures in the world.
No matter where in the world you live there is never more than few kilometer to the closest pizzeria and you make pasta yourself at least once a week.
We all know those amazing Italian cars that often are somewhat bizarre in their design and solutions, but yet at the same time they are stylish and extremely potent as well as attractive. But what Italians can do is create some amazing designs for cheap cars like Alfa Romeo … and then they make them red, too.
Any metropole in the world has its Little Italy and unlike many other ‘Little-whatever’ these, Little Italy didn’t arise as a result of classical immigration caused by wars or political/religious exorcism. Little Italy is the result of a typical Italian behavior and spreading the seed.
So when you look at Italians in traffic and you wonder “Why does he need to drive so fast and overtake all the time?” – it has nothing to do with coming from A to B faster – it’s simply display of the loud winning behavior that together with big level of competence and originality has resulted a world where Italy is loud and clear at every corner.
And the rest of us … when we badmouth them, when we make fun of their ways while we are eating some tasty lasagna and sipping a nice Chianti – perhaps we are just bit jealous and at least a bit envious because theirs is bit bigger than ours and most certainly better at spreading the seed.
