Drinking Compari at an Italian Cafe
If you’ve ever spent time in Italy and wondered why life seems perfect there, you’re not alone. What is it about the Italian lifestyle that feels so good and how can you duplicate it here in the U.S.? As evident in movies such as “Under the Tuscan Sun”,of course there’s a lot of eating, drinking wine and flirting, but it’s more than just that. In a recent interview, Examiner.com Italian living expert, Serenella Leoni, helps unlock the secret to health and happiness…Italian style.
Here are Serenella’s top characteristics of Italian life.
1. Fresh, healthy food
To the Italians, food is life and as such, they honor it using the freshest ingredients. All the senses are evoked during purchasing, growing, preparing or eating food. Every meal is to be enjoyed to the fullest. There’s an old Italian proverb: A tavola non s'invecchi mai. It means you never grow old at the table.
2. Passion for life
Whether it’s cooking, painting or working, the Italian approach is to be present and attentive throughout the entire process. Here again, using all of the senses in order to squeeze out every bit of pleasure. And nothing is ever rushed. As they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day!
3. Life-long curiosity
Italians’ innate curiosity keeps life fresh. They continue to seek answers and learn new things. This trait is evident in all the discoveries and inventions from Italians such as Columbus, Marconi, Da Vinci and Zamboni to name a few.
4. Family ties and traditions
The social connection of family, friends and traditions gives meaning to life in a celebratory way. It gives Italians a reason to stop work and pay attention to people, play and fun. Sharing their life with others equates to love.
5. Resilience and strength
Italy’s history of natural disasters, war, invasion, political corruption and Vatican influence serves as a poignant reminder to live life to the fullest and to move on after setbacks. It’s all considered part of the cycle of life.
6. Simplicity
Italians place more value on the simple things in life (family, community, enjoying a Tuscan sunset) rather than the material things most westerners covet. There are plenty of happy farmers in Italy who want no more than to share a meal with others in their community.
You can re-create a bit of the Italian lifestyle right here in the U.S. by adopting some of the characteristics from list above. Make a conscious effort to slow down whether that’s eating or driving. Savor every moment in life and notice it with all your senses. Spend less time wanting and more time giving. Reach out to your community and get to know people. And of course, cook at least one healthy meal from scratch every week for your family and/or friends. And then take the time to enjoy it with a nice bottle of Chianti!
Serenella Leoni is a native Tuscan living in California. Her company, Toscana Mia, creates custom designed, hand crafted Italian vacations. To learn more about Italian living, visit Serenella’s Examiner.com columns.
Comments
Excellent article! This captures the true essence of the Italian way of life and why "slow food" is so much healthier that "fast food.
Great article. I could not have said it better. You really understand the spirt and lifestyle of Italy!
Nice article. It fails to mention the dismal Italian economy though, as well as the wages that are about 1/2 of the average American worker....
Adn don't get me started about the massive bureaucracy, the crooked politicians and other misery.
Italy is a great holiday country, but work wise
the US is much much better.
To Jan de Vries,
Your second sentence describes our country, as well. Italians do not earn as much as Americans, but their money goes further. They eat better,live longer, dress so much better than most Americans, they sometimes take 2 vacations a year (winter and summer) and home ownership is quite high. College education is almost free and they don't worry about getting healthcare. So, their politics is just as corrupt as ours, but they seem to get more for the buck, oops! the EURO>
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