Italian culture is vibrant with a long history of art, classic architecture, music and literature.
Italian people are known the world over for being outgoing and friendly, for enjoying the good things in life such as good food, good wine and the sunny weather. The regional divide is reflected in the traditions, the food, handcraft and music from each area. However the biggest divide is that between North and South, the first is traditionally richer and geared towards a working culture with most of the industries concentrating there, while the latter is poorer and has a more relaxed way of life where work is scarce and the economy is based on agriculture and tourism. Italy is a country famous for its long winded bureaucratic system and long queues out of official offices; mostly everybody moving to Italy will encounter at one point or another difficulties with such an archaic and complicated system. Italian men are famous for being football lovers and mummy’s boys not capable of looking after themselves and living at home until they get married. However the emancipation of Italian women leading them to pursue their career rather than centering their life on building a family, brought the new generations as well as part of the old ones to equally share the responsibilities of the children and the household within the couple.
When you think of Italy, style and fashion immediately come to mind, some of the finest fashion labels come from there such as Armani, Valentino, Versace and Roberto Cavalli. Milan is the capital of fashion, however lovely boutiques are available all over Italy. Traditionally Italy is a Catholic country with a society geared toward the basic family values to look after the children and care for the old. This is particularly true in the South where family ties are still very strong and families quite large including cousins, uncles and aunties. It is rare for old people to go into care, but they are usually looked after by a family member. Children are widely accepted at venues and restaurants without being frowned upon when out in the evening with their parents. Everywhere you go in Italy you’ll find a large artistic and cultural heritage, Florence represents the height of the Renaissance, Pisa, Orvieto, Siena and many more Medieval cities have great examples of Medieval art and Rome represent the Baroque period. As well as artists of the caliber of Michelangelo and Leonardo, Giotto, Botticelli and the architect Bernini will always be part of Italy’s artistic heritage and thousands of tourists queue to see their works everyday. Italian literature has just as illustrious names from Boccaccio to Dante, Petrarch, Leopardi and D’annunzio to Alessandro Manzoni and Italo Calvino. Italy claims some of the best classic composers of all times such as Puccini and Verdi and most Operas are in Italian.
As well as the traditional arts, Italy has a long tradition of minor art forms expressing themselves in local arts and crafts products with variations according to regional tradition.