Italy Re-Viewed Pt. I--

I didn't realize it at the time (late '70's-early '80's), but my youthful infatuation with Italy was indiscriminate. I was interested in every facet of the country, every region of its geography, all of its culture. Of course, that doesn't mean I was able to cover it all; one would need more than a lifetime, and I had a late start. Still, my range of interest went far. This recent voyage of discovery with my wife and children refreshed those memories, to which I brought a new perspective.

It's easier to start with some of the eternal values.

The People

There's no doubt or re-thinking here: The country is fully an expression of the complex, creative genius of its people. It's such a man-made environment--a beautiful artifice, though conditioned by some powerful forces of nature. A good example is the Gulf of Naples area, with the bounty of its gorgeous and expansive coast, the backdrop of Vesuvius, and the huge city of Napoli, not safely situated if a major eruption should occur. It's hard to find much of what Americans would call "natural", but it's hard to criticize their land management (given the population size), either.

Ah, the population. Italy has one of the lowest birth rates in the EU. Along with some pretty stiff "non-tariff barriers" against importation of people (a/k/a immigration), low birth rates are producing some concern about the top-heavy demographic shape taking form for the future and its implications on social services, the labor pool, etc.

Despite the waning population trend, it's hard to argue that the country lacks population density. There is a Northern Italian elitist party, though, that holds fast to the view that, due to differing growth rates, the country is doomed to the chaos of Southern Italy and Southern Italians--their aim is to pull together those who want to preserve their local (insular, xenophobic, elitist, Bourgeois) culture and keep the Other out. I guess you can tell I'm not exactly on their side.

True to their dire prophecies, and contrary to their best efforts, the country's famous fractionalization by clan/town/region seems to me to be decreasing (which means these Lega Nord guys are right on the issue, but losing the war). Principal agents causing this developing national consistency are schools, military service, and TV--there's basically one Italian-language TV market, and it's the whole country. There are some locally-produced broadcasts and news shows--about the equivalent of New York One (i.e., low budget, don't matter). I see the country as becoming more homogeneous, more oriented around the nuclear family, more mobile within the country.

In short, more like America. Which should please Italians: more than any other country (except Canada, of course), Italians look to America and American culture for their cues. Except that, while the Italians always moan about conditions, I feel that the widespread dissatisfaction is more earnest than ever this time around.

Which means, approximately, nothing, in political terms. Italians have been addressing inequality and inequity passionately through political means in a most ineffective manner for longer than any of us have been alive. And books have been printed about this problem since the press was invented.

If you're Italian, though, "si arrangia". This is the same as the English "muddling through", but with more style.

Tourism

It's tough, but rewarding. The Euro/dollar exchange rate has been a disaster for American tourists and those who hold dollars but could've held Euros (or pounds, or Swiss francs, for that matter). It hasn't been so great for Italians, either, to hear them tell it.

Certainly, the usual flood of Americans has relented a bit. This is not considered generally "a Good Thing", and we are more than welcome. Credit cards are more accepted, which is a good thing because it is impossible to have enough cash without maintaining a permanent physical presence next door to an ATM machine (and a US debit card bold enough to let you at it).

There is still massive art, ruins, and indescribable beauty of a thousand kinds everywhere you go. OK, not quite everywhere, but in quite a lot of places, not just one or two or even a hundred. Food is good. So is wine. We had more than our share of "Primitivo" in Puglia this year--never a bad one, never paid more than 6-7 Euros or the equivalent in inflated restaurant prices.

Agriturismo is still the trend of the moment there; it has deepened and broadened. Why not? Our fave this time was about 5 miles south of Noci, provincia di Bari--Masseria Murgia Albanese. It's a real farm--dairy, among other products. I give it an unabashed recommendation to visitors who bring the proper attitude. For our children, it was beautiful--our 9-year-old fell in love with Cicillo, the donkey, and watching the displays of the peacock.

More on popular culture, politics, and the things Italians are curious about today in our follow-up in the August "issue".