Author Archives: Massimo

Italian Hero Giuseppe Garibaldi to be Exhumed

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Giuseppe Garibaldi is the quintessential Italian hero. He is commemorated in statues and street names throughout Italy — you can bet that there is no square in Italy where his statue is not present. Giuseppe Garibaldi, is a 19th Century military leader who played a very important in the unification of Italy. He is one of its founding fathers.

So, his body is to be exhumed at the end of September, in response to doubts about its true location raised by some official and relatives. They say that the tomb, on an island near Sardinia called Caprera (a wonderful place), may have been tampered with. So let wait until September to know if the Italian hero may be at the center of the attention in Italy.

The “God Particle” and Italian Scientist Fabiola Giannotti

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Yes, the Vatican State is an enclave of the Italian peninsula. However, in early July Italy became the center of “God” in another way.

We are talking about the discovering of the subatomic particle called the Higgs boson a.k.a. “God particle”, possibly the most important discovery ever — not just in physics. Higgs boson is key to understanding why matter has mass, which combines with gravity to give all objects weight — i.e., for instance, how can bodies like ours actually exist.

The head of the 3,000-strong team that worked on the project at the $10 billion Large Hadron Collider at European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva is actually Italian, Fabiola Giannotti.

How to make a perfect Gelato…..

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There are many ways to learn how to make a good gelato. First learn Italian well with Living Language, then read one of the many Italian websites that explain you all the secrets for a good gelato.

OR

You can enroll to “Il ciclo di produzione del gelato artigianale e le norme igieniche da rispettare”, at the Università di Bologna (the oldest in the Westen World, founded in 1088….so Harvard guys, calm down: your college came about only 550 yrs later) a join venture with Carpigiani Gelato University. So, what are you waiting for? Summer will be over in just 2 months.

Italy-England and the Spoon

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I am sure you are aware that the Euro 2012 is going on. No, not that Euro (currency), the football thing. Foorball (in the US: soccer) is the second most important religion in Italy. Italy beat England ai rigori (penalties). A penalty-goal by player Pirlo created a massive buzz over the coolness of the player — it was a rather unusual shot for a penalty, and it really takes a lot of courage to do so. Anyway, the gist is that the type of shoot is called “cucchiaio“, literally “spoon“. If you watch it here you will understand why… the shape of the trajectory.

Woody Allen and Rome

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Woody Allen has always been a super-star in Italy since the early 1980s. He is definitely better know in Italy than in the U.S. (excluding, but I would not bet it, LA and NYC). The love and respect seems to be returned by the native New Yorker by his frequent visits to Venice, where he married and a movie where Venice is at the center of a love story. Now his love for Italy has been declared openly by his new movie: ‘To Rome With Love’. Time to go to the movies again. Ciao!

 

June 2nd is “Festa della Repubblica” in Italy.

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June 2nd is “Festa della Repubblica” in Italy. It celebrates the referendum of 1946 when Italians had to decide between monarchy or republic. After 85 years of monarchy, Italy became a Republic. A twist is that the the royal family (Savoia) were exiled so until a few years ago the male heirs could not be on the Italian soil (by Constitution). Il 2 giugno is a public hooliday, so, usually, no work or school.

Italian Business Etiquette Part 3: Negotiations, Holidays, and Biz Material

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Negotiations: Allow your Italian business colleagues to set the pace for your negotiations. Follow their lead. Hierarchy is the cornerstone of Italian business (and social life). Italians respect power and age. Negotiations are often protracted and never use high-pressure sales tactics. Heated debates and arguments often erupt in meetings. This is simply a function of the free-flow of ideas.

Holidays: Most businesses are closed in August. Many Italians take vacations at this time. No business.

Business material: Your material should be printed in both English and Italian and get an interpreter if you are not fluent in Italian. Look closely at the Italian business card before putting it in your card holder: it is a sign of respect. Have one side of your business card translated into Italian. Make sure your title is on your card. Italians like knowing how you fit within your organization.

Origins of the Most Popular Italian Word

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So, as I am sure you all know, Ciao means “Hello/Hi”. It is possibly the most known and most used Italian word. But do you know its origin? Likely not, and it is quite interesting.

So the origin of Ciao is from the Venetian dialect/language word “sciavo”, which mean “slave”, which in turns comes from thev Latin “Slavus” — which by the way is also the word/adjective used even today, Slavo, to indicate Slavic people. So, during the peak of the Venetian Republic in the 1400s, when Venice ruled most of the commerce in the World, most slaves were, well, Slavic.

In short, the origin of the greeting is an extreme form of submission to the person you run into: it mean something like “at your service”. With centuries of usage, Sciavo became Sciao and the latter became Ciao. Needless to say that the racial and social connotation of the word Ciao have long been lost.

Italian Business Etiquette Part 2: Communication, Appointments, and Time

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Communication: Italians are extremely expressive communicators. They tend to be wordy, eloquent, emotional, and demonstrative, often using facial and hand gestures to prove their point.

Appointments: They are mandatory, must be in writing (in Italian), and be scheduled one to two weeks in advance. Reconfirm the meeting by telephone or fax in Italian.

Meetings/Time: It is common to be interrupted while speaking or for several people to speak at once. In the north, punctuality is viewed as a virtue and your business associates will most likely be on time. In the north, people are usually more direct and get down to business after only a brief period of social talk. In the south, people take a more relaxed approach to life and business. People often raise their voice to be heard over other speakers, not because they are angry. So, take it easy. :)

Italian Business Etiquette Part 1: Personal Touch and Appearance

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Personal touch: Italians prefer face-to-face contact, it is therefore critical to spend time in Italy and with your potential business partners developing relationship. Trust is key for Italians. Your Italian business colleagues needs to know something about you as a person before conducting business.

Appearance: Demeanor is important as Italians tend to judge people on appearances…so the first impression you make will be a lasting one. Just like you mom said. Dressing (very) well and proper is a super-high priority in Italy. If you miss that, it would torpedo your business. Elegant accessories are equally important for men and women.