Why Do I Prefer Living In Italy Than In Germany?

Italy has been my adopted country for several years now. I feel completely at home here and have arrived in the here and now – even if not all that glitters is gold, even in the sunny south. The advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

Why I prefer to live in Italy – if I had to put it in a nutshell. It’s not the good food, the incomparable smell of lemon blossom or the breathtaking cultural sites. It’s quite simple: in Italy the glass is always half full, in Germany it’s always half empty. It’s simply the southerners’ attitude to life. It is positive, no matter what negative things are going on in politics or the economy. Of course, this attitude also has an effect on the way we live together.

Italy – a friendly atmosphere

When I go into a store or restaurant in Italy, I am greeted with a friendly come stai – how are you? – This is often accompanied by a compliment – even from women. People help each other if someone obviously needs help or if they hear of an emergency. If I take a wrong or unauthorized turn into a street in my car, there is no honking behind me like in Germany. If someone honks at you, it’s recognition of an acquaintance and a friendly greeting.

In Germany, as a guest or customer, I often have the feeling of being a nuisance or even disturbing the staff. Even when I stray into a luxury boutique in Italy for a journalistic store check, I am treated courteously and politely asked about my wishes. Even if there is no Hermès Birkin 40 dangling from my arm.

In Munich, it happened to me at both shops – Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent – that the saleswoman acted more distinguished than the customers. Instead of greeting me, I was given the typical “can she afford anything here” look, even though I hadn’t entered the store with torn jeans or worn-out shoes. You don’t find that kind of attitude in Italy. Here, service is still understood as what it should actually be: treating others courteously and giving them the feeling that they are wanted and respected.

Foreign shame for Germans on vacation in Italy

It hits me really hard when I see average Germans on vacation in Italy. It’s too often a matter of shaming other people. Only the Dutch are almost more conspicuous when it comes to stinginess, politeness and ignorance of other people, their customs and culture. After the wine tasting, you quickly grab the bottles you haven’t emptied and put them in your rucksack. I have often experienced this myself, for example at one of my favorite places in Tuscany, the Fattoria La Vialla. Tipping is rarely part of the vocabulary of either nation, “after all, it’s included in the price” is the common excuse.

Most German women can’t keep up with Italians when it comes to appearance and appearance. How would you describe an Italian woman? Chic, sexy, spirited. A German woman would at best be described as clean, punctual and hard-working. Even if an Italian woman is cheated on by her husband, she acts with style: she throws the best dishes she can get her hands on at him. In a German household, at most the Tupperware flies out of the back corner of the cupboard. The good crockery…

Nagging is always an option

Recently I went to dinner with my husband and our dog Byron in a very nice Tuscan Osteria 4Lire in our neighborhood, which belongs to a small agriturismo. Paolo, the owner, knows us and gave us a table in the quieter adjoining room because, as he told me, an Italian birthday party was to be held in the main room. And as you know, it’s always a bit noisy there, which I don’t really mind…

So off we went to the next room. A little further away from us sat two men with three children. It wasn’t long before one of them came over to our table and told me in German that I should tie my dog up outside the door because he wanted to have a quiet evening (with three small to adolescent children!!!). My dog didn’t do anything and didn’t disturb anyone. They were Germans and Austrians, of course. If there’s nothing to complain about, you just find something.

I then asked Paolo for another table. He placed us in the main room with the birthday party that had arrived in the meantime. The cheerful Italian group gave us and Byron a warm welcome. They were delighted to hear what a handsome dog he was – che bello.

Hardworking but unfriendly

Of course you can’t lump all people together. And in every country there are the good, the bad and the ugly. But unfortunately, the latter predominate in Germany, especially when you meet them abroad. We should definitely work on this if we want to be perceived positively in another country.

According to a survey by Reader’s Digest, Italians are the undisputed favorites in Europe. Very few people like the Germans, who are also considered to be the most unfriendly, but by far the most efficient. That should give us food for thought …