“And don't, let me beg you, go with that awful tourist idea that Italy's only a museum of antiquities and art. Love and understand the Italians, for the people are more marvellous than the land”
Source: Where Angels Fear to Tread
“Preferring confusion to order is not limited to waiting lines but spills over into other sectors of life, at least in Rome and other more southern regions of the country. One of these is driving, an area where stereotypes about Italians, or at least about Romans, tend to be confirmed. Gridlock, here caused by a willful invasion of the intersection, is a daily occurrence. Red lights and stop signs often are viewed as optional. Using la freccia (directional lights) to signal an intention to turn right or left is infrequent, to say the least, or else left to the last minute, that is when the driver has already begun his turn, frequently from the farthest lane on the opposite side of the roadway.”
Source: My Home Sweet Rome: Living (and loving) in Italy's Eternal City
“It is late afternoon and the daily, or nightly, game of cat and mouse between Rome’s vigili urbani, or traffic police, and the unlicensed street peddlers who set up their portable tables and lamps in Piazza Sant’Egidio where I live, or nearby, is about to start. And, as usual, the mice will win. Not because they are smarter but simply because they care more about breaking the law than the authorities care about enforcing it.”
Source: My Home Sweet Rome: Living (and loving) in Italy's Eternal City
“For historical reasons – centuries spent as the subjects of warring city-states with the rule of law often taking a back seat to power politics and family loyalties – many Italians, especially those from points south, have little respect for the law and, seemingly, little understanding of its purpose, which is that of setting the boundaries for civil cohabitation.”
Source: My Home Sweet Rome: Living (and loving) in Italy's Eternal City
“In Rome, instead, it is clear: people know that most of the time they can get away, not with murder, of course, but with many other misdemeanors. The result? Ignoring the rules has become a quasi national habit.”
Source: My Home Sweet Rome: Living (and loving) in Italy's Eternal City
“In Italy, most laws are honored more in the breach than the observance. “Fatta la legge, trovato l’inganno”, goes one saying that means, “pass a law and we’ll find a way to get around it”. You don’t have to spend much time in Rome to realize that stop signs, and even red lights, are often disregarded, as are those reading “no parking or standing”, and even “one way”.”
Source: My Home Sweet Rome: Living (and loving) in Italy's Eternal City
“Focus on finishing your journey with pride, even if your past is not something that makes you proud.”
Source: The Daily Dose of Motivational Quotes
“Absenteeism runs rife, with too many unethical doctors willing to supply fake illness certificates. "My dentist was flummoxed when he was asked by a Finanza major to provide his wife with a (false) certificate claiming he’d been performing oral surgery on her on a day she had skipped work. But he did it. “What else could I do? I mean, I might need the guy for a favor sometime.”
Source: My Home Sweet Rome: Living (and loving) in Italy's Eternal City
“Rome lifts you up but won't let you settle down - it turns you into a bird without a nest.”
Source: Scorched Earth
“I love the way Italy makes me feel like I'm home.”
Source: Our Italian Journey: Living our dream in Italy for one year