It’s an incredibly hot day in Janiculum, a hill located in the western part of Rome. A string of scenes is coming in succession; a cannon shoots exactly at noon, this happens ever since 1847 when Pope Pius IX set a standard for the clocks of the Roman churches.
Right below an old man is meditating next to a monument where the caption says “Roma o Morte” (Rome or Death). The memorial, located in Piazza Garibaldi, is there to remind the Italian hero Giuseppe Garibaldi (he reunited Italy in 1861), which fought against the French soldiers in 1849.
Nearby an old lady smokes a cigarette sitting next to the sculpture of a historical Italian character which she ignores because she is too busy reading “La Gazzetta Dello Sport” (top soccer’s newspaper) while holding a cigarette between her lips and letting the ash be carried away by the fresh Roman air.
Not far from the old lady, a chubby man in tank top refreshes his hairy and thick shoulders in one of the oldest fountain in Rome, Fontana dell’Acqua Paola (even though most Romans ignore the real name and call it “Il Fontanone,” the big fountain).
On top of the hill, a female choir starts to sing “I lie” by David Lang, which gives a bit of suspense, mystery and makes the scene impenetrable. At the same time, a group of Chinese tourists listens to a guide.
Meanwhile, an old Chinese man walks away from the group to take a picture of the beautiful panorama enjoyed from the top of the Janiculum hill. A bus driver, few dozens of feet away from the group, talks through the phone while cursing and inveighing to the other person in Roman accent.
Going back to the Chinese tourist, while he is taking pictures of the panorama; due to the hot weather has a respiratory crisis and he suddenly falls on the ground, seemingly dead.
It is the opening scene of “The Great Beauty;” a movie created by the Italian director and filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino, which also won the Oscar prize in 2014.
The potency of the scene is incredible, and it perfectly describes the Italian culture.
Up to the fifth century after Christ’s death, the Roman Empire could still be considered the uniting force of the Italian peninsula. On the other hand, after that century the Italian peninsula was conquered and invaded by barbarians. From that moment on Rome lost its power and Italy was divided into many small city-states, up to the nineteen-century, when Giuseppe Garibaldi reunited it.
Almost fifteen hundred years of invasions and conquests made Italy one of the most diverse places on earth.
Although many foreigners try to fit the Italian stereotype into a small box, which we can synthesize here with the acronym of “the three P” (Pizza, Pasta, and Pomodoro), the truth is that Italy is one and many.
The Average Italian is not the guy with the mustache (although some still fit that stereotype). Like in the episode of “Family Guy” when Peter, the main character, gets into the deli store and starts to speak Italian only because he has a mustache. I find that sketch the most hilarious of the whole series. Nowadays, though, many people around the world (especially in America) still have that stereotype.
Italy is an incredibly diverse place and culture. Through this book, you will appreciate Italy’s culture and diversity.
This book has one main mission:
Italian Language Mastering
How?
Boost your Italian vocabulary in the shortest amount of time
Learn how to sound/speak like an Italian
Right below an old man is meditating next to a monument where the caption says “Roma o Morte” (Rome or Death). The memorial, located in Piazza Garibaldi, is there to remind the Italian hero Giuseppe Garibaldi (he reunited Italy in 1861), which fought against the French soldiers in 1849.
Nearby an old lady smokes a cigarette sitting next to the sculpture of a historical Italian character which she ignores because she is too busy reading “La Gazzetta Dello Sport” (top soccer’s newspaper) while holding a cigarette between her lips and letting the ash be carried away by the fresh Roman air.
Not far from the old lady, a chubby man in tank top refreshes his hairy and thick shoulders in one of the oldest fountain in Rome, Fontana dell’Acqua Paola (even though most Romans ignore the real name and call it “Il Fontanone,” the big fountain).
On top of the hill, a female choir starts to sing “I lie” by David Lang, which gives a bit of suspense, mystery and makes the scene impenetrable. At the same time, a group of Chinese tourists listens to a guide.
Meanwhile, an old Chinese man walks away from the group to take a picture of the beautiful panorama enjoyed from the top of the Janiculum hill. A bus driver, few dozens of feet away from the group, talks through the phone while cursing and inveighing to the other person in Roman accent.
Going back to the Chinese tourist, while he is taking pictures of the panorama; due to the hot weather has a respiratory crisis and he suddenly falls on the ground, seemingly dead.
It is the opening scene of “The Great Beauty;” a movie created by the Italian director and filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino, which also won the Oscar prize in 2014.
The potency of the scene is incredible, and it perfectly describes the Italian culture.
Up to the fifth century after Christ’s death, the Roman Empire could still be considered the uniting force of the Italian peninsula. On the other hand, after that century the Italian peninsula was conquered and invaded by barbarians. From that moment on Rome lost its power and Italy was divided into many small city-states, up to the nineteen-century, when Giuseppe Garibaldi reunited it.
Almost fifteen hundred years of invasions and conquests made Italy one of the most diverse places on earth.
Although many foreigners try to fit the Italian stereotype into a small box, which we can synthesize here with the acronym of “the three P” (Pizza, Pasta, and Pomodoro), the truth is that Italy is one and many.
The Average Italian is not the guy with the mustache (although some still fit that stereotype). Like in the episode of “Family Guy” when Peter, the main character, gets into the deli store and starts to speak Italian only because he has a mustache. I find that sketch the most hilarious of the whole series. Nowadays, though, many people around the world (especially in America) still have that stereotype.
Italy is an incredibly diverse place and culture. Through this book, you will appreciate Italy’s culture and diversity.
This book has one main mission:
Italian Language Mastering
How?
Boost your Italian vocabulary in the shortest amount of time
Learn how to sound/speak like an Italian
