A few words to know

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It dawned on me this morning: I am in Italy! Not just a tourist, but a real student who is learning the Italian culture and appreciating it! So, here are a few words you should know when you visit Italy.

*Watch the endings of words that end in vowels. Americans have a tendency to add some weird southern/Texas twang and it messes with the sound of Italy. In no particular order:

1. sciopero (sho-pe-ro) strike. A strike is a bad thing and happens often with city workers. It happens all the time and not just for raises. Sometimes there's no reason at all, but there is a sciopero. The people who run the train go on sciopero. That means the trains go to their final destination and then you're stuck. The moving walkways-like the ones at the airport-go on sciopero. If you're in the northern part of the city and were planning on going back to the hotel (uphill) by way of the walkway, you're stuck. If you see a sign saying that something is on sciopero, you better hope you're not taking it that day! Another reason to wear good walking shoes.

2. ciao (chow) hello;goodbye. It's like Italy's version of the Hawaiian greeting aloha.

3. pausa (pow-zah) pause. This is when the majority of stores and cafes close their doors to business. The workers go home and eat with their families or go to a cafe that's still open. Pausa is generally from 1:30-4pm here in Spoleto. In other places, I hear it can last till 5pm. After pausa, the stores open again and stay open until about 7pm or 8pm. Also, with pausa there is one day each week that the whole store is completely closed. That is called:

4. Chiusa (key-oo-za) closed. That's when the store is closed.

5. euro (yoo-ro) Euro; the monetary system used here. Do yourself a favor and get enough cash to last a while. Every time you use your card, they charge you twice - once for the initial charge and then again for the charges added after they exchange from euro to dollars. Keep what you can in the hotel safe and then take some out with you for the day for incidentals, food, drinks, etc.

6. grazie (grah-ts-eee-eh) thank you. Say it to people when they help you and don't forget to say the final syllable!!!! In southern Italy, they are very proud that there's an "eh" sound at the end. When you say grazie, the person with whom you're speaking will say:

7. prego (preh-goh) you're welcome. It literally means "I pray" as in I pray for you. Remember, this is the heart of Catholicism!

8. Dove il stazione Termini? (Doh-veh eel stah-ts-eeoh-neh Teh-rrrr-mee-nee) Where is the Termini Station? What? Why are you telling me how to say this? Well, when you get into the Fiumicino airport, you have four options to get to where you're going. A) Take a taxi B) Your awesome Italian friend who has a car C) The bus D)The train - i treni. Termini station is the main station in Rome and this is where you want to go to catch a train to where ever you're going. Good thing to know. When you get directions, don't forget to say Grazie!

9. Mi piace (mee pee-ya-che) I like. The final syllable is "ch" as in CHurch. When you go shopping, you can say this. When you don't like something, you say:

10. Non mi dispiace (noh mee dis-pee-ya-che). Make a good first N in non. As we would say in Italy, con forza (with strength)!!! This is when you really don't like something. Don't say it too loud: it's like telling a chef he can't cook.

11.Dove il bagno? (Doh-veh eel bah-nyo) If you speak spanish, you're asking where is the bathroom. If you don't speak spanish, you're asking where is the bathroom.

12. Carabinieri (kah-da-been-ye-dee) This is the militaristic version of the police here. I can't explain further because that's all I really understand about the difference.

13. Polizia (poh-lit-see-ya) The police. Again, no idea the difference between them and the carabinieri.

14. panino (pah-nee-noh) what Americans think of as a sandwich. It's usually some fabulous bread with meat and cheese and tomatoes. Some places already have them ready-made and some places slice the meat when you order it.

15. per favore (pehr fah-voh-reh) please. When you ask for something, it's "Per favore, dove il bagno?" or "Il conto per favore". (eel kohn-toh) the bill.

16. Come ti chiami? (koh-meh tee kee-amee) What's your name? Literally how do you call yourself but that's what you ask people when you want to know their name. Then you reply:

17. Mi chiamo Andrea (mee kee-amoh Andrea) My name is Andrea. Literally I call myself Andrea.

18. Buon giorno (bwohn joh-rrr-noh) Good day; hello. This is how you say hello to people when you walk in the store. After pausa, you say buona sera (bwohn-ah seh-dah) or good evening. When you're going to bed or not planning on seeing people after pausa, you say buona notte (bwohn-ah noh-deh) or good night. If you're not sure, say ciao.

19. scusi (skoo-zee) excuse me. This is the formal version to say excuse me. It's used for people you don't know, older people, and people of higher posts than you. So your boss, your mom, the guy at the cafe. When you get to know people better you can use scusa (skoo-zah).

20. vorrei (voh-rrrray) I would like. This is the nice way to say that you want something. The rude way to say it is dame or voglio (give me or I want). OK, it's not rude but vorrei is more appreciated.

A few other things to know:

Italians (men and women) like to stare. They aren't judging you, they just like to watch people. After pausa, cafes and bars will be full of people just talking and watching other people. Americans stand out for many reasons so don't be upset or offended.

The cobblestones are old and everywhere. Don't wear heels unless you're super awesome walking on concrete all day. There's a reason they're all thin - walking on cobblestones requires lots of balance and coordination! Add in hills like Spoleto and you've got a workout built into your day!

Driving in Italy isn't exactly like driving in America - more like driving with obstacles in a Mario Brothers game. If you freak out about people's driving in America, you should sit in the back.

Spoleto is beautiful, but humid. The average now is low to mid 90's with about 60% humidity. When you're walking up hills it feels like you're stuck in a steam room. Be prepared to sweat a lot. I don't mean just a glisten, I mean a full out workout sweat like you get doing Jazzercise.

The people appreciate your rudimentary Italian. They see it as a sign that not all Americans are ignorant and spoiled, so practice when you can. If you really just don't know, bring a small dictionary or phrase book and point. They will pronounce it for you and get you on your way.

Bring some mosquito repellant! Mosquitoes and no-see-em's are everywhere! No-see-em's are this little black fly I discovered in Florida. They bite, you don't see it, but about ten minutes later, the itch is unbearable.The mosquitoes are big and fat but they are everywhere. If you are staying anywhere near a bird's nest, get rid of the nest as soon as possible. There's a mite that thrives in bird's nest and looks for blood at night - preferably humans. If you wake up with a ton of red bumps that itch, more than likely it's this mite. Bring some antihistamine to calm down the itching and neosporin for bites to calm down the pain.

Check that you have an international SIM card before you get here. Your cell phone company can provide this information. Don't assume that because you pay gobs of money for your plan that you're covered internationally. You might not have any phone service at all!

Enjoy the food. Italians don't scarf down food like we do. Their meals take time because they savor the work that went into making their meal. There are a few places like Otteria del Matto where you sit down and there's no menu - the server brings out whatever the owner made that day. It takes him about ten to twenty minutes to get your drink orders. You get a new plate to share with your table about every fifteen minutes. The food is incredible and it's made so that you talk with each other. Remember conversation? That's what it's all about!

The Umbrian wine is incredible. Most of the reds are dry, some of the whites are sweet, but mostly the wines edge on the drier side. House wine is generally fine and cheaper than getting a named bottle. Water is not free. Again, WATER IS NOT FREE!!! In most places, you buy the bottle of water (minerale - fizzy- or naturale - no fizz) for about 3 euro on average. If the owners start to recognize your face, they might throw in a bottle with your dinner.

The fountains you see in Spoleto are drinkable. Fill up your water bottle when you can and carry a water bottle everywhere. The water is fresh and cool and free so don't waste your money buying one bottle after another. That's crazy.

Ice isn't prevalent here. You can ask for it and they might have some to give you - one or two cubes. They just don't do ice in Italy, so don't expect it. However, they keep most drinks in a fridge so get used to it if you're an ice fiend.

I almost forgot the most important word: gelato! (jeh-lah-toh) It's the Italian version of ice cream but ten thousand times better and creamier and perfecter. Your hips might not agree, but it's great on a hot day. If you're not into ice cream, you can also get a granita (grrr-ah-nee-tah) - it's like a shaved ice with flavored syrup. We had a few at the Trevi fountain and it helped to cool us off from that 107 degree weather!

OK, I think I've given you enough information from now. Ciao!

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