It’s my twelfth month of living in Italy, I think it’s okay to bestow upon myself the worthiness to define Italian people. Day by day I am getting drawn into the Italian way of life. As I write, I already practice two of these definitions I will be listing.

Here is the typical Italian way of life. Every Italian you come across is bound to fall under one or more of these definitions:

8. Coffee or Cigarette person

An Italian is either a cigarette or coffee person. On common occasions, they are both.

7. Speak with high pitch

If you don’t understand a conversation, you would often think two Italian speakers are quarrelling. I have to always ask my Italian friends: ”What happened?” ”Is he mad at you?” ”Are those two quarrelling?”.

6. Use a lot of hand movements

Italians have sign languages that are easy to understand. When speaking they don’t fail to incorporate these in their movements with their hands.

5. Cappuccino never after 12 person

Cappuccino is not just cappuccino, it is meant for breakfast and breakfast alone.

4. Food Time is Buffet Time

Italians have a feast during dinner. If invited for dinner, go hungry.

3. Wine is water

Italians love wine. Their dinner is sealed with wine as water.

2. Bread complements every meal

An Italian friend offered me bread once during lunch. I said it doesn’t complement the meal. ”Bread complements every meal”, he replied.

1. Pasta is oxygen

I have seen the most shapes and colours of pasta in Italy – than I have seen in my entire life. If you ask why pasta again, an Italian is ready to defend himself with: ”the pasta I had in the morning is macaroni, this one I’m having for lunch is spaghetti.”

I am getting used to the ”food time is buffet time” and ”pasta is oxygen.” A robust dinner table is beginning to make a lot of sense to me. I am not concerned about gaining weight and I can eat pasta everyday.