Differences Between Italian Culture And American Culture

After being in Florence for two weeks now, I have experienced many differences between American culture and Italian culture. When I first arrived, I was so excited and everything was so new that I did not immediately notice these differences. Everything was a blur! We had orientations and tours during the first week and each instructor mentioned specific aspects of Italian culture that we needed to be aware of. But, since I had only been here for two days, I had not witnessed these differences. In “Culture Shock and the Cross-Cultural Learning Experience”, the author talked about different stages of culture shock and how it affects people differently. I definitely experienced culture shock within my first two weeks here, but I feel I am …show more content…
Some of the things unique to American culture are very strange in Italian culture, and vice versa. For example, when I walk on the streets at home, I always smile and greet other people. But, doing that same thing in Italian culture is considered flirting. If you say hello to a man on the street he will think you are interested in him and start following you – it happened to one of my friends! A second difference I am noticing quite frequently is catcalling. In Italy, it is very normal for a man across the street to yell “ciao bella” if he thinks you are attractive and is interested in you. Again, this is very different from American culture and something difficult to get used to. Initially, I was very thrown off by catcalling, but I have learned to ignore it and just keep walking. They will leave you alone. While looking at Italian culture through my own cultural lens, many Italians come off as rude to me. I particularly noticed this when walking on the street. In America, if I am walking on the sidewalk, I will move over if other people are walking toward me to make room for them. But, in Italy, the Italians do not move over and basically run you over unless you step off of the sidewalk into the street. It is very strange. Finally, another obvious difference here is the language. Although I am taking an Italian class, …show more content…
Now that I know more about the Italian culture, I think I will be able to adapt and integrate to these cultural differences. Since I am an American student studying in Italy, it is important that I do my best to adapt and fit in. If I knew an Italian studying in America, I would want them to learn English and to fully immerse themselves in the American culture. I should do the same. Understanding and embracing the differences in Italian and American cultures are part of what makes studying abroad such a great learning experience. I have only been here for a couple of weeks, so it is hard to know how I will portray my experience to others because I have so much more to