What I think about the USA after a month in Italy 🇮🇹

I am italian, i actually live in Italy (in Prato Tuscany, next to Firenze) and man....this video almost made me cry and "miss" Italy . That is how much i love living here . Yes surely some of us will comment here that "in big cities life is different" but that is the case everywhere . But you really cathed the core , the essence of the true LUXURY of living here as opposed to US and that is VALUE OVER VOLUME . A real Italian knows that . Sure there will be cases where some us might be strongly influenced by US "consume" and "pile up" culture , but the "core" of this country remains that of QUALITY over QUANTITY . I do have lots of friends from US and some italian friends who live there now, and even though i love US, i consider myself as extremely lucky to be living here instead . The reasons (some of them) are the ones you beautifully catched . Brava Madisun .

I can't believe I found this video. I lived in Southern Germany when I was in my young 20s for a total of 3 yrs. I loved life in Europe, almost stayed there. 25 years later I marry a Italian lady, we have taken long trips throughout Italy, and I have come to the same findings you have. Life in the US has become very toxic and life is to short, so I am selling my house in Houston and will move permanently to Italy.

I'm italian and this video made me smile. Times are changing, especially in the north we're working a lot, always in a rush. Italy is very different between different regions. But when it comes to food, when you sit at the table, sharing a good meal with your friends or family, we all unite as italians. We like to keep it simple. A plate of pasta, some good wine. Maybe we speak different dialects, eat different food, but food always brings us together from north to south, and we're very proud of it

Thank you, as an Italian, I had the so-called "american dream" my whole life, hoping one day to move to the US to have success and fulfill myself. But after living one year in Nevada as an exchange student, my view on the States have changed drastically. Starting from seeing people carrying guns in broad daylight, to homeless and drug addicts on the streets. I hated the enormous Walmarts, Coscos and Targets, with huge selections of mostly useless stuff, extremely unhealthy and greasy food. It seemed impossible to have something small and relatively healthy when eating out, and everything I ate seemed like an unhealthier version of other's cultures food (like greasy big pizzas, extremely sweet and salty Chinese food, tacos and tortillas so bad that everyone was joking that you'd have diarrhea after eating them). Now I realize of lucky I am being born in Italy, despite all my countries problems...

I write as a German who has lived many years in italy. Italy like the united states is very different from north to south Northern Italy is much more industrialized and this typical Italian way of living life is getting a little lost. In the south, on the other hand, the people are much more hospitable and the climate and villages are fantastic.( among the most beautiful in the world) If you know where to go southern Italy will surprise you a lot. I vote for a slower life full of small happiness as Italians know how to do :)

I'm Italian and yes, in some more rural and typical places everything is as you described, but if you go to big cities, especially in the North, we are closer to the US than you can think 😅 but fortunately our love for sharing food, slow living and enjoying simple things is something we are very proud of

I'm Irish I moved here 6 years ago and I will never leave ❤

I travelled Italy for 12 days from Germany and I really loved and liked it. Their people are generous and friendly to strangers. Food, culture, weather, nature, work, people, everything still catch my heart. May Allah bless Italy and its people. From Bangladesh.

I remember when my co-worker came back from visiting Italy and raved about it. She paused for a moment as to find the words to sum it up and then said what was so refreshing is that it was "people centred and not things centered"

I'm an American who moved to the UK in 2006 and now moving to Italy having bought a house in Puglia. I appreciate and adopted the work/life balance, slow pace and quality over quantity lifestyle.

My Grandfather was born in Italy, then emigrated to England. I was born in England, and returned to Italy for good upon retirement. Having lived in Italy now for 9 years, it’s taught me to be far less materialistic and stressy all the time. I would never go back to my old life, and love the fact that food is local, plentiful, simple and fresh.

Ok. As Americans we have been on the top on the world for like 2 centuries. Italians have been there for like a millennia and then retired. When I go there I get this feeling that nothing really matters so you might as well enjoy the ride while it lasts. Being there I got the same feeling I got by hanging out with my grandma. Yeah, life is hard, it sucks at times. But have a cup of coffee, let’s chat. It’s such a beautiful day…

honestly, this video is about Italian life from the perspective of a turist. I'm Italian and I live in Liguria: trust me, you can't take the Cinque Terre as a good example of "Italian life style". Real life anywhere else is way more chaotic, especially if you have to work for your daily bread! :D

I spent six and a half years working for a large company and traveled to Italy and the Italians would come to the U.S. All the videos I watch are people being in or describing the tourist side of Italy. I spent time in the north around Milan and a town called Biella which those areas are big in manufacturing. The common Italian doesn’t live as you present, they work hard for low pay and they’re day doesn’t stop for two hours and they don’t meander into work. They love the U.S. when they are here, at least all I worked with did. The food is GREAT! and they taught my wife how to cook real Italian and learned while I was there that the Italian food here is not Italian.

The Italy you describe, slow paced, relaxed, always sunny and beautiful, is perfect for holidays, and no wonder everyone loves it. Try going home up that hill in a hurry with heavy rain, freshly bought groceries and two hungry kids just taken from school. When you’ll be finally at home, you’ll have enough time to feed yourself and the kids before realising that your wonderful “siesta time” is gone and in 20 minutes you’ll need to be at work again. Down the slippery hill. There’s a reason why “siesta” is a Spanish word: we don’t do it. I know nobody who sleeps during their lunchtime. We close shops in the central hours of the day because in summer is way too hot to go anywhere and during the rest of the year everybody who has kids or someone to care for (old parents, pets, …) must run here and there to collect/check upon/take out/etc., before going back to work. I know plenty of people who go to the gym in their lunchtime, and I swear I don’t live in a big fancy metropolis, it’s just a small province town. Please don’t mix up the magic of a wonderful holiday with everyday life.

Yes!!!!!!! I’m so happy that I just landed on this video. This is exactly what my husband and I did. We made the decision to relocate to the south of Italy to truly experience and embrace slow living. It’s been six years and we are so happy with our decision that I don’t think we would be able to go back. I have to say that it was actually an easy transition from our previous hectic lifestyle. We learned to let go of all the unnecessary things and live in the moment. Something that I really love is the fresh seasonal produce and how you can only find certain fruits and veggies during certain months. Unfortunately we do not have a garden but we do have a big enough terrace to grow some small things. This new slow lifestyle has changed the way we shop, prepare, and eat our food. It has also definitely changed my perspective on life. I’m looking forward to watching more of your videos and listening to your new podcast. Happy slow living! 🤍

I visited Italy in 2004 when my son was going to college there. It was August when many people in the EU take their annual 3 week summer vacations. Many go to Italy, so it was crowded. Even so, life was good. I would go back in a heartbeat, even in August. The Italian people are very social and gregarious by nature. Everywhere my son and I went the towns and cities were busy, people out everywhere walking, socializing, shopping, dining al fresco. Eating out in Italy is an art form of daily life. No matter the cost, the simplicity, or the extravagance of the ristorante all food in Italy is prepared with great care and attention to every detail. And there is never any rush. The food in Italy is superb everywhere. Travel an hour, or two in any direction and the cuisine changes, but the quality remains consistently extraordinary. Lastly, even though Italy is populated the Italian countryside is incredibly beautiful. The Dolomite mountains reminded me of the Rockies in MT, where I lived at the time. And then there's Venice. What a unique and remarkable place. No cars - anywhere. People walk, or take water taxies. The architecture is incredible. Beautiful churches and art museums full of the masterworks works of Italian artists going back centuries.

I'm French and I live in America. I live a slow, minimalist life style. I live in a tiny home, and I have a small basket that I shop with so I just buy what I need. I walk a lot, I love living simply and so connected to nature. It feels my soul so deeply. I don't need all the stress of the fast, more is more life. To me Less is more, and it feels very abundant. Thank you so much for this beautiful video, I wish it was longer, it was so refreshing And I do take naps, it's essential 😍

I live in Treviso, a beautiful city near Venice, Verona, the Dolomites... I was poor and very stressed from the age of 25 to 35, when I was obsessed with wanting to earn more. But in the last 15 years I have discovered that I am very rich, I can find a medieval fresco by taking a few steps for free, I arrive in the hills in 20 minutes, I can navigate a beautiful river (the Sile) with a small boat, I go to the snow in half an hour, I eat in a tavern with 25 euros per person, I find free concerts and events almost everywhere... and I'm much less stressed even having the same money

I am Italian and I live on the Tuscan Riviera. Liguria and Cinque Terre are particular areas and most of Italy is very different. However, yes, for Italians quality is more important than quantity, in everything. Especially about food. The time spent at the table is not for eating but for social relationships: at the table everything stops and we are truly connected to each other.