Reflecting On The 7 Different Ways Living In Italy Changed My Life

UPDATED MAR 2020. Moving to Italy is a dream for many, and one that I have been lucky enough to live. There are always a lot of changes that come with a new home and today I wanted to share some of the ways my living in Italy changed my life.

Reflecting On The 7 Different Ways Living In Italy Changed My Life

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Living in Italy changed my driving… a lot

Living in Italy changed my life in the biggest way when it comes to driving.

I’ve learned how to squeeze a car down narrow roads (that at first glance seem more like a walking track) which is something that I had never really needed to do beforehand.

You could say it has been a big win for spatial awareness.

Also, and it’s probably something I’ll need to unlearn before moving away from here, is that I’ve become a much more aggressive driver.

Italians are the most unnecessarily aggressive drivers I have ever seen.

The chaotic nature of driving is the only thing that is predictable, with drivers always speeding past, ducking in, cutting off, tailgating, flashing lights and creating two lanes in one-lane streets.

For all of the relaxed pace of life that Italians enjoy, it does not apply to driving and I’ve definitely become more aggressive to survive on the roads.

It’s stripped driving of any sense of enjoyment because it’s mostly stressful now.

It changed my choice of shoes

Prior to moving to Italy, my standard choice of shoes was pluggers/flip flops/thongs/slippers – whatever you call them. I’m a huge fan.

Some of my best adventures have been on those flimsy little things.

In my former life, I had my regular pluggers, then my good-going-out Havaiana pluggers and I even got married in a pair of white pluggers.

When I was living in a hotel after first moving to Italy, one of the very friendly staff members said that nobody wears them in Italy and if I wanted to blend in then I should wear actual shoes.

This welcomed in the era of my life where I started wearing actual shoes.

At first, I was like a toddler having a mini tantrum when getting ready every day but now it’s become really normal to pop on a pair of tennis shoes or nice sandals before going out.

Actually, it changed my outfits in general

On the topic of fashion, I had to seriously step up my game overall since moving to Italy.

I’m no fashionista.

I don’t like shopping for clothes and I don’t follow the latest brands or trends. Really, I just feel lost with that whole process so this was a bit tricky for me.

I admire that Italians know fashion.

They dress nicely. Real nice. All the time.

Their version of laid back, lazy outfits is what I would call dressing up and they always present a polished, well-dressed image when they go out.

I had to step up my game so that I didn’t stand out like a sloppy mess.

As with the shoe situation, I was pretty grumbly about this at first. ‘Why do I have to dress up so much just to go get a couple of things at the grocery store?!’ But over time it’s become more normal to put that extra effort in (though I’m still nowhere near as fashionable as Italians).

Living in Italy changed my opinion of coffee

Before moving to Italy, I never would’ve thought that I would order a regular cappuccino and enjoy it.

I was more of a grande iced vanilla latte with coconut milk kinda gal.

To be honest, I don’t really like the taste of coffee, so I prefer them to taste more like sugar. At best, you could describe my taste in coffee as sugary milk with a light coffee flavor.

Since moving to Italy, my opinions of coffee have changed completely and it still blows my mind a little when I order a cappuccino with my brioche and don’t hate it.

I still go the dairy-free route and add some sugar but hey, it’s coffee that actually tastes like coffee.

Who knows, maybe by the time I leave Italy my tastebuds will morph further and I’ll be ordering straight espressos like a local?

It changed my face

I can’t speak for the south of Italy, but in the north, resting bitch face is completely acceptable.

It’s even normal for people to glare at you and look you up and down.

It’s just the kind of place similar to the east coast of America where people have somewhat of a cold, harsh exterior – once you get past that the people are as sweet as cannoli though.

It was actually a big shock after moving from an openly warm, welcoming place like Hawaii.

I thought it was rude at first.

Then I did some research and learned that it’s just their way of looking at their surroundings as opposed to personal disapproval.

I had the ‘angry’ looking resting face to start with, but since moving to Italy, well north Italy I should say, I noticed that my resting bitch face and glare factor increased one thousand percent.

My expectations of produce changed

There’s something special and amazing about produce in Italy.

Well most food for that matter, but I especially love the produce.

When I drive around the local area I always see trucks parked to the side which sell fresh fruit and vegetables. There are markets on the weekends. Even the produce in the grocery stores is of such high quality.

Since they are grown in a much more natural way the vegetables are all different shapes and sizes, the freshness is out of this world, and they go bad much faster since they aren’t covered in chemicals.

Mostly seasonal vegetables are sold so one thing that has changed is that I now am used to not being able to get whatever I want year-round.

Instead, I have appreciated the different flavors each season brings. Sometimes I have to wait for a specific vegetable before I can make a specific recipe.

I’ve noticed that my appreciation has grown for whatever I’m waiting for and I have also tried new things while waiting.

My language changed

Obviously.

I mean they do speak another language here in Italy.

I haven’t learned Italian so I get by with broken English, the few Italian words I know and a game of charades as I try and act out what I’m trying to say.

One word that crept into my vocabulary and didn’t leave was my favorite Italian word – ‘Allora’. It is kind of like the Italian version of ‘um’.

Now I say it all the time and it always makes me feel a little more polished when I do.

It’s become normal to greet people with a ‘ciao’ or ‘Buongiorno’. Offer thanks with a ‘Grazie Mille’. And say ‘fanculo’, a translation of ‘f**k you’, which I usually use when driving.

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