STILL conneXXt Nr. 01 English

29 Almost right, but it’s not just the shoes and hairstyle – our overall image and style are very important to us. And I’d like to offer some advice if I may: Do not wear sandals and white socks when visiting Italy as many tourists, whose nationality I won’t reveal, often do. ITALIAN MEN CAN’T WALK PAST A WOMAN WITHOUT TAKING A CLOSER LOOK AT HER. Let’s just say that we’re hardly ever unimpressed by feminine charm. We also have a real weakness for Mediterranean women and a particular disposition for romance. GETTING WORKED UP ABOUT EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING IS PART OF THE MEDITERRANEAN TEMPERAMENT. That’s only party true. It just depends on whereabouts in Italy you’re from. In the North, things are a little calmer. The further south you go, the warmer and more “spirited” things become. But no matter which region we’re from, we always put our hearts into everything, including our discussions. So there's no need to worry if you see two Italians having a chat at the top of their voices, as it’s very likely that they’re just discussing the game from last night. FOR ITALIANS, THERE IS NOTHING MORE IMPORTANT THAN THEIR MUM. Absolutely. On average, Italians have many women in their lives, but often the only one who really counts is their mother. It's not for nothing that we say “la mamma è sempre la mamma” (“Your mother is always your mother”). The issue is that our partners know this all too well, which often leads to epic fights between mother-in-laws and daughter-in-laws, regardless of the consequences. For us Germans, we’ve known it since Goethe’s Italian Journey as the “country where the lemon trees bloom”. However, the image of Italy according to those in the North often has little in common with the reality of our fellow European citizens in the South. Or does it? Let’s just ask a born-and-bred Italian who is also an enthusiastic STILLian. Loreno Leri, who was born in Milan, lives and works at OM STILL in Lainate. He gives us an honest and tongue in cheek view of the stereotypes which Germans have for Italians. Eccola! NORMAL MEALTIMES IN ITALY SOON BECOME RATHER LAVISH BANQUETS. That’s very true. Eating is like a religion to us and a ritual which can last for several hours. Quick and easy meals are OK during the week but as soon as we find ourselves with a bit more time on our hands we simply love sitting around the table with our family and friends. We have one of the most varied cuisines in the world, which means we’ve always got good reason to sit around the table together. ALL ITALIANS LOVE FOOTBALL. That’s right too. You could say there are 60 million budding football coaches living in Italy. It’s no surprise really that “Gazzetta dello Sport” is Italy’s best-selling newspaper, forming part of our essential reading every morning on the way to our first coffee in a bar (which is yet another genuine cliché). ITALIAN MEN LIKE TO THINK THEY ARE ALL MACHO BUT IN REALITY IT’S THE WOMEN WHO ARE THE BOSSES IN FAMILY LIFE. That’s probably mostly true. But in any case, our bark is worse than our bite. THE ITALIAN MAN ATTACHES GREAT IMPORTANCE TO HIS HAIRSTYLE AND SHOES. Cliché or reality? TYPICAL...ITALY: The Italian moments in life TYPICAL... Loreno Leri

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