Why Italian Expats Are a Better Version of Native Italians

What is it about native Italians? As soon as they set foot into a new country to settle down, they seem to morph into some sort of a new breed of people. When you set the culture of an Italian born and bred in Italy against a Canadian or American Italian’s, you see that the contrast between them couldn’t get any starker.

Food

Let’s begin with the Italians’ highest asset - food. Skimming through the thousands of Italian expats’ posts on Facebook, you can help but notice that their mindset toward food is more tolerant compared to native Italians’.

Italian expats are more tolerant toward diversions to their traditional recipes, more respectful of other cultures’ influences and generally speaking more flexible and understanding. Native Italians have a real attitude when it comes to their food. They just don’t want to put up with anything that doesn’t align perfectly with their culinary tradition.

family values

Broadly speaking, Italian expats’ and immigrants’ families last longer and look happier than the average Italian family in Italy. Family values seem to have gone to the gutter in Italy lately if you consider that divorce has gone up by a whopping 47% in the last 5 years.

Love for Italy

Native Italians’ love for Italy is politically charged. Italians are very critical not just of their politicians but also of their fellow countrymen and country women. For them, the situation is a magna magna (an Italian expression meaning too many having their snout in the trough). As a result their attachment to Italy is, in part, bitter and resentful.

On the contrary, Italian expats swell their chests in pride when they see or talk about their beloved Italia, and they have nothing but praise for the beauty and culture of their incredible country.