Culture Compatibility Profile: Italy vs. United States
- Hofstede's cultural dimensions
- Trompenaars' cultural dimensions
- Hall's context dimension
Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions
Power Distance Individualism Masculinity Uncertainty Avoidance Italy Higher More collective More masculine Strong United States Lower More individualistic More feminine Weak 
Power distance
While Italy is higher on Hofstede's power distance index than the United States, Italy falls in the middle on the index overall.
Italians seem to expect differences in power between people, yet they are often cynical about persons in positions of authority. Italians love to ridicule authority and people in positions of power. Breaking petty rules is a source of amusement for many Italians.
Offices in Italy are ruled by formality. Subordinates are rarely allowed to call their superiors by their first names.
In addition, personal titles are very important in Italy. Until you are invited to use someone's first name, you should always say "Signore" or "Signora" followed by their last name.
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Individualism
While definitely an individualistic country, Italy is more collective than the United States. Italians tend to take care of themselves and their immediate family first and foremost.
The more collective nature of Italy compared to the United States can be seen in many ways. It is not uncommon for grown children to live with their parents for years.
Italian businesses are primarily owned by individuals and families. Business is preferably done with people with which one is familiar. Italian decision-making is done behind the scenes, among the in-group. Business meetings are then used to ratify the decision and communicate it to others.
Unacquainted guests will not be invited into an Italian home. Coffee or dinner will be taken with non-family members at a cafe or restaurant.
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Masculinity
Masculine societies have clearly defined gender roles. Men are tough, assertive. Women are modest, tender, nurturing. In feminine societies gender roles overlap. Dominant values in masculine societies are material success and progress and conflicts are resolved through fighting. Feminine societies value people and relationships and resolve conflicts through compromise and negotiation. Italy is a fairly masculine society and ranks slightly higher on this index than the United States.
Many Italian men still treat women with gallantry and value machismo. Although women have entered the workforce, their numbers are still small and few are in upper echelon positions. Italian household are the sole domain of women; Italian women for the most part cook, clean and care for the children.
Italians place a prime importance on material possessions. It is very important to look good in Italy.
However, like a more feminine culture, Italians also know how to take time to appreciate the good things in life. Italians work in order to live rather than living to work. Ambition is not prevalent in Italian culture.
Italy is a paternalistic country with the father taking the authoritative role in family matters.
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Uncertainty Avoidance
Hofstede defines uncertainty avoidance as the extent to which people feel threatened by uncertain or unknown situations. The greatest cultural difference between the United States and Italy is on the uncertainty avoidance dimension. Italy avoids uncertainly more strongly than the United States.
Italy is a very old country that has survived numerous wars, political upheavals, and economic changes. These changes seem to have bred in Italians a greater fear of the unknown.
By and large Italians prefer to do business with people they know. In addition, Italians prefer to know something about an individual before they speak with him/her on the phone. Thus, in business one should send an introductory fax and follow-up with a phone call.
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Trompenaars' cultural dimensions
Italy United States Universalism vs. Particularism Universalistic Universalistic Individualism vs. Communitarianism More communitarian Individualist Affective vs. Neutral More affective Neutral Specific vs. Diffuse More diffuse Specific Achievement vs. Ascription More ascriptive Achievement Locus of Control Internal Internal Time Orientation Past-Present/more synchronous Future/sequential Universalism vs. Particularism 
Universalistic cultures focus more on rules than relationships, have a preference for legal contracts, and believe there is only one truth. In universalistic cultures a deal is a deal. Trust is based on honoring your word or contract. Fairness is treating all people the same. Particularistic cultures focus more on relationships, change legal contracts easily and believe in several perspectives on reality. Particularists evolve their relationships to suit the situations. Italy and the United States are virtually the same on this dimension.
No matter what is said in business negotiations, in Italy the contract itself is what is important. The legal written document is binds the parties involved.
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Individualism is defined as societies where people ideally achieve alone, use "I" frequently and take vacations singly or in pairs. Communitarian societies, on the other hand, use "we" more often, achieve better in groups, and vacation in organized groups. In individualistic cultures, decisions can be made quickly by representatives at negotiations, while in collective cultures, the representatives must defer to the organization.Individualism vs. Communitarianism While definitely an individualistic country, Italy is more communitarian than the United States.
The more collective nature of Italy compared to the United States can be seen in many ways. It is not uncommon for grown children to live with their parents for years.
Italian businesses are primarily owned by individuals and families. Business is preferably done with people with which one is familiar. Italian decision-making is done behind the scenes, among the in-group. Business meetings are then used to ratify the decision and communicate it to others.
Unacquainted guests will not be invited into an Italian home. Coffee or dinner will be taken with non-family members at a cafe or restaurant.
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Affective cultures readily express their thoughts and feelings. Expressing feelings relieves tension. Emotions flow easily. Touching and gestures are common. Statements are dramatic and fluent. Neutral cultures do not openly reveal thoughts and feelings, admire self-possessed behavior and frown on physical contact.Affective vs. Neutral Italians are more affective than Americans. They feel freer to express their emotions.
Italians are generally stereotyped as talking with their hands. Gesturing is indeed very common in Italy.
Italians can loudly quarrel with each other over a topic and still remain close friends and colleagues after.
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Specific vs. Diffuse 
The specific vs. diffuse dimension explains the degree of people's involvement in relationships. Specific cultures get to know people easily and maintain flexible relationships, yet specific cultures make acquaintances for specific or limited reasons. Diffuse cultures on the other hand, keep their distance from unknown others. Individuals are slower to develop relationships, however, once an individual has been accepted in a diffuse culture that person is in all the way. Italy is a fairly diffuse culture compared to the United States. Italians take time to get to know people. They will invite you for lunch before completing negotiations about a business contract. They want to observe you and feel they know you. Once you are accepted though, you are welcomed with open arms.
Italian culture however does display some features of specificity. For example, Italians observe strict lines between work and home life. What an Italian does after business hours is not and should not be of any interest to the company.
Italians can loudly quarrel with each other over a topic and still remain close friends and colleagues after.
It is considered inappropriate for managers to own voting stock in the company which employs them. This is official policy at Fiat, Italy's largest private company.
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Achievement vs. Ascription dimensions deals with the ways a culture accords status to people whether it is through what you achieve or through who you are (ascription).Achievement vs. Ascription 
While not as ascriptive as other cultures like Japan, Italy is more ascriptive oriented than the United States.
Italians do not admit to being ambitious.
In Italy authority travels with an individual rather than with a title or position (perhaps explains their cynicism toward authority?)
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Locus of Control describes the extent to which people in a culture feel that they have control over and can impact their surroundings.Locus of Control 
Italy is internally controlled and fairly similar to the United States on this dimension.
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Past/present cultures show respect for ancestors and elders and tend to view current happenings with regard to past experiences. Past/present-oriented cultures live in the here and now. Future cultures plan extensively for the future, respect youth, and talk of prospects. Synchronic cultures do activities simultaneously and appointment times are approximate. Relationships are more important than schedules. Sequential cultures do tasks one at a time and respect plans and timetables.Time Orientation 
Italy is past/present and more synchronic than the US.
Italian's more synchronic nature can be seen in their less strict time schedules. Americans may find the Italian time frame to be more fluid.
However, Italians seem to be moving to more strict punctuality, particularly in the more industrialized north.
Italians have learned to take the long view, anticipating the unexpected and coping with surprises philosophically.
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Hall defines high context communication as one in which most of the information is either in the physical context or internalized in the person, while very little is in the coded, transmitted part of the message. In low context communication almost all information is contained in the code of the message.Hall's Context Dimension Italy is higher in context than the United States.
Italian's extensive use of gestures is one indication of their higher context culture.
However, Italy also does not have many formal rules about behavior.
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Culture Specific Information
- Fast facts
- Regions
- Culture
- History
- The Arts
- Government & Politics
- Religion
- Family/Home/Women
- Mafia
- Lifestyles
Italy: Fast Facts
Flag: Three vertical stripes - green, white, red
Name: Italian Republic
Money: Lira
Geography:
Italy is bordered by France, Switzerland, Austria and the former Yugoslavia. Including the mainland and the islands of Sicily and Sardinia, Italy spans 301, 278 square kilometers.Topography:
Three quarters of Italy is hilly and mountainous. The two mountain ranges that cover Italy are the Alps, which continue into France and Yugoslavia, and the Apennines, which follow the Alps along to the southern tip of ItalyClimate:
Central and Southern regions of Italy, except high mountain areas, have a Mediterranean climate - mild winters, hot and dry summers. The Alpine regions have cold winters.Population:
According to a survey in July 1984, Italy had an estimated population of 57 million people. In 1982, 70 percent of the population was located in urban areas. The cities of Rome, Milan, Naples, and Torino each have over 1 million inhabitants. The growth rate from 1970-1982 was an average of 0.4 percent.Return to Culture Specific Information.
REGIONS
Regional Sentiment
Italy has 20 administrative regions that are all very different. Each region has its own separate history and cultural background. A 1986 study found that 62 percent of Italians had a difficulty in feeling that they belonged to a national collective group. They will, however, talk about their regional homeland with pride. Excessive attachment to one's native town or village is called companilismo - from campanile - the parish church bell tower.Each administrative regions is autonomous yet dependent on the central government in Rome. Each region has their own local taxes; regulations vary between regions. These regions were established by the 1948 constitution, based on traditional associations only sometimes coinciding with geographical divisions.
North Italian Plain:
Piemonte, Lombardia, Veneto, parts of Emili Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Gioulia. This area is fertile, densely populated, and characterized by intensive agriculture and Italy's most important industrial areas.Alpine (Central):
Val d'Aosta, Trentino-Alto Adige, parts of Liguria, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Veneto, Lombardia and Piemonte. The Alpine region is known for its hydroelectric power and labor, one of the highest peaks in the Alps, tourism, trade, and communication links to Europe. It is also known for history, religion, and the arts.Mezzogiorno (South):
Campania, Abruzzi, Molise, Puglia, Basilicata, Calabria, Sicily, Sardinia. This region includes some of the poorest and least developed areas in Italy.Return to Culture Specific Information.
CULTURE
Daily Needs
Taxis
Meters are usually broken; pay what the driver says and add a small tip. The Leonardo da Vinci or Fiumicino airport is 18 miles from Rome.Travel
The autostrada (highway) and roads are in good condition. Italy also has an excellent railway network and trains are inexpensive. Foreigners who do not have an European Union passport need to have an International driver's license, which can be obtained at local automobile clubs. The driver's license is good for one year.Closing Times
The hours of shops and services vary from region to region. In general hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.The post office, banks, government offices, ACT (Automobile Club of Italy) are only open in the mornings, Monday through Friday.
Filling stations are open until 12:30 p.m. They are closed from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. and then open until 7:30 p.m.. Stations are allowed to be open only 8 hours a day, except on the autostrada, where they are open 24 hours.
Shopping Supermarkets are easy to find; whole shopping complexes are at strategic locations. The village shop is the focal point of social life. People gather there to chat and exchange gossip. Italians buy frequently and in small quantities so that ingredients are fresh. There is no bulk buying.
Telecommunications
The telephone system is efficient but expensive. You use gettoni (tokens) if it is an old phone; you will need to use at least 5 tokens to make a call. Faxes are still unknown beyond the urban centers.Postal Services
You can get stamps at any Tobacconist shop where there is a blue "T" sign. Ordinary mail is expensive and very slow, sometimes taking two weeks to reach its destination in a nearby province. Efforts are being made to improve efficiency. If the letter is sent espresso it will normally arrive sooner than two weeks. To collect letters you have to produce proof of identity. Except in the main cities, post offices do not offer telephone facilities.Conveniences
It may be difficult to find a bathroom. There are daytime hotels (Diurnoc) where you can take a bath or shower, and even a haircut. A bathroom is marked by "WC."Dress
Italians are very well dressed at all times. Designer Italian clothes are imported all over the world. Milan, Rome and Florence are capitals of high fashion. Women wear long sleeves and a hat, men wear long-sleeved shirts and proper shoes in church. For cocktail parties, men should wear a coat and tie, and women a short dress. When accepting an invitation, men should wear a coat and tie to lunch, a dark suit to dinner; unless they are in the country, then they can be more informal. Shorts are not allowed in fine restaurants.Smoking
Smoking is prohibited in government offices, cinemas, theaters, churches and on public transportation.Drinking
Italians are moderate drinkers. They usually do not drink without a meal. Bars are open all hours of the day. You will not see drunks in the street, it is considered brutta figura to be drunk.Red Tape
Italian bureaucracy is very complicated. Things that are taken for granted elsewhere often involve endless paperwork and a lot of legwork. To buy a car in Italy, you must produce a certificate of residence from your community. You must carry your passport and drivers license at all times for identification.Visiting cards
Italians use larger visiting cards than people in the U.S., Britain, and the Pacific Region. You should have one card with just your name to be given with personal gifts, and a second card with your professional status and business references.Superstitions
Many folk-beliefs remain from ancient times. Italians, however, will claim they are not superstitious. Good luck: ladybird, four-leaf clover, seven-legged spider, coin on the ground. Bad luck: black cat crossing your path, walk under a ladder, 13 people at a table.Holidays
Every village celebrates their Saint's day; there will be a festa, a celebration with fireworks, roast suckling pig and dancing.Many businesses close for part or the whole month of August as most Italians take their holidays then.
Ferragosto, August 15, is one of the most important public holidays and many towns hold parties, fireworks displays, etc. to celebrate. Chuiso per ferie means "closed for the holidays." On their annual vacations people tend to go the seaside or the mountains.
Language
The national language of Italy is standard Italian. It is loosely based on Tuscan but has elements of various regional dialects. Italian has a strong influence from the dialect of Rome; Rome was the center for film-making after World War II. Traces of Latin phrases can also be seen in everyday speech due to the influence of the Catholic Church. Mass media and the public education system use standard Italian.Dialects/Foreign Languages
The regional dialects continue to be used locally in everyday speech. Differences between regional dialects include pronunciation and vocabulary. The dialects are Northern, Tuscan, Central and Southern. Italians have always used gestures to make their meaning clear because there are so many dialects spoken that are unintelligible to others, and because of the use of foreign languages by invaders and visitors.Other languages spoken in Italy are French, German, Slovene, Friulian, Catalan, Greek, Albanian, Ladin, and Provencal.
Many Italians speak standard Italian and at least one dialect, and many are multilingual.
Touch
Italians touch more than do Anglo-Saxons and Asians. During conversation they may touch your forearm. Touching the legs while sitting and conversing, however, shows intimacy or the desire for it.It is common to see two men or women walking arm in arm, a fraccetto. It shows friendship. Holding hands or holding someone around the waist, shows intimacy.
In Italy shaking hands is common; hugs used to say hello or good-bye are common but usually between friends. You may kiss each other lightly on the cheek.
Men do not pinch women on the buttocks anymore.
Introductions
Stand up if you are a man when someone is introduced to you. If you are a woman, only stand up when you are meeting someone of great importance or prestige. Women or elderly persons offer their hand, or give a small bow of the head.Introduce
- The lesser person to the more important one.
- The man to the woman.
- The younger person to the older.
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History
735 BC Founding of Rome.
80 BC The coliseum in Rome is constructed.
44 BC Assassination of Julius Caesar by an aristocratic conspiracy headed by Brutus and Cassius.
32 BC War against Mark Antony and Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt.
27 BC First Roman emperor, Augustus, establishes Roman imperial system.
AD 380 Christianity becomes sole official state religion.
AD 476 Fall of Roman Empire in west. Imperial Rome replaced by Papal Rome.
1097 The First Crusade. Godfrey of Baillin captures Jerusalem.
1181 Birth of St. Francis of Assisi, founder of Franciscan Order.
1265 Birth of Dante Alighiere.
1434 Banker Cosimo de'Medici founded a dynasty that ruled Florence and Tuscany until 1737.
1492 Christopher Columbus, Genoese navigator-explorer, becomes first European to reach America.
1805 Napoleon crowned King of Italy in Milan.
1815 Collapse of Napoleonic empire.
1860 Unification of Italy.
1915 Italy enters WWI on side of Allies.
1921 Italian Communist Party forms.
1925 Mussolini becomes dictator.
1941 Germany and Italy declare war on USA.
1946 Republic of Italy is created.
1955 Italy is admitted to UNO.
1960 The "Italian Miracle" - in 10 years the GNP increased 47 percent.Return to Culture Specific Information.
Art
According to UNESCO, over 40 percent of the world's great works of art are found in Italy. The first great artistic impulse came when Greeks colonized most of the South and the Etruscans settled in the center of the peninsula, well before the foundation of Rome.Italians have a rich history of art, spanning over several centuries. Famous works of art, and world renowned artists can be found in the Roman, Byzantine, Romanesque, 13th century, Gothic, Humanism, Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassical periods. Italy is most well known for the art of the Renaissance Period; Italians refer to it as the Cinquecento.
The Cinquecento / Renaissance
The High Renaissance extended and developed humanistic concepts. Despite political upheavals from foreign invasions and economic crisis, artistic life became stronger, more worldly and less spiritual. Artists include Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) and his famous Last Supper, Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) and his famous David and the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, and Raffaello (Raphael) Sanzio (1483-1520) and his many Madonnas.Music
Music was part of Italy since the Etruscan period when it accompanied almost every religious and social activity. Most people associate Italian music with opera, which started in Florence towards the end of the 16th century as a musical representation of Greek tragedy. In 1637 the first opera house opened in Venice. Naples soon emerged as the chief center of opera, which initially tended to be comic, singing songs of the street. Important musicians include:Rossini (1792-1868). The Barber of Seville s one of his most famous works.
Bellini (1801-35). His most famous work is Norma..
Verdi (1813-1901). Some of his most famous operas are La Traviata and Otello.
Puccini (1858-1924) . Some of his most famous operas are La Bohme and Madama Butterfly.
Literature
Italian literature was born in the 13th century when a group of poets at Frederick II's court began to write in the vernacular. These literati converged on Florence after the emperor's death, and created a school of poetry. Dante Alighieri emerged as the first great literary figure. His famous work is The Divine Comedy.Return to Culture Specific Information.
National Identity
More than 100 years after Italy's unification as a nation, regional differences are still marked. The North and the South are like different countries. Regional dialects are still widely spoken among family and friends.National Pride
Italians are most proud to accept their national label when Italy does well in an international sports competition, such as soccer's World Cup; when an Italian wins the Nobel Peace Prize; or when they see a Ferrari go by. The majority of Italians feel Italy is the best country to live in.Politics
Anarchy lies just around the corner. The bureaucratic apparatus is inefficient and weighted against the individual. Politicians are rated by their ability to make a raccomandazione, that results in someone getting a job or a company being awarded a multi-million dollar government contract. Nearly 90 percent of all Italians vote. Voting is compulsory, the constitution cites it as a civic duty, but it is not enforced. Political parties, however, put pressure on their supporters to turn out at elections. Newspapers are full of lengthy articles on current parliamentary intrigues and personalities. Politics is a constant topic of conversation. Political allegiances are almost always known to friends, colleagues and neighbors. Italians are often cynical of politicians.There are numerous political parties. The main political parties are the Christian Democrats, Socialists, Communists, Liberals, Uomo Qualunque (most popular now; a semifascist populist party).
Government
Until 1948 Italy was a constitutional monarchy. The Italian government is a parliamentary republic, with a largely ceremonial president as the head of state, a cabinet which is the actual locust of decision making. The two houses of parliament are the Chamber of Duties and the Senate. Members of the parliament are elected. The Constitutional Court passes judgments on the validity of legislation. The Constitution provides the basic freedoms of thought, speech, press, and the right to work. The Roman Catholic Church, the state religion, has a privileged status.Between World War II and 1997 around 55 cabinets have been created and fallen. Italy is a "partitocracy," a party-dominated political system, where the political parties exercise more control over Italian government and political life than do democratic institutions of government and mechanisms of public choice, i.e. elections. This has created a public disdain for politics, politicians and government institutions. The nation's parliament is held in low esteem because most of the rule-making processes are left to the cabinet, semiautonomous ministries or dealt with by means of bureaucratic regulations. Decisions to choose or bring down governments are almost always reached by leaders of political parties, not the Parliament. The formal government of Italy, a cabinet and its chief minister, is usually fragmented and subject to constant surveillance and the authority of the political parties and their elites.
Law and order
The number of known crimes in Italy in 1987 was 2.2 million, an increase of 11 percent over two years. More than half were thefts and, of these, only 3 percent resulted in convictions. Every citizen has a certificato penale, a blank certificate on which criminal offenses are recorded. The document must be produced, for example, with application for civil service jobs.Return to Culture Specific Information.
Religion
Cynicism also pervades the popular view of the church. Priests, like politicians, are part of life, but not essential and are not considered superior. There are large numbers of devout people, but a strong vein on anti-clericalism persists from the days when the church had immense power and priests frequently interfered in the private affairs of individuals. The sentiment is also a legacy of the 19th century when the papacy was a major obstacle to the struggle for Italian unification.
Even though church-going has fallen sharply, about 80 percent of babies are still baptized and 70 percent of (first) marriages are in church. Many Italians still go to Mass at least at Christmas and Easter. Catholicism remains a weighty presence in the nation's conscience and, of course, in its cultural heritage. The Catholic Church has influence through the Pope, the Italian Bishop's Conference, and the Christian Democratic Party.
- In 1970 a law was passed to permit divorces. Today Italy has the lowest divorce rate in Europe.
- In 1978 a law was passed to legalize abortions. The government allows for free abortions in public hospitals for women over 18 years of age.
- Attitudes towards non-Catholic religions are tolerant. The largest religious minorities are Jews, Muslims, and Protestants.
- Muslims are generally refugees from Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Albania, and Hungary.
- The majority of Jews are in Rome and Milan, but number fewer than 40,000.
- There are about 200,000 Protestants.
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Family
The Italian family forms the backbone of Italian culture. The family helps to preserve a unity of culture in a collection of diverse regions with a relatively unstable government. Traditionally, the Italian family was patriarchal with three generations, sometimes four, living under the same roof. The family was headed by the grandfather whose authority passed to the eldest son. The first born male would continue to do what his father did. Italians are loyal to their family first and foremost. The mother oversaw domestic chores.The nuclear family emerged after the 1960s. The average number of family members is 2.8. Even though thirty percent of people under the age of 34 still live with their parents, it is a growing trend in the large cities (especially in the North) for single, young people to leave home and live on their own. Family members are dispersed due to jobs, but there are still strong family ties. One salary is no longer sufficient; both the father and the mother work.
Many women want to work because it gives them greater power and status. However, they are still expected to continue with all the domestic responsibilities. Perfection is expected in house-cleaning and a large multi-course meal is served at midday and an almost equally large one in the evening. Women are seen as the nurturers of the family.
Home
The mercantile class emerged in the 15th century, it built its home like small fortresses, with different generations occupying different floors and a shop at the street level, the family business. The Italian family home is still a fortress - non-family visitors are most likely invited to cafs or restaurants.Italians prefer to own their home, they believe it is a good investment. Most young couples rent an apartment because loans are normally granted to pay for only 60 percent of the property value of a house with high interest rates. Because there is a shortage of apartments, many start married life in their parents' house.
Hospitality
To be invited to an Italian home for dinner is a sign of strong friendship, because as a rule Italians do not entertain at home. Arrive on time with flowers or a little gift. If you give flowers do not give Chrysanthemums, they are associated with funerals. Roses should be given in even numbers. Purple is bad luck. You can bring chocolate or liquor.Women
Italian women won the right to vote in 1946. Many women involved in the resistance during the Nazi occupation were nominated as candidates in the Republic's first general election by the communist party (PCI), which continues to nominate more women than any other major party. The Radical Party also put women in Parliament and lobbied for women's rights. Half of the Green Party's deputies are women. In the last 20 years the number of women in Parliament rose from 28 to 88.Violence
In 1988 a bill was passed to close the loopholes of anti-rape laws and make any form of sexual violence, including verbal harassment at work, a more serious offense.Married women
Married women have gained many basic rights only since the late 1960s. Before then, adultery by a wife was a criminal offense. A woman had few rights over her children and no rights over the property she brought to the marriage.Young single women
Single women won a great deal of social and sexual freedom, but still are more accountable to their parents than their brothers or their Northern European counterparts.Feminism
Feminism began to emerge at the end of the 1960s, but continues to have a low profile. Encouraged by the left-wing parties and intellectuals, feminists campaign less about employment opportunities and more about issues of rape. Society is still male-dominated, even though legislature recognizes the equality of men and women in all fields.Return to Culture Specific Information.
Mafia
The Mafia is not a centralized organization, but a territorial division of areas controlled by a few powerful families. Mafia crimes range from those directly related to its activities (drug trafficking, extortion) to those caused by inter-Mafia wars and attacks against the forces of law and order, e.g. the assassination of General Dala Chesa in 1982 and Judges Falcone and Borselino in the early 1990s. The Mafia makes huge profits in drugs, controlling public works and laundering money into legal activities in and outside Italy.
The Mafia is still strong in Italy. The Mafia has a long involvement and a strong influence in the ruling class and politicians in power. The Mafia controls industry and many Mafia members own large corporations. There has been some success in the struggle against the Mafia.
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Social Classes
Italians are less class-conscious than most Europeans. Social discrimination against southerners living in the North is almost always based on the educational levels of both parties. Snobbishness tends to be limited to the way people dress, for example, or the quality of their furniture, their china, or the pictures on their walls. Education has become an important channel for social mobility.Education
It is obligatory for Italian children to go to school between the ages of six and 14. Once their basic education is completed, about 20 percent of young adults try to find a job and do not pursue any further studies.Most of the schools are public, administered by the central government, but there are also a few which are run by private or Catholic organizations. All students take the same set of state-controlled exams. Once the exam is passed, the students go on to the university. Most universities have free tuition; classes are often overcrowded.
Quality of life
A survey in the late 1980s ranked the 95 provincial capitals according to their levels of benessere (well-being in general, not just wealth). The top five were Trieste, Bologna, Ravenna, Florence and Reggio Emilia. Most of a family's expenditure is spent on food, drink, tobacco, and housing.
Leisure and entertainment
More money is spent on soccer tickets than any other spectacle. Basketball is also a popular sport. Many Italians went to the cinema before TV; now they prefer to stay home and watch videos. Theater and opera are very popular. Good concerts are sold out. After the Spanish, Italians buy fewer books and newspapers than any other Western Europeans, but everyone reads the many illustrated magazines available, and comic books.
Food and Wine
The food of Italy has spread round the world. Every region in Italy has developed its own culinary talents; even the Italians think in terms of regional cuisine. Each region's food is subtly different and each town adds its own uniqueness. If you ask for bolognese sauce in 200 different Italian restaurants, you will get 200 different versions of ragu. Along with the food, one will enjoy drinking the region's favorite wine. The cafe or bar is where people gather to have an espresso, soft drink, or alcoholic beverage.
Lunch and Dinner Menu
Antipasti - hors d'oeuvre/starters
Primi Piatti - first course (pasta or risotto)
Secondi Piatti - second/main course (meat, fish, poultry)
Contorni - side dishes (vegetables: peas, beans, spinach, etc.)
Formaggi - cheeses
Dolci - desserts
Frutta di stagione - fresh fruit
Caffe - coffee
La (prima) colazione (light breakfast) - caffellatte (white coffee) with bread, butter and jam or cappuccino e cornetto (cappuccino and cake); many people eat at a bar on the way to work
Il pranzo or la seconda colazione (lunch) - eaten between 12:00-2:00 p.m. For many Italians this is the main meal of the day (hence the famous siesta).
La cena (dinner) - normally eaten after 7:30 p.m..
Health
The national health service was introduced in the late 1970s. Visits to the family doctor are free, but patients, with the exception of those on low incomes and retirees, pay a proportion of the cost of treatment such as x-rays, blood tests, or prescribed medicaments. A fixed fee is charged on each prescription. Hospital care is free and there are long waiting lists for admission. Wealthier people will choose to go to a private hospital. A common ploy is to pay to see the hospital consultant (primario) privately to arrange for the patient to go to the top of the waiting list. Most pharmaceutical products are available without prescription.Attitudes
Money
Italians are Europe's most serious savers; their first investment is likely to be a house or an apartment. Treasury bonds account for 40 percent of personal investments. The stock market is viewed with suspicion. Wealth fascinates Italians. The popular tabloids are full of articles describing the lifestyles of super-rich industrialists and film stars. The country's economic prosperity is relatively new and there is an ever-present fear of poverty that lurks just around the corner - the horror of wearing shabby clothes or staying in second-rate hotels. Materialism is outweighed by the good things in life that are free.Issues
Italians tend to suddenly wake up to key issues and pursue them with vigor. Some recent hot issues are nuclear power, sea pollution, and a debate on hunting.Foreigners
Italians are rather free from stereotyping prejudices. There are about 1.2 million Africans and Asians now in Italy, and about half of them work illegally or semi-legally, mainly in menial jobs. The only blacks who are resented - mainly by shopkeepers - are those who have been brought to Italy by Italians who make them sell "native handicrafts," manufactured in southern Italy or South Korea, on the streets and beaches. Most foreigners are genuinely liked by most Italians.Authority
The government minister, the boss, and the mayor are treated with great respect, even deference, as a matter of course. However, this is a courteous ritual. Italians love to ridicule the abstract idea of authority. An authoritarian manner is greatly resented; memories of fascist rule and a general dislike of the State Police still exist. People worthy of respect are those in the arts, skilled craftsmen, captains of industry, and wine-makers.
Italian business practices
- Economics
- Time
- Meetings
- Negotiations
- Male-female interactions
- Women in busines
- Miscellaneous business tips
Economics
- Italy is one of the five largest industrialized economies in the world. It is the gateway to the world's largest single market, the European Union. It is strategically at the center of the Mediterranean, so it enjoys excellent economic contacts with the new democracies in Central and Eastern Europe.
- Industrialization began at the end of World War II, transforming Italy into a modern industrialized society.
- Major developments took place in the 1960s through a program of infrastructure investments which led to a period called "Miracolo economico."
- Italy is a manufacturing economy open to international markets. In order to come to the Single European Market, which began January 1, 1993, from a stronger position, Italy is attempting to achieve a more sound financial and economic structure.
- The Single European Market means that all commercial barriers to the free circulation of goods, capital, services and persons, were abolished between the EU countries. Barriers remain in banking and the insurance industries.
- The European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) - as envisaged in the Maastricht Treaty - should be completed no later than 1999. The monetary union will eliminate exchange rate variability and uncertainty, reduce existing interest rate premiums, promote the expansion of the intra-Union trade and direct investment. The EMU will have far-reaching implications for the international monetary system. The single currency of the union, the ECU (European Currency Unit) will compete with the dollar and the Japanese Yen as a key international currency in foreign trade transactions, in the denomination of private investors portfolios and in official reserve.
- Italy's economy grew at 0.7 percent rate in 1996, one of the lowest in the industrialized world.
- Germany and France are Italy's major trading partners.
- Exports to the United States are 7.9 percent of all Italian exports.
- Industries that dominate the export market are machinery, textiles, clothing, food products and chemical goods.
- French and German companies are the leading foreign investors.
- Italy is by far the largest state-owned industrial sector from ice-cream to spacecraft.
- This dates back to the 1930s when the government decided to sustain the industrialization process through massive public intervention programs.
- The government recently begin to reconvert the economic system based on market principles.
- Italy has been characterized during the last six decades as having a mixed economy. There has been a proliferation of small and medium-sized businesses that constitute the backbone of Italian manufacturing activity. These companies tend to be small, flexible, family controlled, and export oriented.
- Unification has not succeeded in bridging the gap between the wealthy industrial and commercial Northern and Central regions and the less developed and mainly agricultural Southern regions.
- Unemployment figures accurately reflect the divergence between the North and South of Italy.
- There have been massive migrations of workers from the Southern to the Northern regions.
- Since the 1950s the Italian government has attempted to attract new investments into economically depressed areas.
- A number of different incentives have been introduced aimed mainly to attract investors to the regions of southern Italy including Sardinia, Sicily and other islands.
- The industrial pattern of small companies in Italy is characterized by the existence of a number of firms engaged in the same or related fields of business usually in the same region. Each company focuses on a small step of value added activity.
- For example, a firm may win an order and then subcontract that order to a more specialized firm in the same area with both firms collaborating to complete the order.
- This type of industrial pattern leads to areas of local excellence, e.g. example, computer technology in Ivrea, food processing in Emilia, and heavy metals in Brescia.
- Italy's economy benefits from an ability to adapt to the demands of the market, a high degree of flair for visual presentation and artisan skill.
- The private sector is dominated by a handful of household names e.g., Fiat in the automobile sector, Pirelli for tires, and Olivetti for computers.
- Foreign U.S. multinational corporations are also well represented in Italy. They include IBM, Texas Instruments, Texaco, Mobile, Goodyear, Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, Uniroyal, Nestle, Ericsson, and Pfizer.
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- More meetings take place in every region, province, and community of Italy per hour than anywhere else in the world. Italians perceive meetings as a theatrical showcase where the "performer" demonstrates his authority, power, and ability for the approval of colleagues.
- Rules are laid down, but they exist to be disregarded. Formality inevitably breaks down to be replaced by a kind of childlike glee.
- Regulated seating is the norm in meetings. The number one person (usually male, but in rare instances female) is placed at the head or center of the table. They are flanked by their seconds in command.
- Paternalism is very prevalent. The top man does all the talking, while everyone else listens.
- All major decisions have usually been sorted out prior to the meeting. Although, the charade of open discussion does take place, everyone is well aware that it is a charade.
- During long meetings Italians will never be imprisoned in a seat. If personal needs get in the way, they will get up, move about without losing face or appearing ill mannered.
- Because most meetings take place among a very homogenous group, proposals are usually not contested in a heated or argumentative way.
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- Italians have a different concept of time than Americans. Being late to meetings is certainly not encouraged, but by the same token it is not looked upon as a breach of etiquette
- Italians do not arrive for appointments on time (e.g. on time in Milan means 20 minutes late, in Rome half an hour).You cannot change this so you will have to adapt.
- An exception to this is in the North, where precision in everything is the goal. Every effort is made to be "on time."
- As a people, they have survived innumerable invasions, countless wars, and periodic government breakdowns, and this history has made them a notion of philosophers. They have learned to take the long view, anticipating the unexpected and coping with surprises philosophically
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- In order to be successful in negotiations with Italians give yourself adequate time for the exercise and a lot of patience.
- In negotiations Italians seem to proceed in a roundabout manner and will discuss things from a personal or semi-emotional angle. They may get overheated on some points but change their viewpoints a moment later.
- They will jump ahead to later points on the agenda or will re-discuss points that you think have already been settled.
- Their communication style is eloquent, wordy, demonstrative, and emotional. Italian wordiness compared to American succinctness can be frustrating.
- Americans must be try to be more explicit and explanatory but also encourage their Italian counterparts to be more concise and economical with words and ideas. In the course of doing business you can speak freely with Italians but do not exaggerate bluntness or directness.
- Be prepared to discuss things at great length and maintain your calm.
- Italian business dealings may feel dishonest businesses frequently get around rules. They regard Americans' rather rigid and law-abiding approach as short-sighted or even blind. They do not consider their own approach to be in any way corrupt.
- During negotiations Italians may have several phones on their desk, none of them put on hold. Therefore, the meeting is periodically interrupted by incoming calls. Not only does this establish their position of importance and power, it also enables them to observe their visitors, to size them up to decide whether or not they can be trusted.
- Italians do not conclude major business deals over the phone or by letter. It is done where eye contact is possible and where nuances of movement and gesture are studied and analyzed.
- Eye-balling makes evasiveness difficult. Eyes and facial expressions reveal underlying emotion and the Italian is a shrewd psychologist.
- Businessmen often use language to block communication until the moment is right. Watch for misunderstandings and always recap all discussions in writing.
- Try to learn a little Italian, they will appreciate the effort because their English might not be perfect either.
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- In Italy machismo and gallantry (two sides of the same coin) are perpetuated, since they are as much a way of life there as eating pasta or drinking wine at meals.
- Before a meeting in the south actually gets under way, a women participant may receive an excess of attention. Italian men are very charming and most male to female overtures are quite subtle (e.g. an ingratiating smile, a wink, kissing a woman's hand, or a sincere verbal compliment). American women will be accorded respect in Italy so accept such gestures gracefully.
- Italian women accept this as a harmless part of the game with either an indulgent smile or a playful rebuke.
- Unwanted gestures should be ignored. However if these actions persist and the gentleman doesn't get the hint, a strong and vocal rejection is totally appropriate. Basta! is the Italian word for "Enough!".
- Women should extend their hand first when greeting a man. Embracing and cheek-kissing is reserved for longtime acquaintances. DonÍt be afraid to introduce yourself.
- Traditions are strong in Italy, respect for authority is even stronger.
- Always show great respect for professional and academic titles. Titles are in constant use to establish one's position and prestige.
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- Always be aware that there are distinct roles for men as the dominant force in business. When it comes to business the man is the authoritative head. Women play a decidedly minor role in Italy's business sector
- In Italy the woman is the backbone of the family. The Italian women has no intention of forgetting her role as a female. She does not use her sex as a weapon: it is simply inconceivable to her to be anything but a woman in the world in which she lives.
- Approximately 36 percent of the workforce is female, with very few in decision-making positions.
- Italian women managers will be found in female-oriented businesses dealing in fashion, art, cosmetics.
- Women receive up to 22 weeks for maternity leave.
- There is no equal opportunities legislation and there is considerable discrimination against women.
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- Family importance will extend to business relationships (e.g. affectionate hugs, inclusion in family celebrations, gifts, and close familial-like correspondence).
- Italians eat well, relax well, and dress well. They are astute business people. No one wants to pay full price for anything (e.g. railway tickets, taxes, new car, or a suit). Only naive Italians and foreigners pay full price.
- English is widely spoken among better educated business people. Cocktail hour with several rounds of drinks is uncommon in Italy, since wine is served with every course. In Italian business circles, even mild intoxication is considered ill mannered.
- Men should wear business suits. They may dispense their ties and remove their jackets if a room or hall is not air-conditioned - Italians do enjoy their creature comforts. Women should dress with a traditional sense of elegance and chic. Consider investing in a stylish, high quality wardrobe for business and social events (e.g. elegant shoes, purse, briefcase, and jewelry).
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Links to more Italian information on the Web
- Italy - Business Customs and Protocol
- Windows on Italy
- Embassy of Italy, Washington D.C.
- Consulate General of Italy, Boston
- Italian Consulate, San Francisco
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