5 things you don't understand about Italians

Italy is my great love, I dream myself every night on the beach of Fasano, stealing a fry from my daughters' plate, a glass of Pietra Bianca (Madonna's favorite wine and mine) on the way and the little shop with the most beautiful kaftans waiting for me to visit after lunch. The food, the people, the music; there is nothing I don't like, but there are a few things I don't understand.

1. Paying in a coffee shop
In Italian bars, the principle is: pay first, then collect. So I need to know exactly what I'm going to order in advance (so many ice creams, these flavors, then three cappuccinos, two juices, and three glasses of water and order that at the bar), and with that receipt, you then go to the counter where everything will be made. If you suddenly think you might want a frappé as well, then you're out of luck and have to queue again to pay and then to throw away your trash. I find it inconvenient and cumbersome for myself and for them it seems like a missed opportunity, because you have zero upselling. But it must undoubtedly be my fault.

2. The fuss about cappuccino after twelve o'clock
It surely has to do with digestion. Coffee with milk is a bit of eating and drinking at the same time, so you consume that in the morning and after lunch it's purely ’push caffè‘ that you drink, or coffee so strong (che sveglie anche i morti, or so that it wakes the dead) that it gives digestion a solid push. But to see having a cappuccino after twelve as a sign of bad behavior (not to mention a latte macchiato), that seems a bit far-fetched to me personally.

3. The Italian Funda (and junk)
Ever looked at a house in Italy? Just for fun because you have nothing better to do, you should check out immobiliare.it and you won't believe your eyes. Where we order a ten-ride card for bulky waste and even give a wall a coat of paint to present everything perfectly, you see nothing but misery and junk, junk, junk on the Italian sites. Overflowing garbage bags, piles of boxes, broken drying racks, children's potties, dog beds...

4. The decor in general
Italians make the most beautiful clothing, the most unique furniture, all good and beautiful comes from Italy, but I still have to come across the first beautifully decorated house (and I've seen quite a few) or beautifully decorated hotel (as long as it's classic, because those do exist).

5. That they stay living at home for so long
Although they can't do much about it, because houses are expensive and if I had a mother who cooked three courses for me every day with a tiramisu for dessert, I would know what to do, but still. Living together is still a ‘thing’ in Catholic Italy. They turn a blind eye to it, but really cheering it on... No.