"Italy and the Italians" a Italy Travel Page by Kulprit

When I was learning Italian in Florence the teacher laboured at great lengths to impress upon us certain rules of grammar. I'm sure I have now forgotten them... but what I remember clearly is what she said next: "The final rule is this. If it does not sound right, then change the rule!"
This, for me, illustrates perfectly the spirit of Italian life. The language has a music and, overall, it must be harmonious.
Italians, I feel, have an instinctive affinity with simple style and beauty. It's not only in the clothes they wear but in the way they wear them. It's in the sleek lines of the cars they design and has been long celebrated in the buildings we flock to admire. A pilot friend of mine told me that the most beautiful but utterly impractical plane he ever came across was Italian. A more stylish aircraft he had never laid eyes on but when he went to get in he found that the door was at the rear of the eight-seater. The pilot was expected to scramble over the seats of his passengers to enter the cockpit as a door at the front of the plane would have spoiled its graceful lines.
Italians are passionate people - as quick to anger as they are to explode with laughter. One of the things I love most about them, though, is their patience with any traveller who attempts to communicate in their language. On more than one occasion I have witnessed French people almost perish with horror at my attempts to converse with them in my poor school French. The abuse of their language is more, it seems, then they can comfortably handle. Italians, on the other hand, beam with joy when you make even the slightest effort. Perhaps it's because the French generally have a better command of English then their southern neighbours. Italians, I think, celebrate the music of their language and don't see much point in resorting to the harsh, gutteral tones of English.
For those of you who have not yet had the pleasure of spending time in Italy, so, take a bit of time to learn even the basic pleasantries such as 'thank you' (grazie - pronounced gratsee-eh. I've heard so many tourists use the Spanish 'gracias' instead which must be quite annoying to the Italians), 'please' (per favore - pronounced per favor-eh) and the like.
Avoid the loud Hawaiin shirt look as this will surely wound the sensibilities of the effortlessly stylish Italians. Most of all, don't try to fit too much in if your time is limited. The trip will fly by in a whirl of autostrade (motorways) and spaghetti and you'll be left unfulfilled. My advice is to linger in places to soak up their essence. Because of its fragmented history, each part of the country is largely unique and worthy of real exploration. Don't panic about not seeing everything. If you possess a soul you'll undoubtedly be returning before very long...