It would appear that the gene for organization and precision is truly missing from the Italian DNA. Some people find it charming but I, increasingly, do not.

could it be that they [Italian men] care more about romance than sex, especially when they are on the receiving end? ... ...I was on the lookout for some good sex, an attitude that led colleagues with whom I then shared an office, Federico and Gerardo, to say that I was “the only maschio in the room”. Both claimed that they only care about sex and want it when they are in love.

When you meet someone at a time when you are still basically unfamiliar with the country he or she finds from, you are unable to make all those subtle distinctions you unconsciously rely on at home - accent, pronunciation, mode of dress, physical bearing - to give you what is often vital information about a new acquaintance.

Sometimes, in fact - and I’ve heard others say the sane thing - I have to read a story about developments in Italy in the foreign press to get a good, quick overall view of what is going on. And this is particularly true if you’ve been away and missed the first few days of coverage; Italian news stories rarely give you any background.

In Italian papers, rumor often takes the place of fact. Unconfirmed and overblown stories are often printed as fact - one trick is the frequent use of the conditional verb tense which translates into English as “is said to”...

A chunk of parmigiano reggiano, eaten with a pear or some kind of fruit compote, is truly a dish fit for a king.

Second, and contrary to what some foreigners seem to think, not every pasta dish should be doused with grated cheese: you must not sprinkle cheese on pasta with any kind of cheese; ... and most Italians would rather die than put grated cheese on pasta made with fresh tomatoes.

Italian men like them [Eastern European women immigrants], several of the latter have told me, because they are more feminine and not 'feminists'.

... but when a woman is in love, she can glorify any man's existence.

By the way, although nowadays your average waiter will no longer flinch when an American or a German asks for a cappuccino after or even with dinner (he knows what side his bread is buttered on, be advised that he thinks it’s pretty disgusting). No Italian would ever drink cappuccino with, or immediately after, a meal and finds the idea repulsive as, at this juncture, I confess, do I.