Ask Battista Minola 1616 Anything - Four

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

Some of your favorite super-regional things (customs/culture/food/language quirks/etc...) from Italy that outsiders might not know about?

That's an interesting question! I'll mention whatever comes to mind:

- Delizie al limone (a sort of lemon cake) are supreme and the best Neapolitan dessert - though they're all great.
- I have noticed a funny divergence where Southerners use the masculine to talk about years of high school (at least if they went to a liceo as that word is masculine) while Northerners use the feminine. For instance I might talk about third year saying "in terza" while south of here they would say "in terzo".
- Ligurian sounds like Portuguese, but worse.
- If you like canals but think Venice is too overrun with tourists already and like small towns there are many places in the Northeast and around the Po Delta worth visiting, especially Comacchio.
- Somewhat outside the scope of the question but we regularly used table forks before everyone else in western Europe (brought here from Byzantium apparently) and around the Elizabethan and Jacobian eras the English considered them an effeminate affectation that Italians use because they're an unmanly people.
- The city of Prato in Tuscany has, together with the largest textile district in Europe, the largest concentration of Chinese people in Europe. And I mean something like 15% of its population.
- I am pretty sure I live in one of the most Latin American urban areas in Europe outside Spain/Portugal, which also applies to the regional seat of Genoa; and to the Milan metropolis, although there it's less notable because it's more diverse. More specifically, La Spezia has more Dominicans abroad than anywhere else outside the USA and a couple places in Spain.

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

Although personally I would flip the province of Piacenza in western Emilia from III to I and my own province of La Spezia from I to III, partly because the border looks more compact and neat and partly because I'd rather be with Tuscany and the Centre than with Greater Milan. A map may come in the following days.

The map is here.

[Хahar 🤔]

- The city of Prato in Tuscany has, together with the largest textile district in Europe, the largest concentration of Chinese people in Europe. And I mean something like 15% of its population.

Oh man, I see the Prato Chinese are from Wenchow, too, which means that nobody can understand a word they say.

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

- The city of Prato in Tuscany has, together with the largest textile district in Europe, the largest concentration of Chinese people in Europe. And I mean something like 15% of its population.

Oh man, I see the Prato Chinese are from Wenchow, too, which means that nobody can understand a word they say.

Most Chinese in all of Italy are from there! One of my best friends is Chinese and his family indeed comes from Rui'an (apparently he tends to use Wenzhounese with his parents but Mandarin with his cousins, who live in Rome). He was also born in Prato although I don't think they lived there for a significant amount of time.

[Lechasseur]

Opinion of the 2022 World Cup ?

And opinion of Arsenal being top of the Premier League ?

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

Opinion of the 2022 World Cup ?

And opinion of Arsenal being top of the Premier League ?

The 2022 World Cup was (sports wise) pretty amazing all things considered. Go Morocco! I don't have strong opinions about Arsenal.

[All Along The Watchtower]

What is the most "Italy.txt" politics thing you've seen recently?

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Is Italian the most beautiful language in the world?

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

What is the most "Italy.txt" politics thing you've seen recently?

Yesterday a member of Parliament - who happens to be the vice-president of the parliamentary committee on national security - made a speech about the 41bis hard prison regime where he accused the opposition of siding with the Mafia and (apparently) referenced information that isn't supposed to be open to the public. Does this count?

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

Is Italian the most beautiful language in the world?

I am not Antonio. My answer would probably be Farsi, but I am open to alternatives.

[Meclazine for Israel]

What parts of the US constitution were violated when John Rambo was driven out of the small town of HOPE by the Sheriff in the opening scenes of "First Blood"?

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

What parts of the US constitution were violated when John Rambo was driven out of the small town of HOPE by the Sheriff in the opening scenes of "First Blood"?

Sorry, I forgot to answer this because I don't know what to say since I have never watched that film, but I am going to say the Privileges and Immunities Clause (right to travel).

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

Bump for my birthday (which was yesterday) and also because looking at the post count on my profile I noticed I have reached my one thousandth day on the forum.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

How is someone in Italy so obsessed with rap?

[All Along The Watchtower]

Favorite terrible Italian politician?

I realize this is similar to my previous question, but a bit more specific.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

What kind of jokes do Italians tend to say? What is Italian humor like?

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

How is someone in Italy so obsessed with rap?

I am really confused by this question on multiple levels...

1. Not sure what prompted this, I have mentioned rap in your presence maybe half a dozen times in the span of over two years.
2. Rap is (unsurprisingly) very popular with Italian youths, primarily Italian rap but also American.
3. I listen to significantly less rap than many of my friends, including online ones.

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

Favorite terrible Italian politician?

I realize this is similar to my previous question, but a bit more specific.

The perfect answer would have been Giulio Andreotti but he's dead, oh well.

If this means "someone with terrible politics but who I can begrudgingly respect" then it's probably Luca Zaia? If this means "someone I like as a meme" I'll go with absolute icon Vittorio Sgarbi.

What kind of jokes do Italians tend to say? What is Italian humor like?

I don't really know how to answer these questions in a meaningful way, except maybe that we are very into humour directed at ourselves.

[T'Chenka]

If you have the time, could you please explain how people are feeling about the new Italian prime minister where you live? Her, her administration and her policies.

More specifically:
- How do YOU feel?
- How do other people in your age group feel (not necessarily your friends)?
- How do middle aged people feel?
- How do older people feel?
- All of the above questions, if you could note how your city/town differentiates from Italians in general right now

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

If you have the time, could you please explain how people are feeling about the new Italian prime minister where you live? Her, her administration and her policies.

More specifically:
- How do YOU feel?
- How do other people in your age group feel (not necessarily your friends)?
- How do middle aged people feel?
- How do older people feel?
- All of the above questions, if you could note how your city/town differentiates from Italians in general right now

I think it's hard to answer most of these questions in ways other than inference from voting patterns and surveys, especially because I don't think this government has done anything so controversial or across-the-board popular to flip the opinions of large swathes of people. That said, Meloni's coalition was as popular as dog turd with my age group at the last election, very much the opposite with middle aged people and more mixed with very old people, and my limited anecdotal evidence certainly does not contradict this. My city is a historical left-wing stronghold and while that's much less true in recent years it is still certainly left-leaning relative to the whole country.

As for me, I feel negatively about the government but I am mostly bored for now, the big bad proposals are yet to come.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

2. Rap is (unsurprisingly) very popular with Italian youths, primarily Italian rap but also American.

What?! Weird.

Also how often do you visit Brothers of Italy precincts?

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

2. Rap is (unsurprisingly) very popular with Italian youths, primarily Italian rap but also American.

What?! Weird.

Also how often do you visit Brothers of Italy precincts?

Lol. Your shock is very funny tbh.

I don't think "Brothers of Italy precincts" is a particularly meaningful concept when the party while the most voted of all only got 26 percent, but since it topped the poll in La Spezia as well including in most of the historic centre I suppose I visit them every time I go outside.

[MT Treasurer]

Not really a question, but I’ve always had a soft spot for Italy. I obviously don’t know that many Italians, but every Italian I have met (also happen to be close friends with two) has been incredibly cordial and warm. I don’t know what it is about your people, but I take it it’s not wrong to assume that Italian people are some of the most kind-hearted (in terms of general temperament and attitude toward others) people in Europe? Or could I not be more wrong and my sample size (all-male, too) is completely unrepresentative?

Also, how come your English is better than the English of many American posters on here?

And while we’re at it, out of personal interest: How similar is Italian to Spanish? To me, Spanish never seemed like a difficult language to learn, but I’ve heard that Italian is a little more challenging?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

2. Rap is (unsurprisingly) very popular with Italian youths, primarily Italian rap but also American.

What?! Weird.

Also how often do you visit Brothers of Italy precincts?

Lol. Your shock is very funny tbh.

I don't think "Brothers of Italy precincts" is a particularly meaningful concept when the party while the most voted of all only got 26 percent, but since it topped the poll in La Spezia as well including in most of the historic centre I suppose I visit them every time I go outside.

Yes but the coalition it leads would've won a majority in many precincts.

So how offended are you by this video?

It didn't even include this!

[𝕭𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖆 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖔𝖑𝖆]

2. Rap is (unsurprisingly) very popular with Italian youths, primarily Italian rap but also American.

What?! Weird.

Also how often do you visit Brothers of Italy precincts?

Lol. Your shock is very funny tbh.

I don't think "Brothers of Italy precincts" is a particularly meaningful concept when the party while the most voted of all only got 26 percent, but since it topped the poll in La Spezia as well including in most of the historic centre I suppose I visit them every time I go outside.

Yes but the coalition it leads would've won a majority in many precincts.

So how offended are you by this video?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5e_hhrHEaY
It didn't even include this!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKAluwFoTKQ

I think you already asked me this a while ago, it's kind of stupid but I am not offended, a couple things made me chuckle. SCIATAPP UID DE SCIATAPPA!