I am "Italian"


I have never been a nationalist in my life. Localism and tribalism are feelings that are not only foreign to me, but also disturb me a little. Identifying as Italian, however, always gives me a special satisfaction. It is not a matter of pride, but of opportunity, resources, and heritage. It's not about patriotism, it's pure and hard "game theory".
Can you even fathom it? When people ask you "Where are you from?" and you answer "Italy", you are dumping Rome, Venice, Naples, Florence, Milan, Palermo on them. The Roman Empire, the Church, the Renaissance. Poets, musicians, explorers, philosophers, painters, sculptors, scientists, directors, athletes. The Dolomites, Lake Garda, the Cinque Terre, the Amalfi Coast, the Costa Smeralda, Mount Etna. The Colosseum, Milan Cathedral, the Rialto Bridge, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the ruins of Pompeii, the Trulli. Spaghetti, pizza, bruschetta, cappuccino. Ferrari, Armani, Ferrero.
You don't even need to make a list: "Italy" is the label on a package whose contents everyone knows. It's a knockout blow, a checkmate, an unstoppable offensive.
Then they know that maybe they have an asshole standing in front of them. But he's an Italian asshole. Can you beat that?

P.S. By the way, to the question "Where are you from?", even though I speak English quite well, I always answer "Italia!" or "Italiano!", in Italian of course. And you immediately start with a good laugh.

This post was machine-translated from Italian.


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