I like Italy, and 99.9% of America likes Italy, too.

[maxsolomon]

Despite the injustices done to Knox & Sollecito, I like Italy. I don't believe it is collectively responsible for their prosecution and conviction.

I like Italian Food. I like Italian Wine. I like Italian Apertifs. I like Italian Digestifs. I like Italian Espresso machines. I like Italian scooters & motorcycles. I like Italian furniture. I like Italian movies. I even like Italian cars - the new Fiat is CUTE. Et cetera.

So don't be offended if I/we vent a bit about Knox using generalizations. We still like you, just not Mignini and the Perugia cops. And the British tabloids. It's not like you're Goldman Sachs.

So, we'll be flooding your city centers and universities next year, like usual, with our unwarranted optimism and boorish manners. Whether you like it or not.

Ciao!

[KatyMan]

1. +1 million

We love Italy too!

[monmouth]

11. I like Italian men...n/t

[CTyankee]

17. I saw 3 absolutely gorgeous men on the Rialto Bridge in Venice in 2008.

They were uniformed, but with short sleeves (it was May). I stopped dead in my tracks and stared at them (I have never done that EVER in my life before or after!). Saw some great looking guys in Turin also. And Florence. I think that in Northern Italy the men dress really well. And they tend to be lean. But these guys on the Rialto Bridge give me a really sweet memory...

[monmouth]

18. Ahh, how I envy you. On Masterpiece Theatre a few months back

there was an Italian detective. I spent so much time looking at him I never did get his name. The name of the show escapes me also, just three letters. Whatta good-looking guy...

[MerryBlooms]

21. Zen. I love Masterpiece Mystery. n/t

[monmouth]

22. Rufus Sewell..n/t

[provis99]

19. I'll assume you're being sarcastic.

Italian men define the term "male chauvinist pigs".

[monmouth]

23. For sure, I don't think I'd ever marry one but then the two Englishmen

I married were chauvinists also..LOL.

[B Calm]

29. I like Italian women, (the ones who shave their armpits). .

[Greybnk48]

52. I was almost afraid to say this! Haha! I love Italian men!

Not all of them, but generally.

[seabeyond]

2. the president is who turns me off. nt

[CTyankee]

41. I saw the photo of him nude on the beach and haven't forgotten it, even tho I

wish I could. Aaargh...

[seabeyond]

47. eeew. havent seen it. and

before you grab it for me... dont wanna see it, lol.

i saw the video of him going behind a female policewoman writing a ticket on the hood of the car. he pretended to fuck her from behind. he and his buddies laughed adn laughed. she was pissed when she realized.

the pres

wow

thumbs up to those sexually progressive europeans.

[CTyankee]

69. You do NOT want to see his nude photo on the beach then!

"Sack" of shit takes on a whole new meaning...

[Roland99]

3. The S&P doesn't like them either. Just downgrade them from Aa2 to A2.

[RaleighNCDUer]

4. +

[Kerrytravelers]

5. It's the same way many people look at Americans.

They may hate our collective government's foreign policy, but they are fascinated by Americans.

I totally get that.

[murielm99]

6. Florence is one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

The Duomo!

[CTyankee]

15. San Marco Convent! Santa Maria Novella Church!

Palazzo Vecchio! Piazza della Signora!

Ah, the list goes on and on and on...

[mooseprime]

7. at least they don't EXECUTE the innocent

unlike OTHERS

[maxsolomon]

8. I forgot to add that

Italian women can be rather attractive.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_MtcG6Tn8mk8/TPQ1nZ0sTcI/AAAAAAAAA90/dZ9pjQEDonQ/s1600/Sophia+Loren3.jpg

[RagAss]

30. I agree with my entire soul.....

[Fresh_Start]

9. It looks to me like the Italian legal system corrects its mistakes

which compared to a number of well known cases in the US, makes Italy look brilliant in comparison

[BrendaBrick]

13. Speaking of the Italian legal system

I ran across this recently:

Italian parents too old and selfish to look after child
An Italian toddler is to be put up for adoption after a court ruled that her parents, aged 70 and 57, are too old and selfish to look after her.
Nick Squires

By Nick Squires, Rome

8:45PM BST 16 Sep 2011

The 16-month old girl was conceived by Gabriella De Ambrosis, 57, a librarian, and her retired husband Luigi, 70, the former mayor of a small town, with the help of artificial insemination, but the court in Turin has ruled that they are incapable of raising her properly.

The case first came to light last year when the couple allegedly left the baby, then aged just one month, unattended in a car for 40 minutes outside their home in the town of Mirabello in Piedmont, of which Turin is the regional capital.

Mr De Ambrosis said he was unloading some shopping from his car and never let the child out of his sight.

On another occasion neighbours reported that the couple left the baby, crying and alone, in a car at 10pm one night in an apparent attempt to make her go to sleep.

They were reported to social services and the child, named Viola, was taken by police officers and placed in the care of a foster family.

The couple were subjected to tests by psychologists and psychiatrists, who found that Mrs De Ambrosis had failed to establish an emotional bond with her baby and her husband had not shown enough concern for the child's wellbeing.

The case went to court and four judges from a children's tribunal in Turin recommended that the toddler be put up for adoption.

In a 16-page ruling, they said that her parents had been selfish and narcissistic in their decision to have a child at their advanced age.

They had resorted to artificial insemination after two applications to adopt a child were turned down on the basis that they were too old.

"They (the parents) never thought about the fact that their daughter would be orphaned at a very young age, and before that would be forced to care for her elderly parents, just at the time when, as a young adult, she will have most need of their support," the judges ruled.

The couple had been driven by "a narcissistic need to have a child" and showed "indifference with regard to the child's perspective."

The little girl was "the fruit of a distorted application of the enormous possibilities offered by genetic progress," the judges ruled.

In a clarifying statement released on Friday, the court said that the ruling was based primarily on the fact that the couple had "abandoned" the baby on numerous occasions, endangering her physical and mental health.

Rest Here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/8768927/Italian-parents-too-old-and-selfish-to-look-after-child.html

[hifiguy]

10. What's not to like?

Fabulous food, wine, art, and history. Home of Ferrari and Lamborghini. Not to mention Fellini and Visconti, Puccini, Respighi, and Verdi. And I haven't even brought up Sophia Loren.

Jackass cops can turn up anywhere.

[fishwax]

12. +1

[Rex]

14. Totally agree.

I love Italy! This is class warfare between rich and poor...not one nation against another!

[Cetacea]

61. Hey. Italians are stupid. I learned that from the Teevee

And a few movies directed by another brilliant Italian.

[Riftaxe]

16. Have WW2 Vets and their children really dwindled

to only 0.01% of the country then?

[xmas74]

46. My grandfather didn't have a problem with Italy and with most

Italians. FWIW, he was a POW, captured in Italy. His problem was with those who called the shots back then, not with the regular people.

[marmar]

20. "I/we vent a bit about Knox using generalizations"

Why use generalizations?

[maxsolomon]

31. well, everyone generalizes.

the Knox threads have been rife with generalizations: Italy is corrupt, Italy is superstitious, Italy is medieval.

[jberryhill]

34. Not to mention a lot of excited hand gestures

[ProdigalJunkMail]

24. Headed to the northern lake region in the spring

should be a fabulous trip...

sP

[CTyankee]

38. Oh, I was in Lake Maggiore in 2008. Absolutely beautiful. I LOVED the lake region.

Really a nice spot to go. You will love it, altho I can't speak for the other lakes.

Where else are you going in northern Italy?

[ProdigalJunkMail]

44. We will be revisiting Como

and a little town called Varenna. We spent a couple of weeks of our honeymoon there and will be recreating as much of that as we can. then, we'll drive into switzerland and then austria. cannot WAIT for this time...

sP

[CTyankee]

50. Sounds divine!

[ProdigalJunkMail]

53. it is some of the most beautiful scenery on the planet

and the people are wonderful. our favorite little town in Austria literally treated us like family when we were there. we hope it has not grown and changed too much over the years. we will certainly be looking up old friends...

get there if you can!

sP

[CTyankee]

59. what's the name of the town?

[ProdigalJunkMail]

65. the town in Austria is Brand

We were there just before the summer season really kicked in so the town was not too heavily traveled. Absolutely fell in love with the place.

The Walliserhof (http://www.walliserhof.at/en/) is where we stayed...looks like it has changed over the years. One of the most vivid memories I have is of arriving fairly late and being sent to the kitchen to get some potato and leek soup with some good crusty bread. We went into the dining room and had a wonderful conversation with a French couple who had brought their dog along...he was curled up under the table.

sP

[Bloke 32]

25. Unrecommended for protesting too much

Methinks doth.

[RagAss]

26. Wow ! I have family there and only 75% of Italy likes Italy !

[Skittles]

27. CORRECT

I would not like to be judged as an American based on people like bush and cheney :o

[WinkyDink]

28. Italia is bellissima!

[jberryhill]

32. I like Italy, but just as a friend for now

We'll take it one day at a time and see how it goes. I'm not really ready for commitment right now. I'm still on the rebound from Norway, and that's going to take some time to get over.

It's always the same thing, you say you like a country, they take it the wrong way and want to start moving their stuff into your apartment, and then in a few weeks they are leaving dishes in the sink and drinking out of the milk carton when they think you aren't looking.

[CTyankee]

39. You need some space now, I think. Italy is so, well, "emotional."

It's just too much for Americans, such as yourself. Maybe you could propose a "time out" for both of you.

And those Italians,they are so really crazy about their food and their wine and their art stuff. Why do they care so much? Why not just go to Dunkin Donuts or McDonalds? Nobody in the good ole USA cares about food like THAT. Whatsa matter with them Eyetalians?

[jberryhill]

40. Lol...I'll be in Milan later this month

Maybe we'll have a heart-to-heart.

[CTyankee]

42. No, sadly I'm in Holland on a barge and out of touch.

Oh please, tho. Stop by the teatro della scala. Che bella!

Perhaps also the Brera. Che bello museo...

Tell me what you think!

[jberryhill]

43. Ah, you finally are on that barge trip?

Did you get to see all those paintings by that Dutch guy and his dad in that town with all those blue plate specials?

[CTyankee]

49. No, I am on my way. But I'll stop there and see what all the fuss is about.

Actually, I wanted to see that kid with the earring but she's not there. Instead, I will see her in that World Court place...

[southernyankeebelle]

33. I love Italy also. I have visited many many times and have Italian relatives

who live there. Injustices happens everywhere. Remember one thing Knox and her boyfriend kept changing their story in the beginning. Knox is no angel either. I think she is innoncent but why was she in the apartment doing drugs? Please remember there still is a dead girl. Where does her family go to find justice?

[Manifestor_of_Light]

35. Dad was over there with the Air Force in WW2.

When it was the Army Air Corps.

He worked on Norden Bombsights.

He told me about those "ugly Italian girls" he had to frisk and disarm. :rofl:

He always liked good looking brunettes, loved Sophia Loren. Said there were girls over there that were more gorgeous than she.

I have not been over there yet to check out the "ugly Italian boys".

He said a friend of his was playing grab-ass with a girl and he got a handful of grenades. She had grenades under her skirt because she was a Yugoslavian freedom fighter and they were at a base in Manfredonia, on the Adriatic.

:rofl:

[ProgressiveProfessor]

36. I like Italy as well but prefer France

However, I vastly prefer Italians over the French.

[CTyankee]

37. Why is that?

[CoffeeCat]

45. How about that Marche region?

Seriously, Italy isn't Amanda Knox--just as America isn't Joe Buttafuoco.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

48. There is no more beautiful city in the world than Paris

and the southern France (Côte d'azur) is the best of the Med. However as people the Italians are much friendlier and egalitarian than the French. YMMV

[CTyankee]

51. I agree about Paris. It is just overwhelmingly beautiful.

I've been to Italy several times and Sicily once and most of the people were nice (I try to speak Italian when I'm there but it's not that great). My French isn't much better but I got good results in Paris when I adopted the custom of addressing people as Madam/Monsieur, which is considered polite. If you are sensitive to these cultural customs (which you have to learn) it goes much better for you.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

55. Comports exactly with my experience. nt

[WinkyDink]

66. So do I! All of Europe is in France: the Alps; the Riviera; the Atlantic; Alsace;

Haut-Savoie; etc.!

I have travelled extensively in both countries (not that you haven't!), and base my opinions on those visits!

[Dover]

54. Like anyone, sometimes we want a distraction from our own issues by projecting

and scapegoating. That's what I think happened with Amanda Knox. She was on the receiving end of a lot
of built up anger and general insecurity and angst within that country.

It was interesting that last time I was there I went out with a guy who complained that the divorce rate and
disintegration of the family in Italy was, in large part, a result of American influence. I think it was a
gender issue too, because the men were feeling very threatened by the empowerment of women. At any rate, this
scapegoating is not unique to Italy.

[Spider Jerusalem]

56. Italian food, good, Italian wines, cars, motorcycles, coffee, etc, also good

Italian culture beyond that? Not so good in quite a lot of ways. Italy is one of the most racist countries in Europe (where black footballers can expect to be greeted by monkey noises and thrown bananas from the stands when they walk out onto the pitch); deeply corrupt (bribery and cheating commonplace across all levels of society from industry to government to sport); and with a quasi-fascist government (Berlusconi).

[KatyMan]

57. You may be interested in a book called

The Dark Heart of Italy, which explores some of that side of the culture, and the rather surprising way things get done there (such as writing letters to public officials using fawning language and honorifics to get things like building improvemnts approved)

[Beacool]

58. Of course most of us like Italy.

We can't condemn a whole country for the actions of a few.

Italy is a beautiful country, seeped in history. There are great people there and the food is terrific.

I would gladly go to Italy. Shoot, I would go right now if I could.

:)

[snooper2]

60. Not true actually, you haven't been to any of the Italy hate groups?

"They haven't changed their minds about anything since the medieval times but still think they are superior--"

"Doing something in Italy is impossible and there isn't any service! No Wi-Fi No Fast Internet Outdated Phone Lines No Fast 3G/4G networking(3G Sucks!) It's like living in the 80s!---"

http://amplicate.com/hate/italy


On edit, or have you seen what's on WhyMyCountrySucks.com

http://whymycountrysucks.com/category/europe/italy/



:P :) :rofl:

[Common Sense Party]

62. I like Olive Garden.

[RZM]

63. I'm guessing the reverse isn't true though ;)

Perhaps that has something to do with the the whole Knox debacle in the first place?

And there is this, LOL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-_8qZW1CBA

Most Italians I've met have been pretty cool people though. I wish them (and their economy) all the best.

[Javaman]

64. I'm going to Sicily in March, I can't wait!

Going there to trace my roots. :)

and to eat. LOL

[CTyankee]

68. I LOVED Sicily. It was beautiful...and the food was wonderful...

the people in the countryside seem poor and that is too bad. They can't seem to solve their organized crime and corruption problem.

I'll never forget the temple at Agrigento (or was it Erice?)and the stunning beauty of Taormina...

[bikebloke]

67. I like Italy, but not Silvio.

I've even hitchhiked through Italy a couple times.

[McCamy Taylor]

70. I AM Italian (and Irish and Cherokee). But I will think twice about letting my son visit.

I don't want some crazy as shit prosecutor calling him a witch.

Paris is still the best city in Europe IMHO. Foods not as good as in Italy, but the people are so civilized.