It’s been over two weeks since I arrived in the Eternal City and while I may not know Rome inside out yet or understand much Italian, I learned two important things: Romans have a lot of time and very little space.
Even before moving to Rome I was warned that the pace of things here is much slower and everything takes at least twice as long as it should. Turns out, it’s true.
It starts with small things like train stations not having a clock, which may not matter much as trains rarely run / run on schedule anyway; shops close for an undefined period of time over lunch (anytime between 1pm and 5pm); events start at least 15mins late and rarely end on time; people sit down for food and don’t have it “to go”; and happily meet for dinner after midnight and then don’t mind if waiters take their sweet time to seat, let alone serve them.
The only thing I have seen Italians be punctual for is their looong leisurely lunch.
Even before moving to Rome I was warned that the pace of things here is much slower and everything takes at least twice as long as it should. Turns out, it’s true.
It starts with small things like train stations not having a clock, which may not matter much as trains rarely run / run on schedule anyway; shops close for an undefined period of time over lunch (anytime between 1pm and 5pm); events start at least 15mins late and rarely end on time; people sit down for food and don’t have it “to go”; and happily meet for dinner after midnight and then don’t mind if waiters take their sweet time to seat, let alone serve them.
The only thing I have seen Italians be punctual for is their looong leisurely lunch.
So it seems that in Italy time is a relative and stretchable concept and an abundant commodity, which can be enjoyed without any pressure. Space on the other hand, is quite the opposite: a rare good that needs to be utilised as much as humanly possible.
One of the features that tourists (including myself) normally associate with Italy are labyrinths of tiny narrow streets with laundry hanging across them. This is not just charming, but also the manifestation of a serious space problem in Rome. Fortunately Italian’s seem to have mastered the art of optimising space and have gotten rather creative to solve their small problem: - Cars are tiny requiring as little space on the roads and for parking as possible
- “Petrol” stations consist of a single petrol pump on a spare metre on the pavement
- Any spare seats on your romantic dinner table may well be filled up with strangers
- Toilets do not have the water tank behind but above them
- Every rooftop is turned into a garden
- When you buy toilet paper, it is often squashed together to use up less space on shelves
(Especially the last point baffled me a lot... how desperate do you have to be to squash a toilet roll together to save the little bit of space in the middle?)
But I guess the combination of a lot of time and very little space partially explains the stereotypical Italian: endlessly sociable without any sense for personal space.
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