Citoyenne Française, Cœur Italien

Having lived in Italy, Rome, for 12 years, then in France, close to Paris, for five, I felt differences between the two countries and cities that I will now describe. 

I was born in Rome on the morning of June 13, 2001, the sun shining outside, just like any other summer day in Rome. The constant sun was of course something I appreciated. However, the 40-degree Celsius days were too hot, even for me who was used to it. Fortunately, I had the chance to travel during the summer, escaping the infernal heat, and enjoying the beautiful climate the rest of the year. In France, or at least in Paris, summer is the only season in which you can see the sun, while in winter with rain and clouds, the presence of the sun is a rare exception.

I often hear the United States say that France is the home of the best cuisine in the world. I can tell you with absolute certainty that this is not true, and that Italy is above France in terms of gastronomy. Italian cuisine is simple but delicious, light but complete. French dishes, on the other hand, are all based on butter, which is probably not healthy and that tires the stomach after a while.

French haute-cuisine restaurants are perhaps more famous than Italy's, but the true culinary culture of a country is found in its hole-in-the-wall restaurants on the side of the street. Indeed, any Italian restaurant on the streets of Rome is delicious and inexpensive. Young French people, on the other hand, regularly eat aberrations like O'Tacos wraps with meat, butter sauces, french fries and other ingredients that should not be present. In short, we eat better in Rome than in Paris and I encourage you to see for yourself by visiting.

Let's move on to an extremely important factor in the experience of these two cities and countries: the people. How do Roman and Parisian culture affect the behavior of Romans and Parisians? In Rome, everyone is smiling. Sometimes it is difficult to understand if a Roman is angry with you since he will insult you with a smile. In contrast, Parisians speak with an arrogance that is unique to them and have little patience for foreigners. After a few months of my arrival in France, my mother asked me to buy a baguette, explaining how to get to the bakery. After having arrived at the bakery, I asked, speaking with my still very rudimentary French, for two “baguettes.” The lady at the counter seemed disturbed by my question: "We have the traditional baguette, the craft, the seeded ..."

I did not understand his answer, so I repeated, "a baguette."

At that moment she looked at me with an accusatory look and answered a little vexed: "Which one do you want?"

"Normal," I say.

"That does not exist," she said indignantly. Finally, I pointed to the baguette that seemed more classic and she gave me two. I know this is just an anecdote, but this example was representative of the general attitude of Parisians with me.

Before you think that I am completely biased, and that I prefer Italy because I was born there (which may be true), let me conclude with what I love about France and Paris. Getting around Rome is extremely difficult: there is a lot of traffic, no parking and transportation systems work very badly. In Paris, it is easy and quick to get around with its subway system and light rail system, available at a reasonable price. Paris is also much cleaner and better maintained than Rome. The streets in Rome are often dirty and full of potholes, while in Paris they are generally clean and well maintained. Finally, the reason why my family moved to France is because there were not enough work opportunities in Rome, while in Paris there were many.

All things considered, I would prefer to live in Rome than in Paris, even if the Parisian experience has its merits. I'm glad I lived there.