My Italian Perspective

I have to back track a bit, actually, a lot. About 10 years ago, I arrived in Rome, Italy, a newlywed given the opportunity of beginning my marriage and my family. I lived in Rome for five years. Our time in Italy, was a blessed period of gifts that will last a lifetime.
 

Many people think of Rome as a city endorsing ancient ruins and stories of times long ago. They're right. The city is filled with buildings many still identifiable in movies like Roman Holiday and La Dolce Vita, despite the decades which have past. I've driven past the Coliseum, walked up and down the Spanish Steps, and ate in cafés (or otherwise known as bars) more times than I can remember.

Together, the Italians and I have shared many rides on cobble stone streets as tens of mopeds whizzed right by us. Those "so-called" traffic rules which never seemed to exist: right turns from the far left lane, heading up the one way road the wrong way, mopeds greeting you on the sidewalk as you head around the corner. It was nuts but that's what made it interesting. I'll even share a little secret with you, I used to ride up the tram tracks instead of waiting for the traffic light to turn green...shhh!

It's not all about Rome. It's about Italy. Ever been to Venice? Even I forgot I was in Italy. Venice and Murano, home of the Murano colored glass. I adore Florence, with its statue of David, and all its charm - oh, and don't forget to purchase leather goods while there. San Gimignano sent me back to knights, horses and architecture of medieval times. Pompeii with Mt.Vesuvius shared its aftermath of its destructive past.

In addition, we enjoyed going off the beaten track. Deruta, a small town a little under an hour outside of Rome hosting ceramic artists. The wrought iron, ceramic tile covered tables are beautiful and one of our biggest regrets that we never purchased one.

Tivoli is another small town approximately a half hour ride outside of Rome. Villa d'Este is full of fountains, trees and greens. A place where I could enjoy a quiet walk with a friend, allow my children to run safely about, or sit by the wall overlooking the Italian countryside.

However, one of my most favorite afternoon trips was Frascati. Sitting up high on top of a hill, it had views of the Italian countryside from all angles. The best part was when we bought Porchetta (roasted pork stuffed with seasonings), bread, olives and wine and sat outside on these barely stable tables just taking in the gorgeous afternoon.

Castelli is more than an hour outside of Rome. Another town selling its talents of local artists. A short ride (after the long tunnel of the Gran Sasso) you get the pleasure of a change in scenery such as large mountains, capped in snow, towering over you.

Travel south to Positano, on the Amalfi coast. While living in Italy, I often heard people speak of Sorrento or Pompeii. That's fine and I recommend visiting there too, however, stay in Positano. A town built not on a mountain top but up along side it. At night from the beach at the base of the mountain, Positano twinkles with its homes and street lights illuminating. You can't help thinking of those small Christmas towns under the Christmas tree.

Bolzano had to be the best place to spend Christmas. It's located up north and the home of Grappa. We were able to try different kinds of Grappa, which kept our insides warm. Nearby is Nove, an abundance of ceramic factories some of whose products are exported to the U.S. to stores like William Sonoma and Tiffany& Co,  but for 1/4 of the price!

Those years in Italy will remain the most treasured years of my life. I grew as a person, a wife and a mother. Italy holds both heart and soul. Now it possesses mine, forever.

Altre Tanto, Igualmente, Gleichfalls

If you’ve read my profile, you know I grew up in three different cultures. Throughout my childhood, I put in a lot of effort trying to run away from two of them, and be the “all American” kid. Never wanting my parents to speak to me in their native languages, I fought to only have English in my life. Needless to say, my efforts were fruitless as I ended up learning all three languages and having all three cultures become a natural part of who I am; what makes me, me.
Growing up, there was nothing more I loathed then when people asked me to say something in Spanish or German. It made me more self-conscious of the words coming out of my mouth. And when I did, I'd loathe even more their reactions; "Hay que linda!", "Que preciosa!" or the giggle of delight from my aunts. Reactions like those caused me to stumble even more through every word of every sentence I spoke, making my language level seem even more basic. In fact, few adults knew I could speak or understand either German or Spanish as a child. My cousins would confess to their parents how I spoke with them in Spanish or German while we played. Their parents didn't believe them and they’d end up being punished for lying.

By the time I had reached adulthood, I had adopted an appreciation for my multi-cultural, multi-lingual background. I married and we moved to Italy. It was then I embraced the opportunity to learn a fourth language, Italian. Unlike the other three languages I grew up learning, I didn’t have any background with the Italian language. I credit my multi-lingual upbringing to having facilitated my ability to learn it. Five years later, I was speaking Italian better than the German or Spanish I grew up with.

Anyone who has learned a foreign language knows to become a fluent speaker it is important to think in that language, rather than trying to translate phrases and words into your own native language, and back again. However, speaking with fluency in a foreign language takes years and practice.

So, in stating that, I am going to share with you a shortcut. In three different languages, a single word which can help you to look like a better practiced speaker, as well as, help you avoid the anxiety of finding the right words in the write tense. Because, after years of anxiety over whether or not my own verbs were conjugated properly or my sentence structure was correct when I spoke Spanish or German, I adopted these shortcuts.

Igualmente in Spanish, altre tanto in Italian, and gleichfalls in German. All three pretty much mean the same thing, a “Same to you” or a “Right back at you” or "Likewise". A fantastic short reply to “It’s nice to meet you”, “Have a good day”, "Hope to see you again" or similar greetings you’d normally find yourself scrambling to answer politely and grammatically correct when exchanging salutations. The times I've used these phrases myself, I've been mistaken for a more proficient speaker.

Please feel free to borrow my shortcut. You’ll see what I mean and appreciate the words the next time you’re stuck for a reply in Spanish, German, and/or Italian.