How to Live the Dolce Vita

  • About
  • Resume
  • Mamma’s Diary – Learn What the Italian Mamma Is Really Thinking
  • Family Travel – Viaggi
  • Italian Memes – Postcards from Italy
  • Love – Amore
  • Cucina
  • Le Feste – Holidays and Celebrations
  • Good Reads – Children’s Books
  • Minestrone for the Soul
  • Privacy Policy

Culture of Scratching Your Back

Posted on July 9, 2013
Baby Boy on Beach - Di Meglio
Baby Boy could grow up to be one of the Italians who “has a guy” for that. © Photo by Francesca Di Meglio

Anyone who has visited me in Italy knows that you should not go shopping for anything on the island of Ischia, off the coast of Naples, without a native. You need to go with someone who “has a guy” for whatever it is you need to ensure you get the proper treatment (read: best price). This is a fact in most of southern Italy as I understand it. And I recently described the phenomenon, which I like to call the “culture of scratching your back,” in an Our Paesani column for ItaliansRus. Check it out and decide if you’d like to live where everyone who knows your name gives you a discount.

Di Meglio is the author of Fun with the Family New Jersey (Globe Pequot Press Travel) and the Guide to Newlyweds for About.com.

Posted in: Uncategorized | Tagged: culture, discounts, ischia, italians, italy, shopping, tourism, travel

Follow Me

     

Sign Up for the Italian Mamma Newsletter

Get e-mails on how to live the dolce vita and make unforgettable memories, food, and travel plans with your family and friends.

Italian Mamma Cards

Handmade invitations, banners, signs, and party supplies on Etsy

Buy This Book

Discover the wonders of weird and wonderful New Jersey

dimegliobook

Our Paesani

  • Discover Why Everone Falls in Love with Gelato
  • NEW – Practical Tips for Travelers to Italy
  • Vesuvius Wildfires Bring Out the Racism in Italy

Search

Copyright © 2019 Italian Mamma.

Theme by ThemeHall.