Hi David i stumbled ur Channel when I was looking for getting around Rome in bus, and I already hooked to all ur videos bec it has a lot of content . Everything I need , thank u so much I do appreciate u. finally I saw someone who actually not making videos but also replying in the comments . Anyways, I made comments here bec this is ur latest. I’m from US California and I’m planning a trip to Rome for 9 days. It’s our first time (we r supposed to go March 2020 but 1 wk before Italy closed for Covid ) so this is the best time to come. We will be visiting in first week of October . At this time I’m still looking for apartment style hotel or accommodations, my mom will be in a tiny wheelchair which I’m gonna be pushing, and to top it all my husband has a problem walking . So in our family there’s only 3 people who are capable of walking really good . So this trip should be easy to handicap people . Looking at the area I’m thinking of staying in one of the apartments in villa Aurelia , have u been there? How are the streets? Are they safe to walk ? Is it easy to get a taxi to go to center of Rome? Or Uber ? I think with our condition it’s best to take these kind of transportation than using a metro or bus , or do think we can do metro , seeing ur video about buses I don’t think that’s for us bec finding where to get the tickets is probably gonna be a pain already . Is it too much to ask for a video in the streets of villa Aurelia ? Grocery stores , and restaurants near I also heard it’s close to the Vatican ( I hope) sorry too much words but I really do hope u see this early before I start reserving . I’m new to ur channel i I hope u have videos in the streets near Trevi
Hey and thank you so much for watching! I try to respond when I can, not easy with a crazy 3 year old at home. Anyway if it’s the villa Aurelia that I think it is, it’s a decent area but perhaps not suitable for everyday living. I am not sure. I absolutely recommend taking a taxi to get around especially if you have people with a walking problem. You can try uber but to this day it’s never been clear to me if they actually exist here because there was a lot of controversy with them here. They were a threat to the taxi union. Drop me an email if I can help some more. Take care!
I love watching your channel because it reminds me of the two times that I lived in Italy. Once in Roma for graduate school and then in Firenze. The one thing I couldn’t believe was that people actually walk into you in Italy. In Firenze it happened constantly. A true cultural difference. Two ladies walked right into me. And I said in English “ you just walked into me!! Also another time walking home from the market this girl tried to cut infront of me as we’re walking??? And driving over there was unbelievable. I never drive but dated a Roman. Red lights were a suggestion. And no one stays in line. They literally will just cut in front of you. It happened all the time whether it was a store or the airport line checking in!!
Hello Jacqueline. I think things have gotten slightly better, because I think the older generations seem to have less social graces. But very often I still do experience what you’ve just described; people nearly walking into me to the point where I feel like asking them “am I invisible ?” I believe it stems from the fact that Italians are just used to being in closer contact with people and so they don’t see it as a big deal. Italians also don’t really believe in preventative actions, and it extends to many aspects of their culture in my humble opinion
Dude!! Great video. Not sure if you remember me, but I was planning to love to Italy with my wife and baby. We made it 4 months ago, did a big tour of the country from Puglia to Piemonte. We’ve decided on Parma or Reggio Emilia! I can’t stress enough how helpful your videos have been as we made the move. Maybe one day our paths will cross here in Italy. Love the content as always.
I do ! How’s it going? Thanks for the compliment! That’s one of the nicest ones I’ve got in a while 😀. So tell me , how did Reggio Emilia and Parma make the Final Cut ?
@@DavidsDoseofItaly honestly we could have chosen any city we visited (Lecce being especially great) but Emilia seems to have good services, good schools, nature, cuisine and people seem friendly here. It’s also a good location to travel the rest of Italy (that was a problem with Lecce, we’d be so isolated in many ways). In another video, you talked about neighborhoods in Rome and how you want everything in walking distance, and I think with a place the size of Parma, everything is in walking distance (or biking) which is a huge plus too. Lol this comment is way too long now but you can see we had a lot of factors we were juggling while searching
Way too long no ! Just be mindful of the fact that it’s in the pianura padana which is flat and some areas are prone to flooding so make sure you get a house on the upper levels. Other than that it sounds great !
Great video as always, David! We’ll be in touch soon with an update about our plans to get to Rome. In the meantime we’re spending a few months in Houston with my family (not fun for San Diegans to be here in the summer!). I was chuckling during your traffic comparison section. I know driving in Rome is tough, but come spend a week driving in Houston and you might feel better about Rome. 😂
Hello David, first of all I want to express my most sincere gratitude for the excellent content of your RU-vid channel. I live in RI. CT is a beautiful state, I love it. USA is pretty much the same system where ever you go. I love baseball, I have been at Fenway Park in Boston as well as the old and new stadiums of NY Yankees & NY Mets; you are absolutely right, the price to see a game is absolutely ridiculous. I was born in Dominican Republic, of course my first language is Spanish. I have never been in Italy, but the beauty, the culture and the food of the country is in my opinion amazing. I can’t wait to go there; I have been studying Italian for about 8 months. I am doing it through an Italian course on line plus watching a lot of videos. My goal is to be able to express myself in Italian. I have already learned the political geographic map of the 20 regions in Italy. I would like to go to Italy with my wife and my two children; I have been looking into the different escorted tours operators, which are kind of pricey due to the that I would like to go for at least three weeks. In theory I would like to experience and visited the south, central and north of Italy, if possible all the way down to Trentino Alto Aldige. I know is a lot, it might take longer than three weeks; but a good logistic plan needs to be made. Basically accommodations and transportation; also tickets to enter into the places of interest. Probably travel medical insurance is good to have. just in case, hopefully it won’t be needed. I am 58 years old, my children are 15 and 18 years old. I am doing okay financially speaking, but I am not rich. I think I need to start planning for retirement. Italy is in my list, but there are too many things to take into account. I will keep studying and doing the logistic of how to visit Italy for four weeks to explore as many interesting places as I can. Sicily is a place that I would like to visit as well, but that might be a trip on its own. It is always good to make a budget and have extra money set aside; the idea is to enjoy but not over spend..GRAZIE MILLE per tutto.
Hi and thank you very much for the positive feedback on my RU-vid channel. Complimenti per lo sforzo e la voglia di imparare l’italiano!! Ti servirà quando verrai qui perché ci sono tantissime persone che non parlano inglese. Potresti anche provare a parlargli in spagnolo che è più vicino all’italiano vedi se ti capiscono You are absolutely right in the idea that you shouldn’t stretch yourself too thin when you come here for example, I don’t think you can do Sicily and Trentino Alto Adige all in one trip, unless you fly from Catania to Trento for example, or an airport near the area. Every year when I come back to United States, I’m always amazed at the ever increasing cost of living, and I worry for my friends and family. The solution to that is simply increase your income. Simple in thought , but obviously harder in practicality. Look me up if you’re in Rome !
Thank you for the video, David. Very informative, honest, direct, intelligent and witty. I had a fair share of living in different countries and obviously miss quite a few things and services and other bits from other countries which are not available in UK. Foodwise: Portugal and Turkey and even Australia are better. UK has not much to offer as far as quality of housing goes: it is overpriced and badly maintained. Central Europe is far superior in that respect. And apples: l never eat apples in UK unless they are from a private orchard, not an industrial farm. Thank you and looking forward to your next video! Grazie mille❤😊
Around 10:20 in the picture of your review, it mentions a dog in the restaurant and implies it was unusual to see. Did I misread it? I saw dogs in a lot of restaurants when I was in Italy but that was mostly in the north; is it a regional thing or pretty common in most places? I like the content, by the way! And, the reason apples are shiny is they are sprayed with wax.
First, good luck with your daughter! Second, I appreciate your balanced, I think some things are better in the US and some things are better in Italy, thoughts.
Again, great video. Ever think of doing a video comparing education? preschool through college?? I work in education and would love to help out if you decide to do that. It could give us all a sneak peak into what your daughter will go through in Italy. Anyways, always enjoy your vids.
Ciao David- thanks for another insightful video! Yes I agree with many points: US shop shelves filled with PROCESSED food- here, mainly fresh produce, healthier, less fattening and tastier! Costs are less here for many things; I think American drivers are more ‘courteous’ - maybe because road networks are bigger/wider and people more used to driving to get most anywhere 🥹. Malls were a novelty in the US years ago, now they are novel- newer here; are Americans more into online shopping now? Malls became wastelands (they were also ‘playgrounds’ for many where clubs/sports opportunities were fewer, in some suburban areas, I think 🤔) When you return to Rome, hopefully the heatwave will have passed 😅. Enjoy for now!
Hi Liz. I could also taste the difference in the quality of the water when I came back to Rome. Quite simply the 🇪🇺 not just Italy 🇮🇹 doesn’t allow certain chemicals and food substances whereas in the US they do.
Ciao Davide! Recentemente ho trovato i tuoi video e mi piace molto! Abito vicino a tua casa di CT ma in MA. Invece dei Red Sox, la prossima volta puoi sceglere il WooSox a Worcester. Pensi che gli italiano capiscono "Mass Pike" o anche gli americani :) ? Grazie molto per questi video divertenti e interessanti!
I’m Brazilian and I live in Italy right now and passed through the same situation at the Gym when I asked for the water fountain because I couldn’t find it. Curiously they gave me exactly the same answer and did the same face expression you did hhahaha I also already live in the UK and comparing it with Italy I can say cars in Italy are way overpriced when talking about the used ones… Nice points!! 14:25
Tutto sommato mi trovo bene con gli italiani e in certe situazioni apprezzo di più il comportamento e i modi di pensare dell’italiano medio rispetto alla America. Ad esempio un italiano cerca di non mettere mai in imbarazzo una persona che non conosce. Non ti so dire una situazione esatta ma io ho notato questa cosa negli anni
ho girato abbastanza il mondo, per lavoro e per vacanza. Sono stati in USA per circa un mese e mezzo, visitando sia la costa Est che la Ovest, e "voi" Americani siete completamente diversi dagli Europei, per non dire da noi Italiani che in Europa siamo poi piccoli piccoli. Una cosa che vi caratterizza è che siete "diretti", credo sia il risultato della cultura anglosassone. Noi siamo "latini", e la retorica che ci contraddistingue anche lessicalmente ci fa essere "politically correct", che spesso è rispettoso, talvolta stucchevole @@DavidsDoseofItaly
@@MassimoDeToni osservazione molto interessante. Grazie. È vero che siamo troppo diretti e io ho più volte risulto antipatico per questo modo di fare che ho ancora soprattutto con la famiglia di mia moglie ; una famiglia del suo in cui la comunicazione indiretta viene usata in situazioni delicate Diciamo che a volte mi capita di fare l’americano medio! Ahia 😩! Non so se centri però un esempio che mi viene in mente in cui l’italiano potrebbe risultare troppo sdolcinato o stucchevole come hai detto tu, è una cosa banale tipo quando uno dice “ gentili clienti”. Al massimo noi diremmo dear customers che a mio avviso non è molto usato. Diciamo che per il mio modo di pensare e vivere l’Europa mi sta molto meglio Un abbraccio
Hai toccato nel segno: la lingua e cultura Latina porta ad un uso eccessivo di aggettivi, sinonimi, allocuzioni, ma è proprio perchè fa parte della sua natura culturale. Una lingua bellissima ma complicata, cosa che non è l'inglese: soggetto + verbo+ complemento oggetto (i tre fondamenti della grammatica), e poco di più. Usarla rende tutto molto "smart". Se non conosci gli anglosassoni, 9 volte su 10 un italiano si sente offeso. Ma invece non è una questione "personale", ma di semplicità. Mi piace che apprezzi la "vecchia Europa", e magari grazie a te la farai conoscere ai tuoi compatrioti oltreoceano.@@DavidsDoseofItaly
in italy if you are looking for a good mix of cheap location, good services, total tranquillity, good healthcare and good food, i recommend the abruzzo region, which is next to rome. rome is more expensive and chaotic. the south, on the other hand, is very cheap for an American, but it can have some inefficiencies. the abruzzo, but also molise region are well balanced instead.
Great channel. Planning on moving in 2 years.. don’t speak much Italian so I’m worried about the written test for my Italian drivers license..Amy thoughts?
Translation apps to do the test I don’t think you’re allowed. I would suggest just plunging yourself into learning Italian in Via the driving test and do it consistently every day until you feel confident with the language. it may take a long time but if this is a priority, then this is a necessary process unfortunately
It's cheaper in terms of property taxes down here in Southern NM compared to CT/Jersey (I am a native Jersey Girl who had close relatives in CT, in New Haven/Guildford and also Ridgefield and near Hartford) whom we visited all the time when I was a kid). I have to figure out a way out of here as it seems my lawyers are prepping to take my citizenship to court! Fingers crossed. I'm OLD and probably can't move permanently, but I at least want to make a visit, with or without the Italian passport. We'll see....love your videos (fun to see a ShopRite again, LOL!) As for apples....if they're not organic, they are shiny because they are coated with something like a petroleum based SOMETHING ...eek...apples are one thing of many that should be eat organic...
hey, thanks for watching and welcome back! I think Connecticut is caught up in the expensive trap of being in between New York and Boston. Why are your lawyers prepping to take away your citizenship? Ironically, my family, and I never shopped at ShopRite when I was younger Yeah, I had a sneaking suspicion that shiny apples shouldn’t be shiny and I’m very glad that I peeled the apples !
Excellent video, and you make some great point points. I totally agree with you about professional sports events. It's ridiculous how much tickets cost, just so you can stand behind a really tall guy through most of the game. I love the Sox and the Pats, but I like to buy groceries too. Personally, I prefer college football and the Cape Cod Baseball League.
Hello fellow David. I had not been to a Sox game in 11 years and so I was overdue I went with my father, my cousin, and my best friend and these opportunities rarely come around. For my dad, it may be his last game ever at Fenway but hopefully not. In recent years, however, my father and I had gone to games up at UMass Amhurst to see hockey games and they were just as exciting as the professionals
Apples: yes! Buy an apple in the US, put it in any kind of container, pour hot water on it. Come back in 5 minutes--and you may not want to eat it when you see the crap that comes off. I eat them and feel it's safer than rinsing in cold water but it is disgusting. Dust from a farm is one thing... And the few times I stopped on the highway in Italy to the rest stop: the food is absolutely amazing and better than most American restaurants.
Hey Joe ! Oh my god that is disgusting and I am so glad that I mentioned this in the video. Unfortunately, whenever you’re dealing with food in the United States its always a complicated matter.
Malls are a new thing in Italy, and as "american" they arer perhaps that why going well. Dunno, newer actually been in busy one, only case the one in near Cinecitta, not recalling name. But those traditional department stores, they were all like loosing, or already lost it in Rome. Only the one, La Rinascente seemed florish, and other kind of the theme, Eataly in Ostiense. But it is hard to predict these in, lets say 10 years? That Maximo, 2km walk from Laurentina metro? You really need a car to go there for ice-cream and wandering about. Hmm, The Coin in San Giovanni? Smallish department store, still trucking along?
And let's spam more: That idea that what is "my landscape" Yes, I bet it is developed in reality, or in dreamish thinking in there like when 6-8 years old. Whereever you then are. It is bit like music, best music was in earth when you were 17! And the lanscape, it is so dependable just the place, as here in Finland you can get the "optimal childhood scene" so different on just 200km distances. I have just one type of strand what is kosher. It has to be ice-age-molded granite sloping to water, not the lakeside "trees everywhere you cannot walk on waterline" -stuff ;-) This Italy vs other country has one other interesting one in facebook "giulia in finlandia" whre this lady has some thinkings of the nature, lush green Finland and cold nights in winter watching northern lights, and of course the hunting after mushrooms, berries on woods. Mystical silence. etc. But yes, been there, had that, used to, know that, blaa blaa: I want to move to Rome ;-)
@@DavidsDoseofItaly Yes they are, rare in here south-western Finland but northern part usual. But as we noticed in skiing-holidays in Lapland, afrer seeing those few times, you get used to fast. Another intesting could be bear watch. You can hire a cabing from which you could wacth and photography bears the nightless summer night. A English pair did a video of that to youtube and the had to do it for 2 nights row as they were so fashinated. It is hard to see what kind of lansscape is great looking for other people as it depends their own memories of landscapes. To me Lapland really is diffrent, in winter sloping white, low low trees, zen type of emptiness. If not windy. if windy then white hell, as the -20c wind is like heavy hammer, fingers grabbing a camera gets numb in seconds ;-)
@@DavidsDoseofItaly tip: Fligth Rome-Helsinki and the night-train to Kolari, there is bus waiting to Ylläs. There is Hotels and hundreds of cottages. You could rent a car from Kolari, if cottage is not near of Ylläsjärvi or Äkäslompolo "centrums" but driving in winter needs some "used to of". As always snowy roads, perhaps slippery, anc cold starts, and reindeers all the time to look of.
When I was in Rome, it seemed impossible to find a place just to plug in my cell phone to charge, let alone sit down with a laptop to work. I get the impression this is just not done there? I'm thinking it might be worth it to get a We Work space or something like that? I did end up going to the Rome IKEA and I worked in the restaurant there 🤣
Which could be addaed as: why anybody wants to go out to cafe, or restaurant to work? Is that like the idea that "lets not spoil our home as working-place?" Is is better to go somewhere where surely is not place of calmness and place to concentrate on working ? Some kind of "I need the noise around?"
Rent depends greatly on where you are. I paid 450 bills included in 2017 in Rome. Health insurance is not really used here. Don’t bother with it. Food is cheaper than the US but costs have increased here too
@@John-ds6jz Rent can be 300, or 14700e, it is dependin where and what you are renting. I bet the same goes in Usa. If its not a communist state now ;-)
Free refills for soda isn't actually a good thing, cause it makes people drink more soda and it's not really healthy. In some countries sugary foods have a extra tax because they're not healthy.
Hi Norma. It is a bad thing especially since I stopped drinking soda years ago. I only wanted to point out that it’s different in the US. Hope you’re well !
the wet hair. Yes. I remember working as a nanny for a family and they would let the girl go to bed with wet hair. la cervicale mi veniva a me, pensare poverina la bimba. today I make sure my kids hair is dry before bedtime. We leave in Florida and the AC is killing me. Haa
Cervicale I Don’t think is caused by going to bed with wet hair. In this case I think it might be caused by a sleeping position or possibly poor posture. If you look up causes of cervicale it doesn’t mention air conditioning as a direct cause of it.
@@DavidsDoseofItaly I think they believe it promotes more alcohol consumption. I'll be in Italy in November. Mostly in Catania but also Naples and Rome. Plan to retire there in a bunch of years. Already a dual citizen.
Right-turn on red is a safety hazard to pedestrians. In places like Italy, where many people walk or ride bicycles, it is especially dangerous for drivers to be in the habit of turning on red. The US is highly car dependent because of a very successful auto-lobby, especially back in the early 1900's. They were very effective at transferring responsibility for injury and death to the pedestrians. For example, the term "jay walking" is a term coined by the auto lobby, where a "jay" is a term for a stupid person. You will find that most European nations do not allow right-turn on red. Frankly, one major reason I left the US for Italy is because I hate the car dependency and what it does to towns. And... I don't need a car. I live in il centro storico di Lucca and it's lovely having almost no cars in sight. My bike with a basket is plenty for most thing. I can always rent a car if I really need one. Haven't found a reason to yet, though.
I enjoyed reading this, and thank you for the origins of the word jaywalking, which I didn't know. Now that I think about it, it makes perfect sense how responsibility has been shifted to the pedestrian. I personally don't want to drive as much and Rome as I do now in the future. I think it's always good to have a car because there are plenty of situation's where it's actually been a godsend, but I think in many Italian towns, it is simply not necessary.
Las thing and most importantly people in Italy don’t do mass shootings. The children here feel safe, feel supported by their government and don’t have to be in fear of going to school. Africans who have fled their countries don’t think some idiot with a gun or the polizia would kill them because they are a different color. It’s not a thing to own a gun here nor can any person buy one freely.
As a parent, I’m very happy that school shootings and mass shootings in general don’t happen in Italy. but I don’t think it’s because people feel supported by the government. If anything Italians don’t like their government. Quite simply Italy just doesn’t really have a gun culture or at least not as evident as the United States.
@DavidsDoseofItaly my wife and I would love to come! Even if it's not too many people, it could still be fun. You could even do video asking people who attend about the differences in their country and Rome. As for organization, you can just create a google sign-up sheet and see how many people sign up to a later date, like October or smth.
Sure I would do a meet up with only a few people. Unfortunately, I have only now just read this, because a couple of days ago, I made a post on my community tab on my channel and I got at least three people who would like to come I think, however, I will take your idea and make the sign-up sheet For that I think I will need to make another post so thank you for the idea!
@DavidsDoseofItaly for some reason, I never saw that post. It's all good, though. I'll follow your channel closely in order not to miss it. Let me know if I can help.
