As a people, the Italians pursue modernity with all enthusiasm, and at the same time, hold to an easy, natural respect for tradition. To the admiration of all who have had the pleasure of spending time in their country, the Italians have somehow perfected the art of being human and alive. An Italian will drive a leisurely two hour stretch for the taste of hand-rolled pasta freshly made, and as far for a few gelati in Venice’s Piazza di San Marco, or a panini on a little passage in San Marino. On any given evening, the Italian will put forward his best show of style to go out strolling intertwined in the arms of friends and call the ritual simply, La Passeggiata.

Having seen so much, been so much, the Italians are a people generally unafraid of human emotion, both the good and the bad. In all, the Italians seem to have discovered the secret of successful living. Many will be familiar with Italian expressions on the joys of living – la vita e bella, la dolce vita, la joia di vivere – and with the Italian belief that life is to be enjoyed. But Italian popular song is replete with references to la malenchonia, a term which translates literally as the melancholy of living, or the suffering. While “the suffering” is a very catholic concept, it also describes a very universal emotion. In Italy, one need only contemplate the eyes of an Italian fresco, or those of a passerby to see it. It is as much a part of the Italian culture – and a part of life – as la joia di vivere.