Discover Europe with Raben Group - Italy A to Z

Italy for a good start

 - Italy is one of the most important economic partners for Poland. Currently, in terms of trade of goods between countries, Italy is the fourth country in import and fifth country in export for Poland. The Polish-Italian market, with its 100 million inhabitants in both countries, has a huge potential for stable and continuous development, - comments Maciej Zieliński, Director of International Distribution, Raben Logistics Polska, - It is worth learning more about this country, not only from the business side - he adds.

Alphabetical presentation of this wonderful country will start from AMORE, which is Italian for love. Why? Because love is sacred for the people of Italy! The most famous lovers, Romeo and Juliet, come from Italy, from Verona. Also love for the family is very important for Italians, which is manifested in meals eaten together with families and in the fact that they live with their parents even up to ... 40 years of age!

BOOTS – everyone knows that Italy is famous for the best boots and shoes in the world and it is not because the country is shaped like a boot. However, few people know that first high heels weren’t made for women but for men! Footwear trivia - Chopines, the ancestors of contemporary wedge shoes, were even up to 75 cm high and they were a fashion hit in old Venice. But in 1430, this type of footwear was forbidden due to many dangerous falls they caused. Fortunately, high heels today are not so tall and they are much safer. So if you need the most fashionable shoes from Italy, Raben Group will gladly transport them for you!

CALCIO, or a word about Italian football. This sport is really important for Italians. It's enough to mention Alessandro Del Piero, Roberto Baggio, Gianluigi Buffon, Paolo Maldini, or Andrea Pirlo. All of them are outstanding Italian footballers!

DOLCE VITA! Italians love life and they love to live. Probably that's why they can boast high average life expectancy, which is 82 years, and it is one of the best results in the world!

ESPRESSO - Italian coffee that really wakes you up. Small black coffee, drunk before breakfast, is synonymous with Italian taste and a lazy morning.

FOUNTAINS Rome is a city of fountains. There are so many of them there that no one has ever been able to count them but some say that they have counted up to 2,700 of them! Romans and tourists love fountains and there are many reasons for this affection. They offer respite on a scorching hot day, they are a place of social meetings and unmistakeable landmarks, and above all, they are amazing works of art. The most famous, however, are the Fontana di Trevi, the Fontana del Pantheon and the Fontanat della Barcaccia. Tourists who visit Rome drop over a million euro into the Fontana di Trevi alone.

GESTURES are the second language for Italians which shows their truly hot temperament. The most offensive gesture is to simultaneously show the index and the little finger. This symbolizes cuckolding and being betrayed. In turn, by placing the index finger on the chin and making circles to the left and to the right, Italians show satisfaction with the meal.

HEAR THE ANTHEM! Not only the Polish anthem contains a reference to another country, Italy that is. Also, the Italian anthem makes references to Poland. The last stanza contains a reference to the political situation in Poland at the time of partitions. Già l'Aquila d'Austria le penne ha perdute, il sangue d'Italia, il sangue Polacco bevé, col cosacco, ma il cor le bruciò. Which translates as “the Austrian eagle has lost its feathers. It drank Italian and Polish blood together with the Cossacks, but it burnt its heart”.

ITALO DISCO - this term refers to Italian disco music of the 1980s of the 20th century. Before the term Italo disco was coined, this kind of music was called Spaghetti-Dance. The most famous artists performing this music are: Francesco Napoli, Savage, Radiorama or Sabrina.

JUST ITALIAN LANGUAGE? Italian language does not use letters: J, K, W, X, Y. Until the 60s of the 20th century, Italian language was used practically only in literature. Each of the Italian regions had and used its own dialect. Truth be told, it was TV that made Italian language so popular and commonly used. So it may come in handy that Raben Group offers services for the electronics sector and we can organize the required transport.

KIND OF BIKINI - Suits which resemble our bikini were first mentioned in the Rome area. Trendy Roman ladies wore them as early as in the 1st century BC. Over time, whole Italy developed fashion for underwear resembling our swimsuits. This is evidenced by the late 3rd century AD floor mosaics in the Villa Romana del Casale in Sicily!

LIRA - Italian lira was formally used until 1999 but actually it was in circulation until 2002. In the the city of Rieti, north-west of Rome, there is a monument of the Lira. The monument was erected in honour of the former Italian currency in 2003.

MACARONI. The average Italian eats almost 26 kg of pasta. It is estimated that there are almost 300 kinds of pasta in Italy. The most popular and famous types are: spaghetti, penne, farfalle, fusilli and lasagne. The whole Europe loves Italian pasta and thanks to transport provided by Raben we can enjoy Italian cuisine!

NAPLES - The city of dozens of churches, Mount Vesuvius and Neapolitan pizza (it is said the the first pizza in the world was made in 1860) is visited by many tourists from around the world, particularly on the annual Feast of St Januarius commemorating the patron saint of the city.

ORDINANZA 11 – it is the law passed by the mayor of the town of Selia, which not only prohibits dying, but also stipulates a fine for breaking it - every delinquent in violation of this law must pay a penalty of 10 euro. But it is not everything! Not only dying, but also illnesses in the city have been forbidden. This law was intended to encourage people to change their lifestyle and to take better care of their health and habits. Dying has also been forbidden in another Italian town - Falciano del Massico. The reason for such a ban, however, is far more prosaic - the local cemetery has already been filled and it cannot be expanded.

PRETTY SIGHTS. When we think of Italy, the Colosseum, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Doge's Palace in Venice immediately come to mind. These are the most popular sights of sunny Italy. Italy, however, has much, much more to offer. It is a real paradise for fans of monuments. After all, as many as 60% of the world's cultural heritage by UNESCO is located in Italy.

ROME is the first city in history which had over a million inhabitants. This number was exceeded on 133 BC. It's no surprise as all roads lead to Rome! And where does your road with Raben Group lead to?

SMILE - Are you planning to visit Milan? Remember to smile though! This city has a law saying that people must smile in public places otherwise they can be fined by law enforcement officers. Hospital workers or attendants of funerals are exempt from the obligation of smiling.

TOUGH LUCK & MISFORTUNE. An unlucky day for Italians isn’t Friday 13th, but Tuesday, the 17th day of the month. This number was cursed already in ancient Rome. This superstition comes from the fact that in the past, tombstones displayed the inscription “VIXI” which means “he lived”. After switching the letters we get the number VXII, which is considered a symbol of misfortune. To this day, there are still buildings without the 17th floor or such a room number. Seventeen has become so unlucky for many Italians that Alitalia has decided to remove this row from its planes. Speaking about superstitions, Italians believe that opening an umbrella inside a building brings bad luck. But it good to spill wine! If spilled by accident, it will bring fortune! After all, Italians produce the biggest number of wines in the world so perhaps this is why they can afford to spill this drink with a smile.

UNUSUAL LAWS perhaps aren’t an Italian speciality, but also in this field the country has something to show. Apart from the ban on dying mentioned earlier, the regulations also say that you cannot stay at night on the beach. There is a fine of up to 1,000 euro for this misdemeanour. You are not allowed to take sea water outside the beach area. And when staying on the beach of Eraclea located on the Venice island of Lido it is better not to build sand castles. Local law clearly says that erecting any construction from sand is strictly prohibited there!

VATICAN - the smallest city in the world, a state within a city and the Holy See of the pope, surrounded by walls on three sides, visited daily by 3,000 people.

WORDS ENDING - VOWELS. Each Italian word ends with a vowel. Perhaps this is the reason why this language is so melodic.

ZONE WITHOUT THE SUN  - Viganella is a town located in a valley which does not see sunlight for 83 days in a year. In 2007, this problem was partially solved by placing a special mirror on the neighbouring mountain which reflects the sunlight.

At this we finish the alphabetical and very subjective description of Italy. Paese che vai, usanza che trovi, which can be loosely translated as “every country has its customs.” Italy is the land of lively people who are family-oriented and sociable. This country has a lot to offer and not only thanks to its history. The sun, sights, delicious food and smiling people - what more can you hope for?

Knowing its specifics, it is much easier to close international deal, and at the same time to boast the knowledge of facts that the locals will appreciate. And when private and business contacts have been established, it is worth using the services of Raben Group.

- In order to meet the expectations of our Polish and Italian customers, we have opened daily round trip connections between our branches in Gliwice and Chlebnia near Warsaw and the Italian branches in Cornaredo near Milan, Verona and Bologna. We are convinced that the unique linehaul connections between the two countries and the high quality at the distribution stage provided by our colleagues from Sittam in Italy are the key to the success of existing and new Raben customers in the Italian market. - summarizes Maciej Zieliński.

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