Baldrick: I did learn Italian in school decades ago, and while, theoretically, I could speak it, I never really spoke it constantly, all day long, in conversations about all sorts of things, until a few years ago when I stayed a few nights in little mountain towns in Basilicata and Sicily where I was apparently the only visiting foreigner and where I didn't hear any English spoken at all. I think probably in the larger cities or prosperous areas of the north it would be possible for someone knowing no Italian at all to have personal conversations with a variety of local people unrelated to the tourist industry. But it's much much better to be able to understand and speak the language and be able to speak, potentially, with anyone.

Buying a train ticket and dealing with hotel and restaurant personnel and museum ticket sellers and picking up brochures at the tourist office IS "meeting people." It's meeting people doing a certain kinds of jobs, and it's a necessary kind of interaction for tourists. But is just not the kind of encounter that can give us a realistic impression of what most people are like other than those in the tourist industry. Buying tickets in person in a busy station can be an annoying experience, no matter which language we try to use.

By "tourist things" in Stresa, I mean taking the boat to visit the Borromeo islands, buying boat tickets, picking up brochures and inquiring about schedules and openings and public buses the Stresa tourist office, trying to get waiters to bring il conto, etc.

Hi debbe,

You, will be perfectly safe taking your family to Italy, possibly safer than if you stayed home.

I've found that pretty much everyone in Europe thinks that Bush is a shame and a laughingstock. As long as you feel the same way, you'll be fine. That's one of the things I enjoy about Europe at the moment!

Tourists: Keep two things in mind, people in the business will be grateful that you are here. Residents with no connection to the business will resent your presence. Consider a pure tourist business..has anyone ever had a bad experience at a Walt Disney operation? Enter a local pub or church..is anyone glad you are there? Behavior is most important.

debbeymer:

The same as yesterday:

If you are cute you will get chased by the men!

If you are not cute you will be chased by the men...

Italians in America: Same thing.

If he is cute he will be chased and so on so forth...

See, too many variables to get a real pulse!

Happy Travels,
Oaktown Traveler

Okay..... thanks ira. And Oaktown Traveler, that was cute, I'll have to remember that:)

Before this thread gets "locked down" by Fodors, I have to say that in recent weeks, I have felt more hostility toward Americans doing "touristy" things than I have in the 4+ years I've been living in Europe. Example: during the height of the sky marshall debate in the UK (when some pilots were saying they wouldn't fly with armed marshalls on board), I took the Eurostar to London. As I went through Customs, I was grilled like I've never been grilled before--and the attitude was hostile. I happened to mention that I was married to a man who was "half a Geordie" (my husband's mother is from Newcastle) and the attitude evaporated in a minute. The immigration guy then gave me a big smile. I asked if his questions had anything to do with my being American and the latest Bush policies and all he would say was a VERY sarcastic, "oh, he's a lovely man, isn't he? Really making the world a safer place now, yeah?" before turning to the next visitor.

This is a silly question.

As a citizen of the UK, I have found that there are many countries we have p****d off during the course of our history.

Argentina, for instance. However, if you go to Argentina you will generally find most Argentines are very welcoming to the British (I think they are probably even more welcoming to Itaians). However, you do get some who bear a grudge.

I was stuck in a small Argentine town for a few weeks, next to an army barracks. The squaddies there, like in most countries, were not well educated individuals. I came across an intense dislike of the British whilst drinking in a bar frequented by soldiers one night (and also in another bar where some kid's older brother had dies in the Falkland's war) however we were soon able to work things out and in all cases the Argentines decided that the British were OK and that it was the British government who were to blame and that they should not bear a grudge against us simply because we wetre unfortunate enough to be born on this godforsaken island.

So what i am saying is you should not worry about your nationality (unless going to Kabul maybe) as the vast majority of people will understand that you are not George W. Most who have some grievance will come around after a small chat and those few who don't either have a very valid point or are idiots!