Traveling to other countries can be a great way for people to reflect on how different lifestyles are outside of the United States. Many life lessons can also be learned from traveling to places around the world. People often overlook the places they travel to and don’t realize how much they can learn from their experience. When traveling to a place like Italy, it is truly mind-blowing how different the culture and lifestyle is compared to the United States. When looking for places to eat in Italy, there is an endless amount of restaurants from which to choose, and most of these restaurants are a much healthier option than most of the food in the United States.
As stated by Dr. Cindy Jakubiek, “Roughly 60% of the American diet is made up of processed foods.” Traveling to Italy is not only a good travel destination but is also better for eating healthier foods and living a healthier life in general. As part of my experience in my trip to Italy, the food was lighter and didn’t make me feel like I was eating a bunch of junk. Even the pastas and pizzas tasted fresh and didn’t feel like they were drenched in oil or butter. When eating out in America, the food can be really heavy, and places often use a lot of butter in their dishes which makes people feel full faster.
To further promote healthy living, one of the main modes of transportation in Italy is walking. The average Italian walks about 5,300 steps a day. Italy’s beautiful landscape provides the perfect scenery for a casual walk to dinner or long strolls with friends. In the United States, people are used to driving cars everywhere because most of the cities in the United States are not as walking-friendly as Italy, hence the big roads and small sidewalks. According to abcnews.go, “Less than 4% of respondents in the United States and Canada said they walk or bike, and just under 5% take public transit. The 100 least active walkable cities were all found in North America,” which is why Americans should start incorporating more daily walks into their routine. In Italy, my family and I walked about 10,000 steps a day since we were sightseeing and walking to all the famous landmarks. When I’m at home in Orlando, I don’t walk half as much as I do when I’m on a trip.
Another thing to learn from traveling to Italy is the importance of spending more time with your family. In the United States, people often overlook making time for their families and don’t spend as much quality time with one another. Due to people living closer to each other in Italy, people are easily able to see each other and spend time together. According to languegesalive.com, “Maintaining daily interactions with extended family members are vital aspects of the Italian way of life.” As I was in Italy, spending time with my family was a big part of my trip and made my trip a lot more enjoyable as we made new bonds. Going to restaurants, going on tours, and just enjoying new experiences with family lightens up one’s mood and builds lasting memories with your family.
Fashion is also a very important part of Italy that can be used as inspiration for us. Americans usually wear athletic and lounge clothing when leaving the house, dressing more for comfort and not style. In Italy, the manufacturing and export of fashionable items and clothing are a big part of the economy. Many designer brands have also originated in Italy, including Prada, Gucci, Fendi, Versace, Valentino, Miu Miu, and many more, which shows how being exposed to these big fashion brands can impact the style in an area, with events such as Milan Fashion Week. In Milan, Florence, and Rome, people wear clothing that is considered “dressing up” in the United States. Clothing items like dresses, heels, fancy blouses, and fashionable clothes in general are worn as a common thing in Italy. Compared to America, people wear clothes that are more comfortable to them like sweatpants, hoodies, t-shirts, crewnecks, and comfy shoes.
All these things that are learned from Italy can be incorporated into the American lifestyle. For example, eating healthy and staying active can improve overall health. Spending time with family and loved ones can be good for our happiness and will improve mood which is proven to increase the levels of satisfaction with life and even lead to a longer life. Having a good sense of fashion and style is just a fun way to add a little color to your life and boosts confidence and creativity. So as John Mark Green once said, “Some journeys take you to a new destination, but Italy has a way of taking you to a new version of yourself.”
