Famiglia and Mates- Venice vs. London

Having been in Europe for six weeks now, I’ve had the opportunity to travel to several different countries and experience a plethora of diverse cultures. Although Europe sometimes tends to be grouped as one mega culture, I’ve come to find that the European countries all have their own unique subcultures which are, in reality, quite drastic from one another. Venice and London are two cities that I’ve had a chance to explore during my stay in Europe. Although the cities share several similarities, the differences between the two cultures are extremely interesting and deserve deeper analysis.

The first thing I noticed when I arrived in London two weeks ago, hungry and ready for my first English meal, was that it was nearly impossible to get dinner at any restaurant or pub after 9:00 at night. As I later learned from talking to the locals, unless you want fast food, you eat before 9:00. As the owner of a local pub told me as I eagerly searched for dinner, “Nothing is open at this time!” The British enjoy going out to the pubs immediately after work to grab a drink with co-workers and friends. This is a stark contrast to Italy, where dinner typically occurs between 7:30-9:00 pm. In London everyone heads out to the pubs around 5:00 or 6:00 to drink and heads home around 9:00 or 10:00. While making my way to a pub at 10:00 in London I found that the place was clearing out and the pubs typically closed by 11:00. However, in Italy many of the bars and nightclubs do not even become crowed until nearly 11:00. When visiting Milan, I had my first experience at an Italian nightclub and found that the club did not become crowded until nearly midnight. The alcoholic beverage of choice is also different in these two countries. In Italy, wine and spritzas are two popular choices, while in England beer and hard cider are the norm.

Another difference noted between these two countries was the attitude towards family. Being that I only spent a weekend in London, I have a very superficial perception of the culture; however, from my observation, London seemed to strongly value friendships while Italy places family at the crux of their culture. In Venice, many businesses close down for a lunch break so that families can be together for several hours in the afternoon. In London, this tradition did not persist and I found a larger focus to be on the “mates,” the English slang for friends, over family. I viewed multiple advertisements around town, especially in the metros, referring to “mates.” As I already mentioned, going out for drinks after work with coworkers and friends is an important tradition in London.

Public transport exists in both London and Venice, however differs greatly between the two cultures. In London, the “Underground” is the term for the metro that zips Londoners around town. It serves as a way to get to and from work, the airport, or simply around the city. However, because there are vehicles and roads in the city, many Londoners also have cars and the metro serves as more a secondary form of transportation. In Venice, however, there is an absence of cars and therefore the whole dynamics of public transport is very unique. The vaporetto, or Venetian water bus, is the primary form of transportation for Venetians. The politics and rules surrounding these forms of public transport differ greatly, although there are some similarities. Both the Underground and vaporetto are not designed as social places but simply places to be “in your own world” and do your business (reading the paper, listening to music, zone out or even sleep). However, in Venice you are expected to stand up well before your stop and head towards the exit, while the Londoners take it slower and prefer to wait for the last moment to head towards the exit. The Venetians seem to be a very rushed culture as opposed to the Londoners, as I have many times gotten “Permesso!” shouted in my ear for not moving off the vaporetto quick enough.

Venice and London, both vibrant European cultures, are simply one example of how not all European cultures are alike. Although they share a continent, they are unique in many aspects, which only makes the experience of traveling so much more enjoyable!