Sunday 30 September 2012

Italy v France, it's a tough call

We are coming to the end of a ten day stint in Tuscany, the result of a house swap with a couple who own this and a few other dwellings in the small hilltop village of Pergine Valdarno, situated maybe an hours drive south of Florence.
We and our friends John and Sue have been hard at it exploring the surrounding region. Heaps to take in with the highlight probably being an overnighter to Florence, a city that Julia and I last visited in 1990.
Locally we have played the game and purchased virtually all our supplies from the village shops (big pat on the back for those far sighted Kiwis) The region is pretty interesting, the locals are real characters and our location is just perfect. If interested you can check out our digs by throwing " il pigionale" into your computer search engine.
Over the last few days we have been discussing the various merits of hanging out in either Italy or France for an extended period and have reached the following conclusions on the comparison chart.l
THE WEATHER
That's a classic draw. Both countries know to turn on the sun and deal to the rain when we hit town.
LANGUAGE
Where we are located the Italians have limited English however they make up for any shortfall with an enthusiasm that is kind of touching.
The French by and large clearly understand what you are waffling on about however more often than not they will refrain from getting verbally involved with any dialogue that they don't fully comprehend ( they have my full understanding on that score)
THE PEOPLE
Much as we love the French, the reality is that the Italians have it all over the French when it comes to being user friendly. It's not that the French are either unfriendly or unhelpful,  rather it's the case that the Italians see it as just natural to go out of their way to mix it with tourists. These guys simply can't do enough to help you. The French on the other hand are more of the "take it or leave it " variety, and tend to give you the impression that they don't really care one way or another about whether you fully understand their explanation about whatever. I fully understand the French stance on this issue and have no problem with it.
VILLAGE LIFE
Italian villages win this duel hands down. Barking dogs, screaming locals, lots of laughter, it's all on in our village. By comparison French villages feel a bit like Invercargill on a wet cold winters day. Whilst the French just quietly get on with their lives, their  Italian  counterparts appear to want to party at every turn . These people are just dynamic in everything they do. One really amusing feature of village life is the way locals communicate with their dogs. They talk to them like they are fellow humans and when their dogs play up they abuse the living day lights out of them. For their part, the dogs simply ignore their owners and  carry on doing doggie type things.  Pet training simple doesn't feature in local life.
FOOD
No arguments here, the French have it all over the Italians. It's not that the food here is bad, however it has to be said that when you compare what's on offer at say a French butcher's verses his Italian counterpart, then it's game over. For every  food line an Italian has on his counter, his French opposite number  has three times the variety on show. Both countries sell top quality stuff however when you get down to ordering in a restaurant you know for certain that a French menu will hold a lot more appeal ( that is, as long as you are not some kind of pasta and pizza freak)
BREAD (pretty important stuff in this area of the planet)
What is it with Italians and hard white bread. It's like they are consuming this unappealing stuff in an effort to pay for past sins. At a restaurant in Florence the other night the French couple sitting across from us nearly choked when presented bread by their waiter. The male diner actually poked one piece with his fork then bounced it on his table a couple of times . The couple were highly amused and then set to prattling on about "all things bread". One didn't need a interpreter to understand the direction of the conversation. Even Eskimos would probably appreciate the superior quality of French bread so it's a no contest.
WINE
The Italians produce some good quality reds, reasonable whites and debatable bubbles. It's a no brainer on this one. The French simply blow the Italians into the weeds. Prices are similar however the reality is that once you have downed a good quality chianti, well that's pretty much the wine tasting game done and dusted. As an aside bottles of Italian sparkling and champers seem to be a little light on bubbles. It's almost as if the plonk is slightly flat. It's all a bit weird.
INTERESTING STUFF TO PURCHASE IN CLOTHING/SHOE STORES
I don't doubt that if you hunt hard enough you can locate whatever you are after in a French store . As for the Italians, they are simply in another league.
The variety of product on hand is simply mind boggling and the prices are very attractive. A €500 leather jacket in France will go for something like €150 in Italy. And as for the huge variety and cheap pricing of top quality shoes in Italy, all I can say is that if you visit this country and don't take the opportunity to nail a number of pairs of shoes then you've  got rocks in your head
TRANSPORT
It's a draw again. Both countries know how to organise public transport.The ticket purchasing process in France is more logical however once you are onboard whatever both countries deliver the goods
ROADS
France wins again. OK, those mountain passes we crept over on the French side of the French/Italian border were fairly dodgy however as a rule France has far superior roads and highways. A small plus for the Italians in respect to significantly lower road toll charges than those in France
STREET AND ROAD SIGNS  ( a biggie for us)
It's a huge tick to the French. Getting around France is a breeze compared with Italy. I personally think the French are masters of the universe when it comes to road signage. They are simply in a class of their own.
OLD HISTORICAL STUFF TO VISIT
This is an interesting one. I'm drawing a very long bow here but it seems to me that on balance that Italy contains historical sites that are generally in an overall better state of repair than those of France however both Julia and myself agree that we find the French sites far more interesting . Maybe personal bias is getting in the way here, however that's just the way we see it.
COST OF LIVING
It's a draw.
WHICH COUNTRY WOULD WE PREFER TO RETURN TO ON AN ONGOING BASIS
That's a close race but in the end Provence would probably win out over Tuscany. It's a personal thing however it seems to me that Provence simply ticks more boxes.  That  said, we are not finished  with Florence and its immediate surrounding countryside . The plan is to return there within a couple of years. Than again, when you spend a fortnight in a small French village you are aware at all times that you are the outsider. Contrast that with our Tuscan village where within twenty four hours you have been accepted as part of the community

Isn't it just great to be spoiled for choice
Cheers

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