THE CINQUE TERRE 'SMILE & NOD'

Riomaggiore, Italy - The Cinque Terre

Most of what you say isn't verbal -- it's physical.

We love being part of other cultures -- other languages.  The weird thing about Americans is that we seem to have an innately snobbish form of thinking our way of doing things is the right way rather than a different way.

Why isn't the restaurant open at dinner time (6pm)?  (Many restaurants in Italy do not serve dinner until after 8pm.)

Why can't I get the internet anywhere?  (We are dying to find a hotspot as if our lives depended on it.)

They take a break and close their shop at 3 in the afternoon?  (Yes, they do.)

Why do they push two beds together to make it queen sized? - and - Why are the sheets not tucked in rather than just laying on top of the bed?  My feet stick out at night and get cold.

Why are the portions of food so small here?  No refills?

I have to buy water at the restaurant?  It doesn't just come free?  I have to pay to go to the public bathroom?  (Yes.  No.  And yes.)

Why won't they bring me the check?  I'm ready to go.  (This is classic in Europe.  You could sit there for an hour or more waiting unless you get up to ask for it.  Once you sit at a table in Europe, it's yours for the night.  Nobody will rush you away by bringing the bill.  There's a concept.)


As we're traveling to La Spezia, Italy for a few days, this idea that Americans like us know less about other cultures than they do about us bears itself out in a different way.

Vernazza, Italy - The Cinque Terre

La Spezia lies along the rugged northeastern coast of Italy, adjacent to a place called The Cinque Terre (Five Lands), part of the Italian Riviera and comprised of five small towns accessible primarily by boat, train or on foot -- Manarola, Riomaggiore, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare.  You can make a whole day of it and hike from one little village to the next on manmade paths along the rocky coast.  We took a boat which pulled up to each dock to let people off and on and eventually ended up in Monterosso al Mare, the largest of The Cinque Terre.  

A beautiful day of exploring.

We found ourselves at breakfast each morning where we were staying in La Spezia with a variety of other tourists/couples, sitting in the outside patio at close together small breakfast tables, high above and overlooking the Ligurian Sea, a bay of the Mediterranean.  

We noticed all the couples could speak either a little or a lot of English.  We could speak very little or nothing of their languages - couples from France, Germany, Italy, Belgium on these particular days.

What we also noticed was the power of a 'smile and a nod.'  Everyone understands those actions when combined.  Nobody has to guess at what you're saying - the translation is universal.

Good morning.
Have a nice day.

Monterosso al Mare, Italy - The Cinque Terre

I like you and accept you.
You're looking grand today.
Etc.

We've found the 'smile & nod' combo very powerful.  Just 14% of communication is through words and 7% is through intonation.  The other 79% is body language.  So the 'smile & nod' is powerful if you do it right.

Along the way we're trying to be a little more language ready:
'Posso avere il conto, per favore?'  (Could I please get the bill? - Italian)
'Guten Morgen.'  (Good morning - German.  Fortunately the word for 'Hello' in German is 'Hallo,' so that works grand.)
'Tu es d'ou?'  (Where are you from? - French)

But for now, the 'smile & nod' seems to be working really great.

And be blessed.