French and Italian Temperaments

[identity]

hi,
the french and the italians stand out among the nationalities of europe for many things they have in common. e.g.-

1) both are considered temperamental

2) both countries have given renowned artists to the world.

3) lovers of wine and food. in fact both countries have developed their culinary skills into 'art'. both countries have the finest eateries in the world.

4) same goes for attire - paris and milan are global centres for fashion.both have designers of renown.

5) men from both countries are have a reputation of being playboys.

6) both countries host pricey holiday destinations and the costliest real estate on earth.

7) language - both are peculiar - italian is considered a sign language merely assisted by words. french has a music of its own.

8) both have considerable history. geographically both have islands in the mediterranean.

what i would like to know are the differences in attitude,temperament,out look on life in the french and italian people.

[Foxy]

^^^In short, he wants to see a dispute between Italians and the French.
Do your best both, I take the popcorn.

9) we have Berlusconi, they have SarkoNo.
10) at the moment we both have a lot of Maghrebin immigrants.

[Rouxinol]

I love these threads, they always end up as a battlefield. :lol:

[alzo zero]

What a load of stereotypes.

[Lábaru]

mmmm what I can do?

1º I can give a stab in the back to one of these nationalities, plagiarizing Veleda´s style, using the thread troll.

2º I can choose ignore the thread, as a person of honor.

Of course I choose the second option.

[identity]

people,
i sincerely do not intend to provoke or flame italians or french members here. that should be clear from my query - i m not asking for any judgement on which culture/nation is better. just want honest comarisons/differences.

[GeistFaust]

I think the French have a poorer control of their emotions than the Italians but historically the French might have actually contributed to the world more than the Italians. I think the stereotypes always apply but you find a large majority of them have some sort of truth at times. I think the Italians facilitate their emotions better and thus they direct their high level of emotions towards art and creativity in a way I think the French fall short of. I will take the Renaissance culture over any culture the French have constructed.

[Aces High]

5) men from both countries are have a reputation of being boys.



Corrected....carry on.

[Comte Arnau]

1) both are considered temperamental

More than the Balkans? I doubt it.


2) both countries have given renowned artists to the world.

I wouldn't say that's exclusive of them.


3) lovers of wine and food. in fact both countries have developed their culinary skills into 'art'. both countries have the finest eateries in the world.

Yeah, that's a Latin factor indeed. Although I've met some Northerners who also know how to enjoy a meal.



5) men from both countries are have a reputation of being playboys.

Italians, yeah, there's the Italian word gigolo for a reason. French men? Nah. If anything, French women. There's the French word femme fatale for a reason. :D


7) language - both are peculiar - italian is considered a sign language merely assisted by words. french has a music of its own.

That was so random. :rolleyes:


8) both have considerable history. geographically both have islands in the mediterranean.

All territories have history. And modern Italy is not a good example of a country that's been unified for centuries...

As for the islands in the Mediterranean... Italy and Greece, but France, nah. Corsica is an island taken to the Italians. Real French islands are Atlantic, some of them belonging to the UK.


what i would like to know are the differences in attitude,temperament,out look on life in the french and italian people.

Both countries are large and diverse enough to have different types of attitudes, temperaments and lifestyles. That is, of course, if the question is serious. If we go by stereotypes, then all French are Parisians and all Italians are Sicilians.

[Ouistreham]

what i would like to know are the differences in attitude,temperament,out look on life in the french and italian people.

— The fundamental difference is: Italy is a urban civilisation, France is a countryside based culture.

Italians are social beings ; the French tend to live in isolation.

In Italy the ruling class was the urban gentry, whereas noble families of a same town often rivalled in bloody struggles or even civil wars (Guelphs and Ghibellines, Romeo and Juliet, etc.). They were also competing on the artistic field. Hence the distinctive theatrality of Italian architecture, Italian urbanism, and even Italian behaviours.

On the other hand French noblemen built their castles in the middle of nowhere.

Italy managed to export its Baroque styles to all of Europe, except to France.
There is as much art in any middle sized Italian city as in half of France.

Italy is made of cities (one significant exception is Piedmont) while France is made of territories (one significant exception: the Mediterranean region).

Local patriotism is extremely strong in Italy but national spirit is often somewhat weak. The French generally have a strong emotional link to their country and their region, but not to any particular city.

Apart from that French art, food, fashion (John Galliano, Karl Lagerfeld...) and wines are IMHO overrrated and overpriced, but if we can make more money that way so be it, I won't complain... :)

[Lucretius]

— The fundamental difference is: Italy is a urban civilisation, France is a countryside based culture.

Italians are social beings ; the French tend to live in isolation.

In Italy the ruling class was the urban gentry, whereas noble families of a same town often rivalled in bloody struggles or even civil wars (Guelphs and Ghibellines, Romeo and Juliet, etc.). They were also competing on the artistic field. Hence the distinctive theatrality of Italian architecture, Italian urbanism, and even Italian behaviours.

On the other hand French noblemen built their castles in the middle of nowhere.

Italy managed to export its Baroque styles to all of Europe, except to France.
There is as much art in any middle sized Italian city as in half of France.

Italy is made of cities (one significant exception is Piedmont) while France is made of territories (one significant exception: the Mediterranean region).

Local patriotism is extremely strong in Italy but national spirit is often somewhat weak. The French generally have a strong emotional link to their country and their region, but not to any particular city.

Apart from that French art, food, fashion (John Galliano, Karl Lagerfeld...) and wines are IMHO overrrated and overpriced, but if we can make more money that way so be it, I won't complain... :)

I have nothing else to add,:thumb001:

[Libertas]

Italian architecture is often theatrical and pompous (Baroque etc) and lacks the elegance of the French architecture or the magnificence of Spanish architecture.
The ancient Romans certainly built greater structures than Renaissance or Baroque Italians, in my view.

[identity]

thanks for the replies people. i was always curious as to the dominance of the italians in automobile engineering. the house of ferrari,and ducati for example. also how do they compare to german cars.

[Foxy]

Italians, yeah, there's the Italian word gigolo for a reason. French men? Nah. If anything, French women. There's the French word femme fatale for a reason. :D


Gigolò is a French word too.


Italian architecture is often theatrical and pompous (Baroque etc) and lacks the elegance of the French architecture or the magnificence of Spanish architecture.
The ancient Romans certainly built greater structures than Renaissance or Baroque Italians, in my view.

Barocco is Spanish. The typical Italic style is the neoclassicism.

Just to make it visible:

typical neoclassic/Italic palace
http://abs.italiaabc.it/photobook/poi/178/2_palazzo_barbieri.jpg

You will find at least a palace of this sort in any Italian city.

Typical Baroque palace:

http://www.ruid.com/photos/original/40098-5yjpdrbap93x96zjdrq9.jpg

Not very common in Italy, exept in cities of XVII century (IE when Spain dominated Italy).

Thank you both for having shown your ignorance about Italy.

[Hurrem sultana]

5) men from both countries are have a reputation of being playboys.

sure for Italian guys they are known for that and to be handsome good looking guys,but french guys? nah! most Europeans tend to have a prejudice that the french guys do not look that good/handsome...but the language on the other hand :thumb001:

[mymy]

sure for Italian guys they are known for that and to be handsome good looking guys,but french guys? nah! most europeans say the french guys do not look that good/handsome...but the language on the other hand :thumb001:

I know some very hot French guys. Italians are nice, but French guys aren't bad. Plus i found natural "french arrogance" and snobbish altitude to be sexy... :D

[Hurrem sultana]

I know some very hot French guys. Italians are nice, but French guys aren't bad. Plus i found natural "french arrogance" and snobbish altitude to be sexy... :D

I also know some hot french guys,but i think in general people outside of France have that opinion about the guys from France.

But i love the language,it gives them a few points even if they aren't that sexy :D

[mymy]

But i love the language,it gives them a few points even if they aren't that sexy :D

Absolutely agree! I'm big fan of French language (and culture also).

[Libertas]

Gigolò is a French word too.



Barocco is Spanish. The typical Italic style is the neoclassicism.

Just to make it visible:

typical neoclassic/Italic palace
http://abs.italiaabc.it/photobook/poi/178/2_palazzo_barbieri.jpg

You will find at least a palace of this sort in any Italian city.

Typical Baroque palace:

http://www.ruid.com/photos/original/40098-5yjpdrbap93x96zjdrq9.jpg

Not very common in Italy, exept in cities of XVII century (IE when Spain dominated Italy).

Thank you both for having shown your ignorance about Italy.

Come on.
As if some of the most famous Baroque architests like Bernini and Borromini were not ITALIAN.

[AR89]

Come on.
As if some of the most famous Baroque architests like Bernini and Borromini were not ITALIAN.

You're still wrong, Renaissance have nothing to do with Baroque (which came a century later, with the Spanish dominance over the whole Italy.) The first thing they teach you at school is that baroque came after the Renaissance.

The Renaissance style was Neoclassical, and is the dominant architecture in Italy.

[Libertas]

Where did I write that Renaissance and Baroque were the same?

Nor did I write that Baroque preceded Renaissance.

17th century Italian Baroque as produced by Bernini and the like was pompous and ponderous without the French elegance.

You are not seriously claiming that Bernini and Borromini were other than BAROQUE architects?

Rome is more Baroque than Renaissance in style.

The Renaissance and Neo-Classical styles are different according to architecture books.

The Renaissance style is not Neo-Classical in the Schinkel sense but merely an originally Florentine re-working of classical and medieval elements.

[Savant]

The "French temperment" was changed dramatically and fundamentally by the first World War.

[AR89]

Where did I write that Renaissance and Baroque were the same?

Nor did I write that Baroque preceded Renaissance.

17th century Italian Baroque as produced by Bernini and the like was pompous and ponderous without the French elegance.

You are not seriously claiming that Bernini and Borromini were other than BAROQUE architects?

Rome is more Baroque than Renaissance in style.

The Renaissance and Neo-Classical styles are different according to architecture books.

The Renaissance style is not Neo-Classical in the Schinkel sense but merely an originally Florentine re-working of classical and medieval elements.



Rome and Neapolis are the cities with the most baroque influence, but cities like Florence, Siena, Milan, Venice, Turin and so on, have nothing to do with the baroque and are as well rapresentative of the italian architecture.

[Lucretius]

Ar98 You forgot to mention Palermo and Sicily the real pearls of baroque in Italy.:)

[Libertas]

Also the Sicilian Baroque architect Filippo Juvarra transformed the face of Turin.

Milan Cathedral is a type of Gothic based on the French Gothic cathedral of Bourges while other Milan churches like S. Ambrogio are in Romanesque style.

Venice's St Mark's has strong Byzantine influences as do the churches of Ravenna.

So much for one "Renaissance/Italic" style.

Baroque and Norman-era buildings in Sicily and Baroque Turin constitute some of the very best in Italian architecture.