when i went to italy for the first time i was amazed by the old architecture, minimal transport infrastructure and the fresh pizza establishments that were scattered around. i thought it was amazing that the city i was in had gone out of their way to preserve their history to the point of being like a time capsule. so many quaint sticker bombs instead of graffiti and the weather was fine. the people were blunt but respectable. but then i left the city and found out fucking everywhere was like that in italy. every town, city or suburb had the same rundown decrepit buildings. you know why people like italian food? it is because it is freshly made most of the time. the food itself is mediocre and greasy, which is saying something with the shit food we eat here. all the sticker bombs turn out to be ads for prostitutes, drugs, gang signitures or protest stickers showing victims of the mafia. finally my patience for the italians ran out. while it was interesting that i had to learn how to be rude and obnoxious to get anywhere in that country i think in hindsight it was a testament to the italian demeanor as a whole. if you were not shoving your way through you would be shoved instead. but what bothered me was while italian history was everywhere there was not really anything else to show for it. italy has this solid cultural foundation that surpasses many other countries but it feels like they squandered it all. the only modern building i found was in the bombed out sections of cities that had to be rebuilt but otherwise i felt like i was in south america but with the odd veneer of "look at this fancy shop or this historical plaque! arn't we all so quaint and sophisticated?". the industry towns really sold it to me that italy was a second world country, they drop all pretenses and show the country for what it actually is: an impoverished high trust society that knows not to set fire to their ghettos.
United Kingdom