In Tuscany, there is a certain amount of gentleness among the people, who tend to be a bit reserved. I have seen people bumping into each other in buses and smiling with a brief "excuse me." In Naples, where the people are anything but reserved, it's easy for locals to get into heated arguments.
While taking the famous R2 bus from the central railway station, a teenager bumped into a seated pensioner. The man immediately exploded and told the girl to be more careful. The conversation then changed from Italian into a Neapolitan dialect, of which I understand almost nothing.
The heated exchange, laced with an occasional smile, went on for the next 10 minutes with many others interfering and people taking sides. No side yielded and the girl, whose friend vociferously supported her, got off the bus, thinking she had the better of the exchange.
Despite the fact that this was a fight, I enjoyed the exchanges. I guess the fun was in the energy of the people and the beauty of the dialect that they spoke.
Viva Napoli!
While taking the famous R2 bus from the central railway station, a teenager bumped into a seated pensioner. The man immediately exploded and told the girl to be more careful. The conversation then changed from Italian into a Neapolitan dialect, of which I understand almost nothing.
The heated exchange, laced with an occasional smile, went on for the next 10 minutes with many others interfering and people taking sides. No side yielded and the girl, whose friend vociferously supported her, got off the bus, thinking she had the better of the exchange.
Despite the fact that this was a fight, I enjoyed the exchanges. I guess the fun was in the energy of the people and the beauty of the dialect that they spoke.
Viva Napoli!
As you describe the episode in the bus I see this picture as if I were present in that bus! I bet that a fight in Italian (or for that matter, in Neapolitan dialect) looks much more entertaining rather than annoying. I don't know if this is the lovely vivacious language or the vigourous energy of the participants of the participants... Oh, those Italians!
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