Surprises About Italy

The list for September 24, 1997

The Top 16 Surprises About Italy

Romans no longer do that gladiators-fighting-to-the-death thing.
Spumoni not just a type of ice cream — it’s a spermicidal lubricant!
“Out of my way – I’m an American!” doesn’t generate the respect one would envision.
So-called “leaning tower” actually an optical effect caused by very strong Chianti served in Pisa.
Leaving the dinner table without new stretchmarks? Illegal!
With a decent fake “pointy hat”, taking the Popemobile for a joyride isn’t as hard as you might think.
Rome actually took 27 hours to build, thanks to traditional Italian 3-hour lunch break.
Three glasses of wine and those Fellini movies make perfect sense.
The national airline? Gen-Italia.
Italians realize Jerry Lewis sucks, but revere a certain “Paolo Shore.”
Non-blessed bottle opener with picture of Pope works just as well as the blessed version, and cost $10.00 less!
Italian pizza? A slice of white bread topped with a spoonful of ketchup.
Despite inventing Spaghetti-O’s, Chef Boy-Ar-Dee not the national hero you’d think.
That whole thing about the moon hitting your eye like a big pizza pie? Turns out that was some sort of metaphor.
Vatican dinner guests prohibited from referring to chicken’s butt as the “Pope’s nose.”

And the Number 1 Surprise About Italy…

CREDITS

Selected from 129 submissions from 48 contributors.

Today’s list authors were:

T5092497