Most foreigners have a stereotypical idea that all Italians are incredibly cool and stylish, from the way they dress, to their attitude. It is sad for me, an Italian, to write this, but the days of La Dolce Vita are long gone. Not every Italian man looks like Marcello Mastroianni any more, not every Italian woman has the elegance of Sophia Loren – and worse, people no longer aspire to that classic elegance.
When I was a globe-trotting teenager I remember how Italians always stood out from the crowd for the way they were dressed. You could spot them a mile away for the fancy bag or stylish pair of shoes they were wearing, or simply by looking at their general attire and behaviour. They had that intangible Italian quality.
The terrible truth is that many Italians are losing their sense of fashion, and some are even turning vulgar. A certain degree of “ugliness” in style is taking over.
Summer is the worst time because it tends to be the season when this “ugliness” comes out most vividly. It also tends to be the season when we are all wearing fewer clothes. Not a happy combination.
Many beaches and seaside towns have become open-air catwalks of bikini-clad ladies and bare-chested men unabashedly walking, eating and shopping in the alleys, either barefoot or wearing flip-flops. This kind of semi-naked promenading is not normal for Italy.
I was recently in a picturesque village south of Rome and watched a group of girls in thongs and tank tops come out of the water and walk from the beach straight into a boutique, dripping wet and sweaty. They then went into a cafe for an espresso. The waiter had to tell them to put on some clothes or leave. They looked at him in scorn and left.
“I don’t know what to do any more,” Antonio, the bartender, told me. “Half-naked tourists sit down and leave the bar chairs sweaty and sticky with sand. It’s revolting. I have to wipe everything clean and always end up arguing with them when I ask for some decency.”
Next I came across a couple of ladies walking by in very tight-fitting bikinis and G-strings. One was even pushing her baby’s stroller. They were accompanied by barefoot, sweaty, very hairy men. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Am I over-reacting? OK, next time you need to go to the shops, will you go wearing a swimsuit? No. Of course not. That’s the point.
Italian style – Italian aesthetics, even – are very important. To try to make things right, many mayors of popular holiday towns such as Gallipoli and Portofino are issuing fines of up to €500 for people found strolling about in swimsuits or shirtless.
In another change, dog owners who leave dog poo on the sidewalk and smokers who throw cigarette butts on the sand are now punishable by law.
One worried mayor who is desperately trying to safeguard his village’s “decorum” told me that those who misbehaved the most and who have an “immoral summer wardrobe” are Italians. Not foreigners.
“Tourists from abroad show a lot of respect. I see bad taste and lack of style among my people, Italians who come from all over Italy, and this is scary,” he said.
And yes, Italy still has its famous fashion houses – but just wearing cool, expensive Italian designer clothes isn’t enough any more. It is no longer a guarantee of style. Even fashionable swimwear, worn inappropriately, negates any coolness the outfit might have.
My grandmother used to say style is innate. “Either you have it or not”. She couldn’t have been more right.
Silvia Marchetti is a journalist based in Rome
