以家為先

Italy is regarded as “the China of the West”.

The family is very important for Italians. Italian family life is loyal and close. Its the foundation of Italians lives. It provides financial10 support to its members. And its always there waiting for Italians whenever they want to go back. Italians have stronger feelings of loyalty11 to their family than they have to their country.

The family is also Italians social circle. Italians have frequent12 family gatherings and enjoy spending time with those in their family. They can meet in the square for a quick espresso13， or at someones house for a large dinner. Most Italians wont leave their hometowns. Compared to other European countries， Italians become independent at the oldest age. They may still live with their family after they grow up， sometimes even when they are 30 or 40 years old. And even when Italians move out， they wont live far from their families. Italians like going back home often. Today there are still many big families including grandparents， parents and children in one household.

Italian parents influence their children a lot throughout their lives. Children are trained to be loyal and obey14 their parents from a young age. Among all family members， mama is always the special one. Mother is the soul of the family. She makes tasty coffee and delicious meals， she cleans the house， she brings up children… she might talk too much sometimes， but her love towards her children is never-ending. To respect and love mamas is an unspoken rule among all Italians. Nowadays， more and more men love to cook， help in the household or stay at home with the kids while the women go to work.

意大利被稱為“西方的中國”。

家庭，對意大利人至關重要。他們的家庭生活忠貞、親密。家是意大利人生活的支柱，它為成員提供物質支持。無論他們何時想回來，家永遠都在。對意大利人來說，家，也許比國家更重要。

家也是意大利人的社交圈子。意大利人經常舉行家庭聚會，享受與家人在一起的時光。他們在廣場碰頭，喝一杯濃縮咖啡，或者到某人家中吃一頓大餐。大多數意大利人不會離開家鄉。與歐洲其他國家相比，意大利人獨立生活的年紀最大。他們可能一直和自己的原生家庭住在一起，甚至直到三四十歲。即使從家里搬出來，他們也會盡量選擇住在離家人不遠的地方，這樣可以常回家看看。如今，仍然有很多意大利大家庭，祖孫三代同居一室。

意大利父母在孩子們的一生中影響很大。孩子從小就被告知：“好好聽大人的話。”在所有家庭成員中，媽媽永遠是最特別的。媽媽是全家的靈魂。她做可口的咖啡、美味的飯菜，她打掃房屋、哺育孩子，即使有時候會嘮嘮叨叨，但她對孩子的愛永無止境。尊重和愛護媽媽，是意大利人心知肚明的“規矩”。如今，越來越多的男人愛上了烹飪，喜歡在家中幫忙做家務，或者干脆讓女性出門上班，自己在家照顧孩子。