Why Wanderlust Women Love those Italian Boys!

I can travel the world and write about it but invariably the articles which garner the most attention for Wanderlust Women are always the ones about Italy.  So, what better travel topic than Italian men – Italian-American men and Italian men?  They are different, you know, despite the historic DNA.

Men, by nature, are very basic creatures the world over.  They all need to eat, sleep and have sex and not necessarily in that order.  They also like their toys and games and once you know which are their favorites, the rest is pretty easy.  We Wanderlust Women, on the other hand, try to make things more complex than they need to be.

1.  Cars – Italian-American men have love affairs with their cars.  There is nothing they revere more than their automobile (except maybe their mothers), especially their first car.  They can get rid of that first girl pretty easily but not that first car.  Even years after it’s left their lives, they will hunt it down and buy it back!  They bathe and wax it faithfully; they will kill anyone who nears it, let alone dents it; and they will go out of their way in a parking lot to park it at an angle, across 2 spaces, so that no other cafone (or gavone if you’re from NYC) gets near it.

Italian men, on the other hand, could care less about their cars unless they’re wealthy enough to drive Ferraris or Maseratis and that’s a whole different ballgame.  However, your average Italian man generally drives a dented, banged up, totally uncool Lancia  or a really old Fiat Cinquecento.  It is the Italian equivalent of the sex-mobile van for some American guys.  Italian men of any age use this as their portable sex studio.  It is too expensive for them to live alone so they live with Mamma.  That’s why they use their cars for their Saturday night fix on a dead-end street or near a beach.  They could care less about the condition of the car because since everyone drives on the sidewalk anyway, a good car would only be destroyed.

2.  Flirting – Italian-American men flirt like the guidos that they are and everything…..and I do mean everything…..is related to the size of a salami or lack thereof.  “Hey, baby, you want a piece of this?” Pretty much says it all.

Italian men make flirting an art form.  They flirt the way most men breathe and what’s more, there is real passion and loyalty behind the come-on, even if only for that moment.  They just love women, in any size, shape and form and will make each one feel as if they are the only one in the universe at that moment.  Now stop by 5 minutes later and they may be chatting up another girl but at least you had them “in the moment.”

3.  Girlfriends – Here is one area where the two types of Italian men actually often behave exactly the same.  You see, for Italian men on both sides of the Atlantic there are the girls you bring home to meet Mamma and then there are the girls you just keep on the side, in secret, away from everyone else.   It is a rare day when an Italian man will marry a girl who never meets his mother so take that as a warning.  If you are dating an Italian or an Italian-American man and he doesn’t introduce you to the other important woman in his life, I’ll bet you dollars to donuts your days as his girlfriend are numbered and you forever become his comare (or gumah if you’re from NYC).  But don’t be fooled, Italian-American men treat their gumahs very well.  The gumahs are showered with gifts and the wives are showered with kids; the gumahs are supported in an apartment as their love nest and the wives are left holding the bills.  So you see, there is a sunny side to everything.

4.  Mamma – Here is where the two types of Italian men actually converge.  There is no getting away from the fact that Italian mothers can be to blame and to credit when it comes to their baby boys.

Italian-American men revere their mothers to a degree.  Of course they love the fact that she cooks, cleans and offers them advice on everything from dressing to girlfriends; yet, she destroys them by giving into their every demand.  You see, if an Italian-American guy comes home at 2am after a night out, his Mom will get up and actually cook for him.  It makes it hard on the girlfriends later on.

However, Italian-American men will only accept her advice to a point.  Once Ma, as they lovingly whine, starts to interfere a bit too much, Italian-American men will move out.  It’s that simple.  They want sex with whomever they choose, whenever they want, and that’s just not going to happen under Ma’s roof or in their car, generally if the girl’s over the age of 18.  Most American women, over a certain age (gratefully), would be horrified at the idea of pulling off I-95 for a quickie with traffic zipping by!

Italian men,on the other hand, will live at home forever if it’s possible.  Mammone, as they are now called, are lovingly cared for by Mamma seemingly forever.  There are Italian bachelors well into their 50s who have never lived

Italy - a winning team for Dolce and Gabbana

outside their mother’s loving home.  True, the cost of living relative to income is dramatically worse in Italy but come on, 50 and still living at home and having sex in cars.  The romance wears off very quickly.  Just know that whether he’s Italian or Italian-American, if he introduces you to Mamma, he thinks of you as more than just a good time on a Saturday night.

5.  Cooking – Italian-American men are generally amazing in the kitchen.  They are raised in the kitchen and from a very early age they see both parents and both grandparents cooking.  I don’t know one Italian-American man who cannot make a fantastic gravy (or sauce if you’re from outside of NYC).  Just be aware that they are not the neatest cooks.  A good rule of thumb would be to stay out of their way and let them cook and then you can clean up the aftermath.

Italian men, on the other hand, are like lost sheep in a kitchen.  Mamma does all the cooking and they do all the eating.  It’s a rare breed indeed when you find a specimen who cooks and enjoys it.  (True, there are many great Italian male chefs but I am referring to everyone else!)

I could go on but sometimes you have to experience things for yourself to truly understand.  We love our Italian boys.  That’s just amore!