The Memorable Italian Hospitality
Korean Herald
Kim Jong-han
Thursday, February 1, 2007
I guess you could
say that our family loves Italy.
We spent our 2005 Christmas vacation in Italy, and the experience was so
enjoyable that we decided to go back and explore more
of that country last year. During our recent trip, we gazed at the ancient
ruins of Pompeii near Napoli, set against the
majestic backdrop of the volcanic Mount Vesuvius.
We strolled through the medieval streets of Florence, the town famous for Michelangelo's
statue of David. Gliding through the ancient waterways of Venice on a gondola was truly a once in a
lifetime experience. Browsing the fashionable boutiques in Milan, the city of high fashion, was fun and
eye opening. From Prada to Loro
Piana, Milan
fully lived up to its reputation as the capital city of haute couture.
What made our
visit to the European country so memorable, however, was
not the impressive museums, ancient ruins or luxury boutiques. Instead, what
left a lasting impression on my family was the incredible warmth and
hospitality displayed by the Italian people on various occasions.
After spending a
few days in Rome, we planned to travel to Venice by train. So, we
waited at the hotel for our driver to take us to the train station. Our regular
Italian guide, Riccardo Rosa, had told us the night before that he would not be
able to take us to the train station because he could not find a baby-sitter
for his baby boy. Instead, he assured us that he would arrange for another
driver to take us to the station. We were surprised, therefore, to see a big
van pulling up with Riccardo sitting in the passenger seat. As we would soon
learn, Riccardo had come with his baby son because he was concerned that my
family might get lost at the station and get on the wrong train. Once at the
station, he personally guided us through the maze of people and led us to the
correct train bound for Venezia. Riccardo certainly
didn't come for the money as he understood that we would need to pay the new
driver. While on the train, my family wondered what kind of a tour guide would
engage in this type of service despite personal inconvenience.
In a hamburger
restaurant located near the Duomo, the world-renowned
cathedral in Milan,
another instance of Italian hospitality surfaced. While bringing the food and
drinks from the cash counter to the table where my wife was sitting, much to my
chagrin, I clumsily spilled all of the drinks at the feet of the elderly
Italian couple sitting next to my wife. I was horrified and embarrassed at the
magnitude of the spill, and apologized profusely to the couple for the
unwelcome mess. Instead of becoming upset, however, the elderly Italians smiled
graciously and then unexpectedly offered us their own drinks. Through a
translation, they explained to us that they did not touch the drinks and wanted
us to have them because the line was too long to get new ones. We were
speechless at their generosity to complete strangers and tourists that they
will never see again. Even though we insisted on paying for the drinks, they
refused to accept any money. Instead, they welcomed us to Ita ly.
A few days after
the drinks mishap, I contacted a law firm colleague, Bruno Cova,
for a brief get-together near our firm's Milan
office. My initial thought was that we would likely meet for a quick coffee or
lunch near the office to exchange information about our respective practices.
To my surprise, however, he instead invited my entire family to spend a day in Torino and offered to give us a tour of the city that
hosted the most recent Winter Olympic Games. Genuinely touched, but not wanting
to cause undue burden and inconvenience to Bruno, I gently declined on the
pretext that I was traveling with my wife and children. But Bruno insisted,
even mentioning that he would invite his wife and children to make my family at
ease. Where a brief lunch or coffee could have easily served a courtesy
purpose, this gracious Italian gentleman insisted on a level of hospitality
that not many in my culture would readily extend.
There was one
common theme running through these three occurrences. In each case, the
Italians who displayed such generous behavior did so purely out of genuine
sincerity, not because they stood to gain financially. When I explained my
experiences to my Korean friends who have lived in Italy, they were not surprised and
explained to me that Italians are similar to Koreans in many respects. While on
a superficial level, both groups of people may seem at times boisterous and
impolite, a deeper inspection actually reveals kind and unpretentious hearts.
In addition, Italians, like Koreans, display a fierce loyalty to friends and
family and a willingness to go the extra mile.
The memorable
Italian hospitality has engendered not only our gratitude to the Italian
people, but also our envy and hope that Korean people can be equally hospitable
to visiting foreign tourists so that they can write about their own experiences
of memorable Korean hospitality upon returning to their home countries.
Kim Jong-han is a Hong Kong-based partner of Paul, Hastings, Janofsky
& Walker LLP, an international law firm. He is a
graduate of Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service
and its law school. - Ed.