The inevitability of Italy
For an Italian expat like me, there's something absolutely magical and indescribable about Italy. It's like an invisible thread that inevitably keeps me connected to something bigger than me — somewhere where I belong but at some point I parted with — a powerful bond, an irresistible attraction. Sometimes it manifests itself as guilt for having left my family and country behind. Sometimes as longingness and a desire to eventually go home. But more often, it comes out as pride and a huge desire to share the gifts it gives with as many people as possible.
“Inevitable” comes from the Latin word “inevitabilis”, meaning something you can’t avoid. There’s even something mildly superstitious about it, like it’s beyond one’s control and one just needs to surrender to it. (And you know, Italians can be quite superstitious at times.)
As emigrants, it doesn't matter how far we think we've come from Italy and why, there's always an inevitability about our motherland. All important things in our lives, all the reasons why, inevitably lead back there. It’s an ongoing tension. It’s in our soul. Like a siren, she always calls us back.
It's that feeling as soon as you step off the plane and join the erratic funnel-like queue at immigration. You are suddenly...back. You are home. There's a different energy in the air, things vibrate at a different frequency, but you look around and immediately feel proud of everything you see and breathe: centuries of art, culture and traditions; breathtaking beauty in every corner; the most mouthwatering food; an impeccable taste and eye for design; and the beautiful people — who may still frustrate you at times but also keeps surprising and reminding you of why you are a certain way: a bit intense, sometimes emotional, stubborn and stuck in your own ways, but always so incredibly alive, and generous, and real. So attached to your traditions, your family and loved ones (once you make friends with an Italian, it's for life). So obedient to your unwritten norms even though sometimes you refuse to follow the written ones. Warm and welcoming, but also territorial and protective at the same time. Creative and innovative, and yet often risk-averse and conservative.
We're immediately catapulted back to that world we left, and it’s bittersweet because we feel a little out of place. You are Italian, and yet always find yourself to be more and more foreign in your own country. You have become something else, somewhere in between two worlds. But eventually we learn how to deal with those contradictions — it's inevitable.
Even when living oceans or continents away, we realize that 'being Italian' is such a huge part of our everyday life and has shaped us so deeply as people: what we eat (and how and when we eat it); what we celebrate; what we value the most; how we process feelings and emotions; what we wear and how we present ourselves; how we make friends and how we make love. And that's because you can take the Italian out of Italy, but you can't take Italy out of the Italian. That bond is forever, love it or hate it — it's inevitable.
And even if you're not Italian yourself, everyone knows something about Italy and Italians. Everyone loves Italian food. Everyone puts on a strong accent and mispronounces “bruschetta”. Everyone dreams of visiting Italy at least once in their lifetime. Italian is the 4th most studied language in the world (and for a country of only 59 million people, that's incredible). Italy has the largest national brand equity and incredible soft power in the world. “All roads lead to Rome” — it's inevitable.
And so, all good things in life — food, beauty, nature, art, drinks, design, fashion — seem to inevitably lead to Italy. But it's not just for Italians, and it’s not just the tangible material things we want to pass on. Inevitaly wants to tell all these stories from different and fresh perspectives: positive tales of Italianness — old and new — and what it means to be (or become) Italian today, at home and abroad. What it means to emigrate, to immigrate, or to trace one’s roots. Change is inevitable. We’re here to tell the stories of a country that’s ever evolving. With an external perspective, but with a big heart right at the center of it. We root for you Italy, the future is bright — it’s inevitable.
La Dolce Vita is in the past. At Inevitaly we want to share our passion for today’s Italian lifestyle, the 'art of a good life' — made of slow living, storytelling, artistry and ingenuity, beautiful functionality, local ingredients, sustainability, community-oriented values, and traditions that keep up with innovation. Just like our parents (and our parents’ parents before them) passed them on to us. An invisible, irresistible and indestructible thread that keeps us connected to home, that keeps us real, that keeps us vivi. Alive. Because it’s not just bellezza, it’s a way of life, it’s a dance — and that's inevitable.
Benvenuti su Inevitaly, where it's all about Italy, the vita vera (real life), and all the inevitabilities that come with it. The old trope says “Italians do it better”, but trust me, so can you! So take a deep breath, let yourself go, and enjoy every moment of it — you deserve it too, no matter what your passport reads.
A presto e grazie,
Marco!
