Behind the Scenes of Fresh Produce in Tuscany

Prepared by: Maddy Murray

Position: Associate

Organization: Logge del Grano

Date: 21 Nov 2019

Email: maddymurray@ou.edu

            There are many differences between the culture of Italy and that of the United States. Working as an associate at Logge del Grano, a fresh produce market in the historic city center of Arezzo, Italy, has introduced me to these differences in person. Some of the most significant differences, and also some of the biggest problems in Italy, exist in the working culture. For example, Italy has a much higher unemployment rate than the United States. This is the case for many reasons, such as Italian youth choosing higher education rather than working, or the most qualified individuals leaving the country to find better jobs elsewhere. The problems with the working culture, and what is being done to solve them, is one of the topics I have been researching in this class, and working at Logge del Grano has shown me how some organizations are taking steps to remedy the issue.

            Logge del Grano is a company that sells fresh produce from fields within Tuscany. Besides the fruits and vegetables, Logge also sells wine, organic pasta, meats, and cheeses. The upper level of the store is a restaurant, where they serve dishes made with the fresh produce. My role was to work as an associate in the store, as well as to visit one of the fields once a week and help the workers pick and sort through the various fruits and vegetables. I also conducted an in-person survey of people in Arezzo to document their opinions of the store. Because of my role, I was able to interact constantly with my coworkers as well as customers. This was advantageous as I was able to learn about the working culture and current situation of Italy. It was here that I first learned about not only the unemployment rate, but also about differences that are beneficial towards Italians, such as their longer paid maternity leave, paid vacation time, and lunch breaks, as described in two of my previous blog posts, titled “Similarities and Differences” and “Mid-Term Reflection.” However, there are other negative differences as well, such as the dead-end quality of Italian jobs because of closed contracts, discussed in detail in my earlier blog post “Brain Drain.” In fact, during the three months that I worked at Logge del Grano, three people, including my supervisor, left to work at a better job elsewhere. I think that the closed contracts, even in Logge del Grano, contribute to the overall unemployment rate, because once an individual’s contract ends, they are jobless until they can find somewhere else to work, which is no easy task. This is threatening not only to the livelihoods of the individuals, but also to the success of the organization, as they continuously lose skilled employees. This is one of the most pervasive current problems within Italy.

            Although I mostly learned about the problems with the working culture in Italy, through observation and interaction with my coworkers I also learned about the role of Logge del Grano in fixing these problems. When I first met my supervisor, Marco, he informed me that Logge del Grano is a social cooperative, which is an organization that helps integrate previously unemployed people, especially those with disabilities, into the workforce. This includes people with developmental and learning disabilities as well as people recovering from addiction. During my time at Logge del Grano, my supervisor hired a sweet girl named Elena with a mild form of autism. At first, she had a caregiver working closely alongside her, constantly asking how she was doing and making sure she stayed on track. As time went on, the caregiver slowly spent less and less time with her, until Elena was confidently working on her own. I was able to watch her grow from a timid, confused employee to a self-reliant individual who could complete jobs on her own and understand how to find a useful task to undertake without being told. I had a similar experience in the field I worked in, called TerraViva, where I met two other individuals with learning disabilities. This experience showed me that even though the working conditions of Italy are not in the best state currently, there are organizations that are taking initiative in bettering the situation. It is unlikely that these three individuals could have found a job, at least certainly not of this high quality, anywhere else.

            Although I learned a lot through my internship, I also encountered some difficulties. The language barrier was certainly the greatest one, as only one of my coworkers spoke English, and he left the company after I had been there only three weeks. Through this experience, I learned how to communicate through a “lingua franca” – a term I defined in my blog post “Multiculturalism and Idiomatic Expressions” – and through gestures and other nonverbal cues. I think this will prove helpful in my future, as I hope to become a doctor someday and may need to help patients who cannot speak English. Besides this, working alongside diverse individuals with disabilities and without, was very interesting to me, since I am a psychology student.

            During my time at Logge del Grano, I learned about what it is like to work in Italy, and the opportunities available for Italians. Through my research, which included the lectures of this class as well as extensive personal observation and discussion with my coworkers, I learned that there are still problems with the system, but I also discovered that there are companies which strive to solve these issues. Other solutions could include changing the working contracts in Italy, or providing opportunities for employees to receive better promotions, but Logge del Grano’s approach is beneficial to a group of people who rarely receive opportunities anywhere, and I am glad I got to be a part of that.

            At first glance, the working sphere in Italy may not seem that different than that of the United States. People wake up early, take public transportation or walk to their jobs, and return home in the evening. However, a closer look reveals many differences between the two. Since I have had several jobs back in the U.S. and I now have an internship here in Italy, I can compare the similarities and differences in person.

            One of the differences that has surprised me the most is the length of the lunch break during the working day. Back in the U.S., if I was lucky enough to receive a lunch break, it was never longer than thirty minutes; but here in Italy, entire stores close for three hours, giving employees enough time to go home, make a meal, eat, and even take a nap before returning. I think this highlights one of the most important underlying differences between working Americans and working Italians: Americans are pushed to produce the greatest output possible in each day, so they are punctual and work long hours, while Italians work at a leisurely pace, since they are paid based on hours worked rather than productivity.

            Lunch breaks are not the only breaks which are longer for Italians than they are for Americans. Italians always receive at least four weeks of paid vacation time, while Americans get two weeks of unpaid leave. I envy the Italians in this aspect. The strictness of Americans’ schedules inhibits their ability to travel or spend time with family. In the U.S., there is a certain fear of asking off, because such a request could lower your boss’s opinion of you and your work ethic. However, I have noticed that here in Italy, work schedules are quite flexible, and I am never sure which coworkers will be joining me on any given day. I think this is a positive thing, as employees are less stressed and have more opportunities unrelated to work.

            Although these differences are significant, I think the most important difference between American and Italian jobs is the ultimate goal of employees. Americans aim to build a career, and always work their way towards the highest job. Italians, on the other hand, try to find one job that they stay with their entire life. This difference is so important because it explains all the other differences. An individual who is driven towards earning a better job would be more likely to work long hours, increase productivity, and focus on their job even at the expense of other aspects of life, while someone satisfied with a closed-end occupation would not feel the need to work so hard.

            As someone who has experienced the working culture in Italy first-hand, I can say with confidence that there are certainly more differences than similarities between Italy and the U.S. Both have pros and cons, but I think it is easy for anyone to choose which they prefer, if they consider their end goals.

            When most people think of differences between the United States and Italy, their first thoughts are of the food culture, the fashion, the working culture, or the family dynamics. However, another difference often overlooked is that of immigration, both into the country and out of it. Immigration of native citizens to the United States as well as immigration of foreigners into Italy have become significant issues in the country recently, and the way everything works is different than the USA – especially in its current state.

            Because the working culture of Italy is not ideal – with its high unemployment rate, exclusive contracts, and low salaries – many trained professionals choose to leave to find better jobs. This phenomenon is known as “brain drain,” because the individuals with the highest education are immigrating elsewhere, usually to the States. I have not personally heard much on this subject at my internship, but I have certainly heard my coworkers complaining about the unemployment rate and the closed contracts of Italy when I describe the way jobs work in the USA. In Italy, there is little opportunity for a trained individual to “work their way up,” in a sense, because the temporary contracts force them to switch jobs throughout their entire career.

            On the other hand, many people choose to immigrate to Italy, not because of an ideal working culture but to escape turmoil in their home countries. This has a generally negative connotation among Italians – in fact, studies show that Italians overestimate their immigrant population more than any other Europeans. Italians believe that immigrants from outside the European Union comprise 25% of the Italian population, when in reality, these immigrants make up less than 8% of the population. Many Italians tend to be hostile towards immigrants, believing that they take natives’ jobs and lead to higher crime rates. From speaking with my coworkers at my internship, I learned that many Italians are afraid of the influence of other types of governments on their country. They say that Italy is a very old-fashioned country and Italians are not open to change. Therefore, the Italian government has begun taking steps to control immigration, even in the past year, such as fining ships that are found in Italian waters against limitations and seizing them after a first offense.

            Because these two issues have been gradually worsening for the past few years, I think they will most likely continue to do so in the next couple decades. Italy is staging a sort of war on immigration, and far-right leaders aim to make it nearly impossible, as it has become in the States as well. Simultaneously, the government is taking steps to keep trained professionals in the country, such as offering generous salaries to Italian researchers who choose to return to the country. The main theme here is that many Italians are attached to the idea of keeping their country only to themselves and preserving their culture and government at all costs.

            I have been working in Logge del Grano and in one of their fields, called TerraViva, for 6 weeks now. It has been a wonderful way for me to get immersed in the authentic Italian culture and I have learned a lot about etiquette, the coexisting cultures, and the working atmosphere of the country.

            When I first came to Italy, I was worried that the language barrier would cause problems and people would get irritated when I could not understand or communicate. However, working in Logge del Grano, I soon realized that this was not the case. Customers or my coworkers are quick to try their English, even if it is minimal, and they are patient when trying to decipher my broken Italian. In fact, my coworkers encourage me to learn, and they teach me new words and phrases every day. This has been extremely helpful to me, as my personality tends toward the timid side, and I struggled to be assertive at first, instead choosing to avoid conversation as much as I could. Now I feel like I can approach people, and I know that we can communicate with pieces of both English and Italian.

            Although I try to talk to all customers, I have realized that Italian is not the only culture that exists here. Since Arezzo is a less-known, smaller town, I did not expect to find many international people here. I figured if people came to Italy, they would go to Rome, Venice, or the other popular places. I have discovered that this is certainly true for tourists, but people who immigrate choose to stay in places like Arezzo, where there are not so many tourists and the Italian culture is more authentic. I think it is interesting for me as a bystander to see how the different cultures interact – for example, watching Americans or French shifting around uncomfortably waiting for the Italian employees, who take their time with everything. It is easy to tell when a person is unfamiliar with Italian culture, but those who have been in Italy for awhile know what to expect. I think it is entertaining to watch how Italians stick to what is normal in their culture rather than catering to the foreigners – refusing to speed up even when the customers are clearly antsy. This is beneficial to me because when I see these individuals, it reminds me of how I was when I first came to Italy, and it shows me how much I have absorbed of the Italian culture already.

            Another thing that I have learned about from my internship that I don’t think I would have discovered otherwise is the nature of working culture in Italy. I already knew that there was a high unemployment rate, just from the peddlers and beggars on the streets. However, I discovered that there are different types of work contracts, which is much different than the US. I am used to having a part-time job with set hours, where I come to work the same days and times every week until I quit. In contrast, I work with some people who have contracts called “clausole flessibili,” which means “flexible clauses.” These individuals can vary their hours from day to day, rather than have a set schedule. Besides this, there is a woman who worked at Logge del Grano who has been on paid maternity leave for nearly a year. This was such a surprise to me, as the United States does not offer paid maternity leave – rather, women who have babies usually spend around 10 weeks on unpaid leave before they return to their jobs. I am envious of the Italians in this aspect, as the American working culture seems corrupt and dated in comparison.

            Working in Logge del Grano has helped me learn useful things about working, communicating, and living in Italy that I never could have learned from a culture class back in Oklahoma. I look forward to learning more in the second half of the semester and seeing how far I progress in my knowledge of the language and culture here.

Working in a fresh produce store in the middle of the historic city center allows me to interact with many people of different cultures, as residents of Arezzo, immigrants, and tourists alike shop there. Thus, I am exposed to Italy’s multiculturalism every time I work. Since the store is in Arezzo, which is a smaller town with fewer tourists, I think the experience is more genuine. For example, if I worked in Florence or Rome, most of the traffic would be from English-speaking tourists; however, in Arezzo most of the customers in the store are locals, so I get an authentic picture of the different cultures that coexist here.

Many of the customers of Logge del Grano speak only Italian. However, I have also encountered French, English, Spanish, and German speakers. Usually these are tourists because anyone who immigrates is practically required to learn Italian quickly here, since over 90% of the inhabitants speak Italian as their native language.

To me, this is a small-scale representation of how many cultures come in to Italy, but few Italians seem to leave. Italy is a prized tourist destination, so there is a constant influx of different cultures. However, it is much less common to find Italians elsewhere in the world. I think this is dangerous to the native culture and language, as Italy is the only place that Italian is spoken. If Italians never leave, the language will never spread; and if tourists and immigrants keep coming in, the language and culture will likely be altered. This could result in the realization of a concept called “cultural extinction.” With enough outside influence, and a lack of expanding, Italian culture could eventually be unrecognizable. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as growth and multiculturalism are both positive ideas; but traditionalists who aim to preserve the original culture of Italy should strive towards developing Italian culture in other places as well.

            The Italian language is already strikingly similar to another – Spanish. When speaking with customers or coworkers in Logge del Grano, I sometimes try to use Spanish when I cannot get my point across in Italian. In this context, Spanish is known as a “lingua franca,” which is a sort of bridge language that two individuals both have a small understanding of, but neither speaks natively. My knowledge of Spanish has been very helpful to me, both in communicating and in learning Italian. It is also interesting how well people can communicate with me using broken pieces of other languages and hand gestures. Italians are very eloquent with hand gestures and have the ability to carry on entire conversations without speaking. This shows how Italians have adapted to multiculturalism, even when considering the various dialects within Italy.

            Since I started working at Logge del Grano, I have gotten to see firsthand how Italians deal with other cultures and languages, whether that is with customers or with myself. I look forward to interacting more with these different cultures in the next couple months.

It is no secret that the culture in Italy is vastly different from that of the United States. Eating dinner at 10 pm, paying to use the restroom or to have a glass of water, and the general lack of punctuality typical of Italians are just a few examples of trends Americans are surprised by. However, there are many subtle differences beneath the surface of Italian culture that can escape tourists. Because of my internship at Logge del Grano, a fresh produce market in the historical city center of Arezzo, Tuscany, I have the opportunity to experience the food and shopping culture as well as the more personal workings of Italian language, manners, and customs.

             One of the most significant differences I have noticed since I started is the leisurely way in which Italians do everything. In America, I am accustomed to everyone rushing through stores, usually going through self check-out to avoid the cashiers and get out quicker. In Logge del Grano, shopping is a very personal experience. Customers are not allowed to take the produce off the shelves; rather, an employee walks through the store alongside them and takes the items the customer points out, weighing and bagging them, then placing them in the cart. Many of the customers are regulars and employees know them by name. One time, a tourist came through the store and tried to take her own items and go very quickly. After later hearing the frustrated and disapproving comments of my coworkers, I realized that this was impolite, and certainly frowned upon in Italian culture. Italians love to take their time and build rapport with the workers at stores they frequent.

            Another difference that was surprising to me is how many businesses are accepting of customers bringing their pets inside. Many patrons of Logge del Grano carry their dogs inside or walk them in on a leash. I have even seen a man walk in with a monkey on his shoulders. I have yet to see a sign like those in America which say, “Service Dogs Only,” and many businesses set out a bowl of water for their customers’ dogs. Employees, myself included, often greet the animals as well as their owners.

            Because of differences such as these, as well as the obvious language barrier, I am often afraid of breaking some implied rule of the culture. Besides this, I am not secure enough in my knowledge of Italian to try to speak it, so I tend to try to keep my distance and avoid speaking in Italian. However, in the future I am planning on forcing myself to be more assertive and take some risks. Although I know very little, I know that I will never learn more if I do not try. My supervisor at Logge del Grano told me that he wants one of my goals to be improving in my understanding of Italian, so hopefully soon I will learn more of the language as well as more cultural norms!