Le Cinque Terre...
The Cinque Terre (five lands) that border the Mediterranean Sea are a must see when visiting Italy. This is Vernazza, one of the coastal villages in the region of Liguria that comprise the Cinque Terre. These villages (connected by walkways) offer breathtaking views and traditional Italian life mostly unspoiled by tourism. I can’t remember how many steps we went up (and down) while visiting the Cinque Terre but it was definitely in the thousands. (For those less adventurous, there is a regional train connecting each village.)In Vernazza we ate lunch at a pizzeria near the dock and there was this teenager waiting tables who was wearing a t-shirt with a big "$@&# YOU" written on it. It turned out that he was the owner's son. I explained to the owner that he might want to send his son home to put on another t-shirt. I told him that for Americans (or anyone from an English speaking country) it would be like wearing a t-shirt that said @$#%@ (an equivalent phrase in Italian). Afterwards, he was definitely not happy with his son. It's true that swear words in another language don't have any bite to them. If someone swears at me in Italian, I just think "sticks and stones..." and laugh it off.
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