Ciao, America!: An Italian Discovers the U.S.

By Beppe Severgnini

Book Overview

In the wry but affectionate tradition of Bill Bryson, Ciao, America is a delightful look at America through the eyes of a fiercely funny guest -- one of Italy's favorite authors who spent a year in Washington, D.C. When Beppe Severgnini and his wife rented a creaky house in Georgetown they were determined to see if they could adapt to a full four seasons in a country obsessed with ice cubes, air-conditioning, recliner chairs, and, of all things, after-dinner cappuccinos. From their first encounters with cryptic rental listings to their back-to-Europe yard sale twelve months later, Beppe explores this foreign land with the self-described patience of a mildly inappropriate beachcomber, holding up a mirror to America's signature manners and mores. Succumbing to his surroundings day by day, he and his wife find themselves developing a taste for Klondike bars and Samuel Adams beer, and even that most peculiar of American institutions -- the pancake house. The realtor who waves a perfect bye-bye, the overzealous mattress salesman who bounces from bed to bed, and the plumber named Marx who deals in illegally powerful showerheads are just a few of the better-than-fiction characters the Severgninis encounter while foraging for clues to the real America. A trip to the computer store proves just as revealing as D.C.'s Fourth of July celebration, as do boisterous waiters angling for tips and no-parking signs crammed with a dozen lines of fine print. By the end of his visit, Severgnini has come to grips with life in these United States -- and written a charming, laugh-out-loud tribute.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0767912365
• ISBN13: 9780767912365
• Release Date: May 2003
• Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.2" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Grazie Beppe...lei e' stato molto gentile!

Only a charming Italian such as Severgnini could share what makes American culture both obnoxious and endearing at once. His tactful observations make you smile and sometimes laugh out loud in their gentle honesty. His year in the Washington DC area begins with the basics that are so routine to most of us ...reading ads for a house, getting a telephone, cable, etc. Through the eyes of a different culture we see these things quite fresh and remember the days where, perhaps through the eyes of a child, we too wondered why we get channel 44 on channel 12? This book took me back to my own expatriot days in Europe where everything left me with more questions than answers. I hope all young people read this book to experience a hit of gratitude and compassion for all of the visitors and immigrants that immerse themselves in this Brave New World.

Funny look at America

I heard the author interviewed on NPR and bought the book to see if it was as funny as he was. I loved the book and have sent copies to friends and relatives. Reading this book as an American, I can't tell you how funny and true it is. I think it is valuable to see yourself through others eyes, and this author sees America with all our faults with loving eyes. This is a laugh out loud book which I think Americans should read. After all we need to laugh at ourselves every once in awhile.

Beppe, a travelling italian

This is one of his best books... he gives a look at the complicated world of the Americans,a world that looks very strange from Europe. To me this book is what you need to read before you get to the USA, but it is also a way of laughing at us, the american people, but also to warn us, the Italians... I'm half italian and half american, I think in two ways, I think in two languages, I read severgnini. He's funny he's right he tells everybody the truth...

enjoyable, funny, "true"

A wonderful book. I read it before going to study in the US. I found it funny, enjoyable, intelligent. I read it again after several months of "American" experience and I found it astonishingly "true". The best aspect of the book is that Severgnini describes Americans as they appear to the eyes of an Italian, but he does not judge. This is an amazing book, but not for everybody. If you have never been to the US, you will smile, laugh, frown your eyebrows, think "that's crazy". If you are not American but you know the US, you will smile, laugh and think "that's so true". But if you are American, you may think "What's so funny"?

Italy and USA : the relation between two wonderful countries

Beppe Severgnini is the narrator of the integration of two different cultures, in many aspects so distant but at the end similar. Through the reading of the pages you will either laugh on Italian behavior or as an American you will be able to understand the Italian perception on the average US way of doing... Funny, a good travel guide and full of tips, I suggest it as a permanent resource for discussion on the cross cultural experience between two of the most beautiful countries in the world. Enjoy!!