Portenos are Italians in temperament

[perry]

Portenos are Italians in temperament and most of us agree after being in Buenos Aires for a while . Uruguay or Chile is spanish and for this reason our cultures are distinct.

The interesting eloquent text was written by a BA newcomer member.

I was long puzzled by the difference between the Argentine and Uruguayan temperament. We are so close, and yet so different in our attitudes. Living alone in the country with only cows for neighbors I have a lot of time to think, and I came to the conclusion that we are two distinctly different types.

No matter where they come from, Argentinians are really Southern Italians at heart: noisy, boisterous, lively, and outgoing. Uruguayans are more like Central Spaniards from Castille or Extremadura: frugal, reserved, courteous, and formal. That's my pet theory, totally unfounded, and presented for whatever it's worth.

Each temperament has its good and bad aspects - liking one or the other depends on personal preference. After a few months in Colonia I yearn for the liveliness of the Porteños, and after a few months in BA I miss the tranquil pace of life in Colonia. So I switch between both places, and have the best of both worlds. Sounds like you and your wife do the same.


This is a excellent youtube video I saw posted on Ba Newcomers on Italians and their similarities to portenos are uncanny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAJNFoHuLno

 

[Davidglen77]

I personally would take Italian culture and immigrants anytime over the Spanish. The Spanish have historically invaded countries, enslaved, stolen, raped, burned, tortured and destroyed centuries old cultures in all of their former colonies, as they are very similar to the British if not worse in terms of expansionists. Italians have historically emigrated to work and build countries from the ground up. The only territory the Italians have invaded was Eritrea. If you add up all of the countries colonized and robbed in one century or another by the British and the Spanish, you are looking at about 3/4 of the globe. Just my 2 cents.

 

[mini]

I personally would take Italian culture and immigrants anytime over the Spanish. The Spanish have historically invaded countries, enslaved, stolen, raped, burned, tortured and destroyed centuries old cultures in all of their former colonies, as they are very similar to the British if not worse in terms of expansionists. Italians have historically emigrated to work and build countries from the ground up. The only territory the Italians have invaded was Eritrea. If you add up all of the countries colonized and robbed in one century or another by the British and the Spanish, you are looking at about 3/4 of the globe. Just my 2 cents.

It depends on how far back you want to go with "Italian" really doesn't it?

 

[SaraSara]

Hello, this is Sara, and I'm the one wrote that post. I'm glad Pericles found it interesting. I split the year between Buenos Aires and Colonia - have been doing in since 2005 - so I've had enough time to compare both countries.

As I wrote, the differences between temperaments are striking. Uruguayans like to say that we are cousins - if that is so, we are VERY distant cousins.

 

[gouchobob]

Portenos are Italians in temperament and most of us agree after being in Buenos Aires for a while . Uruguay or Chile is spanish and for this reason our cultures are distinct.

The interesting eloquent text was written by a BA newcomer member.

I was long puzzled by the difference between the Argentine and Uruguayan temperament. We are so close, and yet so different in our attitudes. Living alone in the country with only cows for neighbors I have a lot of time to think, and I came to the conclusion that we are two distinctly different types.

No matter where they come from, Argentinians are really Southern Italians at heart: noisy, boisterous, lively, and outgoing. Uruguayans are more like Central Spaniards from Castille or Extremadura: frugal, reserved, courteous, and formal. That's my pet theory, totally unfounded, and presented for whatever it's worth.

Each temperament has its good and bad aspects - liking one or the other depends on personal preference. After a few months in Colonia I yearn for the liveliness of the Porteños, and after a few months in BA I miss the tranquil pace of life in Colonia. So I switch between both places, and have the best of both worlds. Sounds like you and your wife do the same.


This is a excellent youtube video I saw posted on Ba Newcomers on Italians and their similarities to portenos are uncanny.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAJNFoHuLno

Actually I think they got this backwards. Uruguay actually has a higher percentage of people that can claim Italian ancestry than Argentina. I also lived in Italy and whatever Italian influence that still exists in Argentina is very faint at best. The biggest disappointment in this regard is the food which is wonderful in Italy. I thought some of these food traditions from the mother country would still be around, don't know why but very little has survived into the present time.

 

[SaraSara]

I was not referring to ancestry but to temperament - that's why I specified: "No matter where they came from".

 

[gouchobob]

I personally would take Italian culture and immigrants anytime over the Spanish. The Spanish have historically invaded countries, enslaved, stolen, raped, burned, tortured and destroyed centuries old cultures in all of their former colonies, as they are very similar to the British if not worse in terms of expansionists. Italians have historically emigrated to work and build countries from the ground up. The only territory the Italians have invaded was Eritrea. If you add up all of the countries colonized and robbed in one century or another by the British and the Spanish, you are looking at about 3/4 of the globe. Just my 2 cents.

Well I think if you look at the reason for Italian immigration it was economic. If you go back far enough in history you'll read about the Roman Empire where the Italians were the biggest invaders and colonizers in the world. They also occupied a lot of North Africa and invaded the Balkans and France during their Fascist period. The Spanish legacy from colonization is not good. The British have a much better record on the whole. I think the legacy in Argentina is more Spanish than Italian.

 

[gouchobob]

I was not referring to ancestry but to temperament - that's why I specified: "No matter where they came from".

Well maybe but a Colonia to B.A. comparison is sort of apples and oranges anyway isn't it? One is a big city and the other a small town. It might make more sense to compare big cities with small towns. I doubt this is due to temperament but more do to with the environment (i.e. big vs. small). My guess is similar sized towns(to Colonia) in Argentina are probably very similar.

 

[Moonwitch]

There is something very Italian, I like it though.

 

[SaraSara]

My observations are not just based on what I see in Colonia. I spent eighteen months looking for land in Minas, Rocha, Maldonado, and Canelones. I've also spent time in Montevideo and Punta del Este, where my family has a small apartment.

I was not comparing Colonia to Buenos Aires - keep in mind that Argentina is much, much more than just Buenos Aires. People in the interior are not porteños, but still outgoing and lively. I recently took a car trip in Southern Buenos Aires and stayed in Coronel Pringles and Balcarce, small agricultural towns. They were livelier than Colonia itself - and noisier, too.

Anyway, feel free to disagree with my pet theory. It is totally unscientific, just based on personal experience.

Well maybe but a Colonia to B.A. comparison is sort of apples and oranges anyway isn't it? One is a big city and the other a small town. It might make more sense to compare big cities with small towns. I doubt this is due to temperament but more do to with the environment (i.e. big vs. small). My guess is similar sized towns(to Colonia) in Argentina are probably very similar.