If I was to use one song to describe my experiences in Italy, Cory Hart's 1980's retro hit would be it. Granted, I am selling the country a little short considering it was definitely one if the highlights of my travels, but when it comes to Italian men, overbearing flirtation is not the only thing they're famous for. Trying to find an Italian man on a night out sans sunglasses is like searching for comfort and quiet on a flight with ryanair - an ultimately futile endeavor.
Some might say that it makes perfect sense for these men to walk around, eyes covered in order to disguise wandering eyes from the attractive female species. However, in a country such as Italy where blatant catcalling is as common as tourists at the Colosseum, the act of wearing the damn things seems completely redundant. Although the reasoning may be completely illogical, the actual act of walking around in shades without sunlight is far trickier than I imagined. Trying to immerse ourselves in the surrounding culture, my friends and I attempted to "be Italian" and kept those 10 dollar knockoffs firmly in place for the not so better half of one day. One missed metro stop, a dozen questionably focused photos, and a near bail on a flight of stairs later, we decided to leave this act to the experts.
Ridiculous or not, it takes a bit of practice to wear sunglasses at night and Italian men have this down to a tee. Maybe this is why they are so forward - with the potential of eye contact erased they are helplessly forced to revert to more forceful measures. Whatever the reason, these guys know how to rock the Pradas and function far better than a curious backpacker. But hey, at least I tried.
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