Neyveli to Turin: Navigating Cultural Shifts in Italy

My journey from India to Italy was marked by several major adjustments.

- Venkatesh Kannan

The first change I noticed was the climate. Coming from Neyveli in Tamil Nadu, where the weather is generally warm and humid, I was used to high temperatures. Arriving in Turin, located in northern Italy near the Swiss and French alpine regions, the climate was noticeably cooler, especially as I arrived at the end of October. Another unusual experience for me was the early sunset—seeing the sunset as early as 5:00 PM was surprising and took some getting used to.

However, the culture shock I experienced was quite surprising. In India, I had assumed that in foreign countries, people would be out all night and that shops would stay open late, similar to what I was used to. However, in Italy, I found that most shops close by 7 PM, and on Sundays, many supermarkets are either closed or only open for half the day. This was a big adjustment for me, as the lifestyle and business hours here are much quieter in the evenings and weekends than I expected.

Why Italy?

I have always been passionate about automotive engineering, particularly in Europe. Few universities offer automotive programs in English, and Italy is renowned for its automotive industry, home to iconic supercar brands like Lamborghini, Ferrari, Pagani, Maserati, and superbike brands like Ducati and Aprilia, similar to Germany.