If you've ever spent any significant amount of time in Italy or around native Italians, you will soon have discovered: Italians are loud.

A recent trip to the peaceful Austrian Alps, in which she was confronted with lots and lots of Italians on vacation in a place outisde of Italy, brought home this reality to Tiffany more than ever before. Turns out, when Italians are in a non-Italian context, they seem even louder.

Is there a genetic reason Italians talk more loudly, or is it simply because they are used to living in a loud place and necessarily modulate their voices to match? Or is there a deeper reason?

Also, as an expat whose dream was once to live with and among Italians, how long does it take before your chosen people start to get on your nerves?

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