Saying Ciao to the dating rituals of Italian men

Last week was fall break in Prague schools and my roommate Claire and I decided to tour Italy for a week, starting in Venice then hitting Florence and Sienna before flying out of Rome 10 days later. Ten days in Italy. Most people would die for an opportunity like this, and we were bubbling with excitement as we got on the plane. 

We tried to remain optimistic throughout our travels despite being sick and the weather being cold and wet in Venice and sizzling hot in Rome. There was one thing in Italy, though, that tore our spirits and exhausted every bit of enthusiasm we possessed-Italian men. 

We were warned about them and told that because we were both blonde-haired, blue-eyed girls it might be a little worse, but I was not expecting what we got. Within minutes of stepping out of the airport, we could feel their eyes and hear their catcalls.  

It was as if looking at them made them think you were going to hop into the sack, get married, and give them 12 children on the spot. They made this quite clear with the constant barrage of hissing, whistling, the occasional unwanted touching, and "Ciao Bella," thrown in our direction.  

While sitting at a bus station in Venice, one man standing next to me started talking to us. We were not rude to him, but when he asked us if we had boyfriends, we both lied and said yes.

He then continued to try to persuade us without prevail to cheat on our made-up boyfriends with him. Later when the conversation had died, he decided it would be a great idea to run his hands through my hair.

Let's just say I did not welcome this gesture with open arms. After receiving a very loud, stern, talking to from Claire and me, he walked on to find his next victim. 

The one day in Rome that we did not get harassed was the day we found an American male with whom we went sightseeing. With him at our side, we seemed to be invisible to Italian men. This was refreshing but made me angry that this is what we had to do to have some peace and quiet. 

Also, when it was 90 degrees, I would have liked to wear something other than my long jeans or khakis. A short denim skirt perhaps? The one day I tried pulling this off, we received more catcalls than normal. I was enraged. A girl should be able to wear what she wants without being sexually harassed or without people assuming that because of the clothes she is wearing she is fast or easy. But in today's world it sometimes is just not possible. 

It ruined our trip and left us with a sour image of Italy in our minds. We often wondered why these men continued acting the way they did. Did they not know it was extremely disrespectful and that it did not in anyway turn us on? They believed that this was exactly what they were doing.  

After talking to others about this problem, I discovered that the reason these Italian men act this way toward girls is because at one time or another it must have worked. Even if they "talk" to 100 girls a day and only one responds and goes back with them, it proves to them that this method works. Why quit when you think you're ahead?  

Why American-looking girls though? I talked to other girls in Italy about the same time and discovered that it was the blondes who got more "attention."

Indeed, I did notice while I was there that the men were not hitting on Italian looking women as much. American girls who are studying abroad seem to have a reputation of getting drunk and being easily persuaded. What a sad reputation to say we have.

Does this seem crazy to anyone else? I'm sick and tired of not being able to wear skirts and needing men to escort me around to avoid catcalls. Ladies, you represent every other girl out there. Please, think before you act.