Lithuania’s love story is equivalent to a romantic movie: the Italian she met turned her life upside down

Simona says that she is not the only Lithuanian who came to Italy for love. According to her, statistically, the majority of Lithuanians in Italy are women, and a large part of them are married or living with Italians.

It was in Sicily that the love story of Simon and her husband began. “I met my husband in Sicily when I attended a conference in Messina during my doctoral studies. Later we got married and went to live temporarily in Sicily. That “temporarily” lasted, “the woman recalls with a smile.

Lithuania says it reached a specific part of Italy. She says that northern Italy is chosen by professionals who come to work, and in southern Italy, the profession and work must be “created” because the job market here is complex.

“I came to an environment where people were busy doing business and getting involved on their own. My husband, Domenico, took care of us in 2002, before we met him. Established family restaurant.

And now, for nearly a decade, a small family-run hotel and restaurant has been an activity for both of them. Lithuanians from all over the world visit us. We organize weddings, birthdays, baptisms and other personal celebrations for them ”, says the interlocutor.

Lithuania and Sicily are more similar than you think

A woman who has lived in Italy for just over a decade says that Sicily and Lithuania are more similar than we think. “Sicily and Lithuania are very similar and Samogitia is even more similar to Sicily,” said a Lithuanian from Samogitia.

“In the part where I live, Sicilians are friendly, communicative, but they don’t let another person in quickly, they are restrained and discreet. It takes a lot of patience, time, effort, benevolence to enter your circle. Sicilians and culture are similar, perhaps because they have experienced historical events similar to those in Lithuania and have been occupied more than once by other nations, ”says Simona.

However, you also notice differences. According to her, the pace of life in Sicily was much slower, so at first there was a slight shock, but the Lithuanian quickly found an activity that not only allowed her to realize herself, but was also loved by her heart. .

“I saw our restaurant, which did not have the best moment at that time, because in 2009 a great landslide sank, mountain rivers flooded the villages, 36 people died in the nearby town, it was a great tragedy. Our restaurant was closed for civil security for a period of one and a half years.

After a year and a half of unemployment, my mother-in-law had decided not to reactivate the business and not open the restaurant after it closed, so my husband and I started taking care of it. We worked very hard and hard, especially from when we were raising young children, until we were able to stand up.

Before the pandemic, we were happy to sacrifice and not give up, because “Le Giare” was and is a place where it is good for us, where, we want to believe, good for our employees and guests, “recalls Lithuanian. The beginning of the business.

The restaurant and the hotel will be waiting for the guests again.

Simona says that Italy and its companies have felt the effects of the pandemic very strongly. After the end of the first quarantine, allowing the door to open, 60 percent. catering establishments could no longer do so. The country, which is heavily visited by tourists, struggled to recover from the prolonged shutdown of the tourism sector.

Rent is extremely expensive. Simona says that one of the biggest advantages was that Simona and her husband do not have to pay the rent for their business. “Our restaurant” Le Giare “is in a building that belongs to my husband’s family, it belongs to them since the end of the 17th century. Also, our hotel is not big, we only have 9 rooms, now we have installed two more apartments.

We closed the business, employees received additional assistance from the state. In Italy, state benefits for downtime have greatly helped to survive. Of course, they are not the salary amount, but at least it helps the employees to survive, ”said Simona.

Recovery and at least a brief return to work were also helped by the slightest quarantine in the summer. “Last year, thanks to God and the stubborn character of Lithuania, we took care of hygiene and safety even more than usual, and our customers liked that safety, so the restaurant did not feel a big recession in the summer. However, the occupancy of the hotel was less than half of the previous one, ”said the woman.

He said hygiene was taken care of very carefully: only 40 percent of the restaurant could be occupied. places, the surfaces were disinfected, the tablecloths were changed after each customer, the temperature was measured for a while, there was a disinfectant liquid everywhere.

Although the restaurant was running at a lower capacity, it was running. The problems arose in November after the closure of the port city of Messina. The interviewee said that she tried to deliver the take-out pizza, but not with much success.

“We couldn’t work at night and Italians only eat pizza at night. Our customers are in a radius of 20 to 70 km. Our pizzas are also delicious the next day, but when you return after half an hour, the pizza is already It is not like the fresh one out of the oven, and eating in the car is not for the Italian character. In December we tried to take it out for several afternoons, but we closed with great regret “, recalls the Lithuanian.

Italian activity alone is not enough

Although Simona did not complain about the success of her business before the pandemic, it was not enough for her: “Italian activities alone are not enough for me, Lithuania and patriotism are very important to me, my family is also a Very active Lithuanian, my husband and my children are involved “.

This is how the LabasItala project arose. “In a small town called Itala, where Lithuania is small. Together with the Lithuanian Institute of Culture and the artist Egle Narbutaitė and the Lithuanian Cultural Attaché in Italy Laura Gabrielaityte-Kazulėniene, we prepared the project“ #LabasItala ”, says Simona.

E. Narbutaitė decorated the wall of the building, where it is planned to install a cultural and educational center, with Italian and Lithuanian cultural symbols. “The fir cut two related trees: an apple tree and an olive tree. The apple tree is a symbolic tree for Lithuanians, which means both fertility and longevity, just as it is an important olive tree for Italians, which is a tree of wisdom, longevity and fertility for them, ”says Simona.

In both trees you can find other important symbols for the nations. For example, in the Lithuanian apple tree you may notice a spindle or the symbol of Samogitia, a bear, and in the Italian olive tree, a cactus. “All who come will find what interests them,” he says.

The wall decorated with the #LabasItala project is the first thing you would notice upon entering Italy, and Simona revealed that the work also receives a lot of Italian attention. “Italians were very surprised to see the snake represented next to us, a snake. For us, snakes are a symbol of wisdom, and for Italians it does not mean that at all, so Italians are very surprised that the Lithuanians breed so many snakes.

I see how some Italians who come to our restaurant have fun sharing what they read in the local press about our “Hello”, they are happy to ask what one symbol or another means, they ask to tell more about Lithuania “, says the Lithuanian.

“Lithuanian to Lithuanian”

Simona says that she is a very active and active person: in addition to creating a business and a small Lithuania, a woman has other occupations. Simona is an active member of the Lithuanian community in Italy, the president of the Italian Lithuanian Professional Club, writes for the Lithuanian news portal itlietuviai.it and organizes trainings and seminars for like-minded people.

“I see a lot of meaning in the activities of the professional club. We do meaningful activities, we organize seminars. Now the house of one of the members of our club has burned down, so we are raising funds to be able to help at least with something, ”said the woman.

Lithuania also decided to use the time in a useful way during the period of the pandemic, during which the restaurant and hotel of the Lithuanian woman and her husband had to temporarily close their doors. “I used the pandemic for other good purposes. I created the group” Lietuvis pas lietuvį “, and together with my colleague, IT specialist Igna Budnik, we created a map with various Lithuanian points,” Simona presents the project.

The main idea of ​​this project is to visit Lithuanians and their businesses spread over various corners while they travel the world. “Lithuanians came to visit us with great pleasure, some of them hinted that there are other Lithuanians in other countries. This is how we look for contacts and visit them. The idea came up that if people like to travel with us, others will also like to travel with other Lithuanians, ”says the woman.

Simona has formed a closed group where compatriots share known places and experiences or recommendations. The group closes not in vain: Simona says that she wants to create a friendly, emotional and trusting environment. “We want people to know that by being part of that community, they will receive reliable information, they will know that the Lithuanians who arrive will be able to share their impressions that the information will not be just for publicity,” the woman explained.

In this project, Simona sees more benefits: Lithuanians living abroad for a long time can also help with “cultural translation”. “A person who has lived there for some time can be a cultural mediator in a country where Lithuanians come.

For example, when a person comes to Sicily, Lithuanians are afraid that Sicilians are angry. I explain that they are not looking angrily, they are waiting for you to make the first move. If you rent a car and they don’t answer or write, it’s not because they don’t want to, but because they don’t speak English, ”said the Lithuanian about the benefits of the project.

Currently, Lithuanians have submitted more than 100 points, but not all the information has been generated yet. According to Simona, you can find Lithuanian companies from Sri Lanka to Alaska. Simona encourages Lithuanians who have not yet done so to contribute: “There is a great shortage from South America, Asia, Australia, but I hope that together we will reach them and our map www.paslietuvi.travel will be filled. All Lithuanians are active in Europe, especially Norway. It’s really fun to see how many wonderful and active Lithuanians there are around the world. “