The Character of Italy

I recently read that it is an 'insult' to an Italian's intelligence to comply with a regulation.  The following is the explanation, which pretty well summarizes Italian culture. 

"Do you see that red light?  It looks the same as any other red light anywhere in the world, but it's an Italian invention.  It's not an order, as you might naively think.  Nor is it a warning, as a superficial glance might suggest.  It is actually an opportunity to reflect. . . .  

"When many Italians see a stoplight, their brain perceives no prohibition (Red! Stop! Do not pass!).  Instead, they see a stimulus.  OK, then.  What kind of red is it?  A pedestrian red?  But it's seven in the morning.  There are no pedestrians about this early.  That means it is a negotiable red; it's a 'not-quite-red.'  So we can go.  Or is it a red at an intersection?  What kind of  intersection?  You can see what is coming here, and the road is clear.  So it's not a red, it's an 'almost red,' a 'relative red.'  What do we do?  We think about it for a bit, then we go."  

On another note, in America we have the old proverb:  "You can't have your cake and eat it too"  (Of course, as I've always said, you can have your cake and eat it, but you can't eat your cake and have it."  But that is beside the point.  The Italian version is much, much better.  

To get the same point across, the Italians have the following proverb:  "You can't have your bottle full and your wife drunk."