Thursday, March 15, 2007

Tacky Exists in Italy, Too

Just in case you were wondering. Hate to burst your romantic bubble, but it's not all gorgeous people zipping around in dark sunglasses on their sleek Vespas around here. Oh, no, folks. I give you the "nano da giardino," a.k.a., Italian-style lawn gnome. This ubiquitous creature exists even in the land of la dolce vita, and you've just gotta give them pizzazz points for that fancy light-up dome that is oh-so-strategically placed. And, as we shall soon see, environmentally friendly as well.

I saw these little guys on a commercial last night for a discount store called Lidl. The lamps are, in fact, solar-powered. Please note the little panel above the door in the handy photographic illustration. Charming, no? Jimmy Carter would be proud.

Available in a mind-boggling assortment of four different models, one of them can be yours for the low, low price of just €14.98. And, per favore, don't go spending those extra two cents all in one place now, you hear?

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

yes, i was suprised by how many italians are not very stylish at all. we have this image of them being the fashionable ones, but i noticed that many times styles come out here after they've already come out in US and the young people are very, very tacky. individual style is almost impossible to find, they all look identical, dress identical, wear their hair identical, and pluck their eyebrows the same (boys included- horror!!)

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Anonymous said...

mmmm nice ;-))
that would definitely look great on my balcony ! Thanks for the tip lol !

Tamara said...

Anon, on my visits to Italy I also notice the style homogeneity.

My relatives, for example, buy beautiful designer clothes, but for those ladies it's more important to be "in fashion" than to express one's own individuality. The result: fashion victims, as opposed to stylishly dressed people.

Corrie said...

cute post! but still, i love lidl...it's gotta be my favorite italian grocery store here in Le Marche!

Tracie P. said...

oh living in naples, i have seen some tacky.

Thistlemoon said...

Holy mother....that is even worse than the garden gnomes here! Ack!

Anonymous said...

A confession: I love garden gnomes even while realizing they are a bit tacky! :-) So I buy little ones to hide in my potted plants outside. It helps them grow.

Shelley - At Home in Rome said...

Anon: Some of the Italian teenagers have a "unique" style. I have just one word for you: mullet.

Amadeo: Piacere! Ti vengo a trovare presto.

Isabelle: If you want I'll buy you one now and save it for when you get here this summer... ;-)

Tamara: I know, and I'm amazed at how these "fashion victims" can spend hundreds and hundreds on one item like a purse or top. Then again, I come from the Old Navy and Payless school of shopping thought, so, what do I know...

Stelle: You know I've never even SEEN a Lidl here in Rome. I think it's a northern thing.

Trace: Two things come to mind immediately: the infamous nose-picking post, and the hoochie bride advertisement. What can I say? You've got the eye!

Jenn: Let's just say that when the Italians do something, they go all out!

Molly: Don't worry! It's OK! I just like to make fun of everything, I really can't help myself. God knows I don't know the first thing about making plants grow...so complimenti to you for that!!

Anonymous said...

one thing that you may not know about garden gnomes in italy: we have a movement called something like the Garden Souls Liberation Army, which basically goes around italy getting this poor dwarves out of small gardens and leaving them free in the woods where they belong.

And they have a website :)

Shelley - At Home in Rome said...

Riffraff: Noooo! E' assolutamente GENIALE!!! Ti ringrazio della rivelazione di ancora un'altra curiosità fantastica.

Anonymous said...

That sure is tacky.

Anonymous said...

shelley
FYI- there are Lidl stores in rome, they're just way out there in the outskirts...

christina said...

Oh my, those are even worse than the ones we have in Germany. Lidl stores are everywhere here too but I've yet to see those gnomes.