Italian culture has been popularized in many ways.

We thought of starting a series of episodes called, “How real is…?”, in which we look at foreigners’ perception of Italy through pop culture. In this case, we’ll be exploring how authentic Italy was portrayed in the film, “Eat, Pray and Love”.

Filmed in 2010, “Eat, Pray and Love” was originally based on a memoir written by Elizabeth Gilbert back in 2006. It recounts her re-awakening or self-exploration journey after her divorce. She did this by first eating her heart out in Italy, seeking spirituality in India, and finding love in Bali.

Some scenes we noted in the film were:

• The small old lady, or the “nonnina” that came into Liz’s Roman apartment – does it still exist?

• Doesn’t a regular house have a running hot water?

• Are women still being judged for not having a romantic partner, or husband in Italy?

• Is the whole of Italy like Rome?

Correction: We mentioned in our that the main character was called, Eli but, she was called, Liz. Sorry about that.

Music credits: storyblocks.com

In the meantime, do you want to support us and get a few special gifts such as enhanced transcripts and vocabulary lists?

Listen to the full episode: