John Hooper says he is often a little puzzled by Italy.
约翰·胡珀(John Hooper)说，意大利时常让他有点摸不透的感觉。
“It’s a country that seems to be all on the surface, but actually a lot of things are hidden,” said Mr. Hooper, author of “The Italians,” a cultural study of the country that was published by Viking last month. “That can be at times sinister, but it can also be fascinating and rewarding, if you go off the beaten track.”
“这个国家似乎把一切都露在外面，但其实有很多东西都是藏而不露的，”胡珀说。上月，他的意大利文化研究之作《意大利人》(The Italians)由维京出版社(Viking)出版。“如果你独辟蹊径，可能偶尔会遭遇凶险，但也可能获得迷人而有益的体验。”

That is why Mr. Hooper, 65, thinks life is too short for tourist traps. Many people, he said, tend to prioritize Italy’s famous sites over its more sincere side, when in fact they should do the opposite.
65岁的胡珀认为，人生苦短，尽量避开那些游客陷阱。他说，很多人通常会优先参观意大利的著名景点，实际上他们应该游览它更实诚的一面。
Mr. Hooper, who lives and works in Rome as a journalist for The Economist and The Guardian, recently gave some cultural and culinary advice for travelers wanting to see Italy from an insider’s perspective. Following are edited excerpts from a conversation with Mr. Hooper.
胡珀是《经济学人》杂志(The Economist)和《卫报》(The Guardian)的记者，在罗马生活和工作。前不久，他给那些想从本地人的角度欣赏意大利的游客提了一些关于文化和美食的建议。以下摘录自与胡珀的对话。
Q. You mention Puglia in your book as a recently popular destination for tourists. What’s an area nearby that people don’t know about yet?
问：你在书中提到，普利亚区(Puglia)是近期的热门旅游目的地。附近还有哪个区是人们尚未了解的？
A. Basilicata. The tourist industry there is almost nonexistent, and yet in many ways it’s as beautiful as Tuscany. The people are very welcoming. When you’re down there the roads are very poor, so it can take a long time to get around from one place to another. But if you do, it’s really worth it.
答：巴西利卡塔区(Basilicata)。那里几乎没有旅游业，从很多方面讲，它和托西卡纳区(Tuscany)一样美丽。当地人热情好客。那里的公路很烂，从一个地方到另一个地方要花很长时间。但是到了之后，你会发现不枉此行。
Pasta is such a go-to food choice for foreigners. Should it be?
问：意大利面是外国游客们最喜欢的食物。它是最好的选择吗？
The Italian food with which they’re familiar is southern Italian food because immigrants have tended to come from Campania, Sicily and so on. People are not prepared for the meat-heavy diet that you get in places like Emilia, around Bologna. Or the equally meat- and game-heavy diet that you get in places like Umbria and Tuscany. There’s certainly much more variety than people realize.
答：游客们熟悉的意大利食物是意大利南部的食物，因为意大利移民一般都是来自坎帕尼亚区(Campania)和西西里岛等南部地区。人们还不适应博洛尼亚(Bologna)附近的艾米利亚(Emilia)等地的多肉饮食，或者翁布里亚区(Umbria)和托斯卡纳区等地同样多肉、多野味的食物。意大利的食物花样肯定比游客们知道的多得多。
Italians love to talk about food, right?
问：意大利人很喜欢谈论食物，是吗？
People become incredibly engaged in these conversations. Just recently — I was on the third floor, and I heard two people getting into the lift. And I thought: My God, there’s a terrible row going on. And as the lift drew closer to my floor, I heard “onion” and “bacon” and so on, and I realized it was an argument about pancetta.
答：意大利人特别喜欢谈论食物。就在前不久，我在三楼听见两个人走进电梯。我心想：天哪，他们吵得真是不可开交啊。电梯靠近我这层时，我听见“洋葱”、“培根”之类的词，才意识到他们是在争论意大利培根。
What are faux pas to avoid with how you dress?
问：怎样着装会显得失礼？
Even if you’re casually dressed, being smartly dressed helps. Otherwise people will be inclined to look down on you. Appearances count for a lot in Italy. If people dress in a slobbish way, then they can be expected to get the kind of treatment that is accorded to slobs.
答：即使穿休闲装，你也要穿得好看。否则人们会瞧不起你。意大利人很注重外貌。如果你衣着不整，那你会得到相应的待遇。
What would be your first response if someone said: “I’m going to Italy next week. What should I do?”
问：如果有人问你：“下周我要去意大利，我该做些什么？”你会不假思索地说什么？
Go to Venice. There’s just nowhere like it. Don’t expect the cuisine to be anything like what you imagine Italian cuisine to be. It’s a legume-based cuisine, and you find small aquatic creatures fried in batter and pickled dishes and goodness knows what else. Drink wines from the area. Don’t go to Venice, order Chianti and expect that you’re going to get something good. Order wine from the Veneto.
答：去威尼斯。没有哪个地方能跟它媲美。那里的食物跟你想像中的意大利食物完全不同。它以豆类为基础，还有裹着面糊炸的小海鲜和腌制食物，以及很多叫不上名的东西。喝当地产的葡萄酒。如果你在威尼斯点基安蒂红酒，那你就别指望能喝到好的。你要点威尼托产的酒(Veneto)。
Try to get as far away as you can from Piazza San Marco. Look for areas of the city where there are still Venetians living. There are parts of Cannaregio where you can walk a number of streets and not come across a tourist.
尽量远离圣马可广场(Piazza San Marco)。寻找城里仍有威尼斯人居住的地方。在卡纳雷吉欧(Cannaregio)的某些地方，你可能走过好几条街都碰不到一个游客。