Over the last several years, even decades, Italy has changed in some ways that now seem to be more or less permanent. If you are Italian and/or live in the country, most or all of what I say below will not be news to you.

But if you only occasionally check in on what is happening in the country, or if you are new to italianità, the things I briefly note below might be interesting or surprising to you. Few of my observations have been derived scientifically; they are just things that I have noticed or have had pointed out to me by locals.