The Italians do it better they say. To be frank with you, it depends.

But one thing is for sure: they have a decent sense of life-style, a “Gioia Vivere”, a unique “Italian Way” things are handled. They have certain habits and customs that spice up your life you will never find anywhere in the world.

That said, what the hell is a “Squillo”?

Patience.

If you are in a long distance relationship then you know that communication is the meat and potatoes of its continued existence. However, electronic communication such as cell phone calls and instant messages can be a very expensive thing. But what else to do, when sitting in a coffee shop and passionately thinking of your love? Calling 10 times a day with your cell could kill you financially, if your love lives in, let’s say, Kuala Lumpur and you in the US.

The Italians are very smart people, in times of rising cell phone bills they developed a whole new communication system based around the cell phone. After Michelangelo’s “David”, “The Leaning Tower of Pisa” and, of course, da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” another ingenious Italian achievement: “The Squillo”.

Again: what the hell is a “Squillo”?

A Squillo (squillare: Italian word for “to ring”) is a one-ring mobile phone call, where the receiver of the call is not expected to answer. The phone buzzes once or twice and all you see is the caller-id. So what’s the deal?

Let’s say that the adorable and beautiful Antonella is late for her date with Giovanni. So she writes a message: “Sorry, I just crashed my vespa, I’ll be 5 minutes late”. Giovanni could write back: “No problem, I’m waiting”, but instead he sends a “Squillo”. Meaning: “No problem, I’m waiting”. See?

The “Squillo” contains a message that only the receiver can interpret the right way. Therefore the “Squillo” can mean: “Yes, I got your message” or simply “Yes”, “Where are you”, “Call me back I’m out of credit” and another thousand variations. The “Squillo” is meant to be playful and flirtatious.

How can you profit from that you might ask.

Simple.

Just send a “Squillo” when you passionately think of your love. Or when you just miss him/her. These are the „Squilli degli inammorati“, the “Squillos” of the lovers.

The adequate answer to this is obviously to squillo back.

I suggest you try it. You will be surprised how marvelously good it feels to receive a “Squillo” when you least expect it.

So simple, so free of costs, and so beautiful! Viva Italia!

Ring, ring.

Your friend,

Eddie Corbano