“ I’m actually a very punctual person. And the one time I’m a few minutes late they accuse me of always being late. In Italian too for some reason. It’s the strangest thing.
Dario Lazzi (34) moved to Australia for work a few years ago. He loves it here, and has in fact married an Italian-Australian girl that he fell madly in love with shortly after his arrival.
His English is pretty good, and he has no problem communicating with Aussies. However, he has confided to The Coastal Tribune that some of his interactions with locals have been a little strange.
“Yes it is certainly bizarre. When I intrude myself and I say ‘Hi I’m Dario.' It seems that all they want to know is whether I am late, and how often I’m late. It makes no sense to me. Apparently I have a reputation.”
Even more bizarrely, they will all of a sudden speak to him in fluent Italian. But only for the nanosecond that it takes to ask why he is “sempre in retardo”.
"If I reply 'No, no, non sono sempre in retardo', that's apparently hilarious for some reason."
"And then they go straight back to bogan English or whatever their usual parlance may be. It's baffling to say the least. You Aussies are so weird!"
Dario has his suspicions that his wife Sara (33)knows more than she is letting on.
"When I talk about this, I can see she chuckles to herself. Like there is a joke that I don't understand. She asks me repeatedly if I am always late too. Why would she ask that? She knows I am rarely late. It's making me crazy."
We asked Sara why she doesn't fill him in.
"Dario's name is a gift to all who meet him. And it allows people to have a bit of fun. If I let him in on it, I think it will ruin the joke. It is just so funny watching him passionately explain that he is not always late. And don't forget. I grew up here. So I am as amused as anyone else!"
Poor Dario. Dario e sempre in retardo.