Italians are fast talkers.  I mean that they speak really fast!  It seems to be a good thing for them and their listeners, although it leaves people like me, learning to use the language, out in the cold.  I wonder if there is some sort of status accrued by rapid-fire speaking.  It is one of the big differences between Americans and Italians.  There are many. :-)

If you are old enough, you will remember this hilarious FedEx commercial from the olden days, when a fast talking American (of Italian descent?? that would definitely be an asset in this endeavor of fast talking in English) lit us up with humor.

I tell my Italian friends that in the USA a person who talks rapidly is often a person with mental illness: super rapid talking can be a sign of manic behavior.  It buys me maybe 4 or 5 sentences of slower Italian streaming my way, but it doesn’t last long.  I am just going to have to train my ears/brain to work faster!!