You think you’re being polite in Italy—smiling, saying thank you, maybe even tipping a little extra. But to Italians? You might be coming off as rude. After living in Italy for 20 years, I’ve seen it again and again: tourists unknowingly breaking unspoken cultural rules that locals care deeply about.
In this video, I’m walking you through five common tourist behaviors that rub Italians the wrong way—from ordering coffee wrong to forgetting to say hello when you walk into a shop. I’ll even share the moment I got scolded by a barista my first week in Italy—all because I skipped one simple custom. Whether you’re planning your first trip or have already fallen in love with il bel paese, this is your guide to not looking like a tourist.
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14 Comments
I love your content… so helpful
Gaaah I loved this. Wish I’d known all of these subtle little tidbits when we were there 20 years ago!
Not saying hello good morning. Good afternoon to people in France is the same as in Italy. I once walked up to a newspaper stand in Paris and asked for an English language newspaper. The guy slammed it down and just took my money very harshly. I have come to realize I should have said good morning and apologized for not speaking French. Treat the man like a human being with dignity and worth. And not as just a thing to be used like soiled TP. BUT. People should not be afraid to travel and interact with people. Just do as Italians do.
when introducing yourself to older people or those with whom you're not familiar with by saying "piacere di conoscerla."
I dont think it's necessarily rude if you enter a place and leave without saying buongiorno, but it's definitely nicer if you do it. What's pretty frown upon in Italy is walking down the stree completely drunk, and maybe annoying others. Nobody get's smashed here, keep your sh*t together
True.
A little formality goes a long way: manners maketh man.
Thanks
hope to be there in june!!!
I actually speak Spanish and was wondering if I say certain things in Spanish, would someone understand me? The reason I ask is because I grew up next to an Italian family, and my parents only spoke Spanish; and our neighbors could always understand them.
Is it rude to say "Scusi" when you want to get by someone blocking your way?
And don't snap your finger at the waiter 😂
I wonder if tipping is expected by the gondolieri in Venice. At the end of our gondola ride, my wife tipped the gondoliere about 5 euros. He was a young kid, and he was so grateful. His face lit up with a big smile. I’ve often wondered if they don’t usually receive tips or maybe the kid was new and inexperienced so was encouraged by the gesture. If anyone has some insights, I’d appreciate it.
These are very simple tips that really go a long way to make the experience of Italy so much better. I put a comment in another of your videos about how having my 12 year old son ask for a table in Italian was a super power, here is the rest of the story. We had been in Florence for a little over a week and were leaving the next day. I had dropped the ball on making reservations for the night and there were 6 of us, so not an easy group to sit. We were in an Airbnb right near Spirito Square, so we walked down the street to a place called Giovanni's. I don't why I remember the name but I had wanted to eat there the whole time, we just hadn't made it there yet. When we went in I swear the waiter was speaking in English, So against what I knew I asked for a table in English and was immediately shot down. There was plenty of space but he said, No, No tables. Okay, so we head back down the road and come across a smaller place that looked full but I went in with my son and had him ask. He stammered, looked at his feet, stuttered some more as I told him to look the man in his eyes while he spoke to him and finally he got it out. 6 people? Give me a minute he said. We went back on the sidewalk with the rest of my family and watched through the window as he went to four people who were seated and eating and asked them to move to a different table so they could seat us. To our surprise they moved and we were seated. The name of that place, I believe was Hostaria da Fulvio where food and service was fantastic. What a great experience. While watching your videos it occurs to me that one of the reason's we had such a pleasant time in Italy is that we as a family tend to dress well. Especially when we go out to eat. Even here in the States when we go out we dress for the Occasion. We went to a Steak house the other day that has a dress code and yet several of guest were dressed for McDonalds.
in general, Italian 'locals' don't really like tourists. At all. It's so tiring hearing about what a tourist can't do that ruffles their feathers. We spend 50 billion Euros a year in Italy! Any country that panders to the tourist trade needs to be more accepting of the variety of cultures that come visit.