HOW TO BEHAVE IN ITALY: 10 Things you should NEVER DO when you go to Italy. Italian Etiquette

Italian etiquette? Exactly! Remember these basic rules and please avoid doing them when you are in Italia next time

⏱⏱⏱ TIME CODES
00:00 – WELCOME to ITALY 🇮🇹
01:02 – Don’t Buy Drinking Water in Rome
02:14 – Don’t Expect Everyone to Speak English in Italy
03:49 – Don’t Expect Swiss Punctuality in Italy
05:04 – Don’t Assume all Italians are related to Mafia
06:00 – Don’t Catch Taxi in Italy on the side of the road
06:58 – Don’t Toss Coins in EVERY Fountain in Rome
07:55 – Don’t Wear Inappropriate Clothes visiting Churches
10:06 – Don’t Order Cappuccino after 11am in Italy
12:43 – Don’t Put Cheese on any Dish fountains Fish or Seafood
13:16 – NEVER CUT SPAGHETTI WITH a KNIFE!
14:29 – NEVER DO IN ITALY: Bonus Advice

When you go abroad, you tend to notice many small details that – from your point of view – may seem strange or incomprehensible.

Different habits and cultures, customs, traditions and behaviours can affect positively or negatively.

✅ – 1 Don’t buy drinking water in Rome
Did you know that Rome is blessed with more than 2,500 drinking fountains, known as nasoni, which provide residents and visitors with free fresh water all year round.

Why are Rome’s drinking fountains called nasoni?

The iconic fountains, also known as fontanelle, get their nasoni (“big nose”) name from the curved metal spout which pours cool fresh water round the clock.

✅ – 2 Don’t think you can just speak English everywhere in Italy (and that everyone will understand you)

In Italy English isn’t spoken very widely, so don’t get your hopes up. You will not have any problem travelling in the most famous and touristic cities, but in the rest of Italy, the situation is different.

I would highly advise you asking a person you want to talk to: Parli Inglese? – which means do you speak English?

✅ – 3 Don’t expect Swiss punctuality in Italy
Time in Italy is elastic.
Many shops and facilities close at lunchtime (and also many restaurants) and at least two days a week. Always check that the place you want to visit or where you want to eat is open.

✅ – 4 Don’t assume all Italians are related to Mafia

The majority of Italians have no problem with talking about it but it is quite offensive to assume they’re all related to murderers and corruptors.

“Pizza, mafia e Berlusconi?” The image of the country in the eyes of a foreigner is often accompanied by numerous (unfounded) stereotypes.

✅ – 5 Don’t call the taxi as if you were in “Sex and the City”. I mean don’t raise your hand trying to stop a taxi as we usually do in England or in the United States.

In Italy you can’t stop a taxi on the street, by simply raising your hand. You have to call or go to special stops and wait.

✅ 6 – Don’t toss your coins in every fountain in Rome!
The only fountain in Rome you supposed to toss your coins is Fontana di TREVI.

The rest more than 2 000 fountains here – leave them alone and please do not toss anything into them!

DRESS-CODE:
✅ – 7 Don’t wear shorts, tank top or flip-flops when visiting a church. You better don’t wear flip-flops at all in big cities like Roma and Milano.

In sacred places in Italy you must be dressed appropriately and it is not possible to enter with clothes as if you were at the beach.

Did you know that Italy has 3 official religions?
Catholicism
Food
Football

✅ – 8 Do not order your cappuccino after 11am in Italy
Cappuccino is a morning drink and if you order it after 11am or even after 12 noon — aww you are such a tourist!

So yes, remember! Cappuccino is considered one most famous Italian drinks for breakfast and is often consumed in the morning with cornetto or a sweety pastry.

✅ – 9 Don’t put cheese on a pasta that contains fish or seafood
In Italy, this offense is comparable to high treason. Italians have a very strong relationship with food and extremely precise ideas about what can and cannot be done. This is one of the things that should never be done.

✅ – 10 Don’t cut your spaghetti with a knife and fork, ever

Don’t cut spaghetti!!! Non in Italy! Here the spaghetti is eaten more than anywhere else in the world and ‘pasta etiquette’ is a real thing. This one is one of the most horrible things for an Italian to witness.

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