Five Things You Shouldn’t Do in Italy

 

Hello everyone! Today, this blog post is mainly for my non-Italian audience because, as the title suggests, we’re going to talk about what not to do in Italy. I’m going to give you five things that you really shouldn’t do in Italy. So if you plan on visiting or if you’re just curious about our culture, I hope these five tips will help you. Let’s get started.

 

Thing Number One: Don’t Start Air Kissing Everyone

 

In Italy, when we see friends or people we know, it’s really common to give the two famous kisses. Always start from the right, so aim for the left cheek of the person in front of you. You don’t want to accidentally kiss someone on the lips, right? We do give air kisses, but not to everyone and not to people we don’t know. If it’s a formal situation, a handshake is fine.

For friends, sure, go ahead with the air kisses. But if it’s someone you don’t know, especially in a business-like or formal situation, just a handshake is good. Remember, it’s an air kiss, not a real kiss.

 

Thing Number Two: Don’t Start Eating Until Everyone is Served

 

This is something I really like, and I really don’t like it when people don’t follow this etiquette. In Italy, we don’t start eating until everyone is served.

I know in America it’s common to start eating as soon as you have food on your plate, but in Italy it matters. This isn’t just for formal situations; we do this at home too. I wait until everyone in my family has food on their plate before I start eating. Just wait for me: it’s going to be two minutes. If there’s a problem and someone has to wait for their food, the person waiting or the person cooking will tell you to start eating.

In that case, you can. But generally, wait until everyone is served.

 

Thing Number Three: Don’t Use Italian Gestures Randomly

 

I was very surprised when I heard one of my co-workers say that Italians are famous for their gestures, but he thought our gestures didn’t have specific meanings. Many Italian gestures do have specific meanings. Please don’t start using Italian gestures randomly.

We might get confused or even mad, because to us you’re communicating non-verbally. Use your hands but make sure not to use Italian gestures randomly.

 

Thing Number Four: Don’t Come Empty-Handed When Invited to Dinner

 

When invited to a dinner, make sure not to come empty-handed. You don’t need to bring a lot of stuff, just bring some pastries or a bottle of wine. It doesn’t have to be expensive, but not the cheapest either.

One bottle of good quality wine is fine. Don’t show up empty-handed. If it’s your best friend, sure, you can come empty-handed. But if it’s a nice dinner, bring something.

 

Thing Number Five: Don’t Call Out the Waiter Too Loudly

 

In Japan, people are always so quiet in restaurants, but in Italy, calling out to the waiter loudly is considered rude.

Try to make eye contact with the waiter or use subtle gestures to catch their attention. Don’t wave your hand wildly. Just be subtle and they will come to you.

 

For now, I mainly wanted to give you these five tips. Please let me know if you want more, because when I was preparing for this blog post I realized that I could have gone on and on.

So please let me know if you want to see more posts like this. If you’re Italian and you don’t agree with what I said, please leave a comment. I’m curious to hear your thoughts. And don’t forget to subscribe to my Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@wetravelwithjeanmichael. Have a nice day. Bye!