Italy Culture and Customs
Buongiorno/ Good Morning everyone- well until 2:00pm. In American, we traditionally switch over to good afternoon after 12:00pm, but not in Italy. According to Italians, it is morning until approximately 2:00pm. This is one of the many cultural aspects of Italy we adjusted to while on our ten day Italian summer vacation. We were very fortunate to have our friend, Anita, explain a lot of these customs to us since she had been living in the country awhile. She basically acted as our own personal guide. Well, what do you do if you don’t have your own personal Italian tour guide!? As we were traveling, I compiled a gigantic list of things we learned that were helpful as well as some of our mistakes we learned from going forward. In other words, we did our absolute best not to be the annoying Americans. While I hope we were mostly successful, moving forward knowing these concepts about Italy will be very helpful if you are planning a vacation.
Top 10 Culture Shocks:
You will almost certainly stand out as a tourist if you wear t-shirt, shorts, and comfortable tennis shoes. Italians dress very put-together and modern, and I would recommend at least wearing cute tennis shoes. I found myself packing several sundresses and wore them with dressy tennis shoes.
Italians generally like American things and American culture. A lot of teenagers and young adults would wear different sports team shirts or hats. However, if you strike up a conversation, the majority will not know who the LA Lakers are even though it’s on their hat. It is more of a fashion statement than anything.
There are not many public restrooms throughout Italy, or Europe for the matter. There are typically restrooms in restaurants or cafes you can use if you are a customer. If there is a “public” restroom at a train station, you will likely have to pay one euro to use it.
Time is measured in military time. This is important to know especially if you are using the trains. So, if you are booking a train online for 6:19pm make sure you are booking the 18:19 train time, otherwise you booked the early morning train. In addition, the date is written by day, month, then year. (Ex: 26/6/23)
Italians play a lot of American music. Like American fashion, the majority love it but do not necessarily know the context. You will find yourself listening to a jazz or reggae version of Dua Lipa “Levitating” in a cafe, or even some very inappropriate music in the grocery store.
Coffee shops are called bars. A lot of these bars actually switch over from serving coffee to alcohol in the evening. So, you can get your espresso in the morning then enjoy an aperol spritz with some chips in the early evening.
If you order a latte, you will be handed a glass of milk, and if you order alfredo you will get a weird stare, because it doesn’t exist. Latte means milk in Italian and is a very Americanized beverage. If espresso is too strong, opt for a cappuccino (but only before noon) or a marochinno. If you want an “iced coffee” order a cafe shakerato, and it will be served in a lovely martini glass. In addition, if you want something similar to alfredo, order cacao e pepe or carbonara.
Pizza does not come sliced. There are not really size options when it comes to pizza, and from our experience, most pizzas are equivalent to a medium size in America. Italians eat pizza with a fork and knife, so don’t be afraid to try eating your pizza a little differently than your average school pizza party.
Italians have their version of siesta in the afternoon, known as riposo. Most Italians leave work for the afternoon to go home for lunch and to rest. In return, you will find a lot of shops closed in the afternoon from approximately 2:00-5:00pm. The shops then typically open back up until 8:00pm.
Dinner is a lot later in Italy than in America. While the majority of people I know eat around 6:00-7:00pm that is certainly not the case dining in Italy. In fact, most restaurants do not start dinner until 7:00pm, and even then you would find yourself one of the few in the restaurant. Typically, dinner reservations are around whenever sunset is in the summer. Our earliest reservations were around 8:00pm, but most of the time we found ourselves starting dinner around 9:00pm. It is also a very relaxed pace, so you could find yourself sitting there for hours. You won’t ever go hungry, though. If you still need to eat around 6:00pm, there is always aperitivo!
Top 10 Tips and Tricks:
Only pack what you can carry. Seriously, if you bring something larger than a carry on, you will find yourself struggling. Many times you have to carry your suitcase up and down hills on cobblestone streets. If you don’t think you can carry your suitcase at an incline for a mile, then I would leave it at home.
Get the train apps, specifically Trenitalia. This will save you a few euros per ticket as opposed to purchasing the tickets online or at the train station due to fees. In addition, your ticket will most likely be checked at some point on your journey by a train conductor. Make sure to greet them and present your ticket/phone.
Get on “Italian time” as soon as possible. The pace is much slower than in America, and it is alright to live life a little more relaxed for a bit. While the shops are closed in the afternoons, have a gelato and a nap during the heat of the day. Get an early evening appetizer (aperitivo) and enjoy a later dinner where you slowly sip wine and enjoy the company. Just know you will have to eventually ask for the check because it will not be brought to you.
Dinner is not a quick in-and-out event. If you have reserved a table, it is expected to be your table for the evening. That also means there might be a cover charge of a few euros for the table. There are multiple courses, and I highly recommend doing a “tasting menu” at least once. This would typically look like some sort of bread, appetizer, pasta course, meat course, and dessert. Reservations are not required, but highly recommended.
If you are planning to visit any churches or The Vatican, make sure you pack an outfit that will cover your knees or shoulders. I ended up packing a midi-dress that had short sleeves. If it is very hot in the middle of the summer, and you really want to wear a sleeveless outfit, pack a scarf that can be used as a shawl to throw over your shoulders.
It is not typical to ask for tap water at restaurants. You will predominantly be drinking bottled water, but it is not super expensive. There are two options- naturale (natural) or frizzante (sparkling). I have heard many people complain about no free water in Europe, but there is also no expectation to tip in restaurants in Europe, so I feel like it evens out. If you are concerned about finding or purchasing water, Rome has fantastic fountains around the city where you can fill up a reusable bottle with cold, refreshing water.
It is great to visit during the shoulder of tourist season in Italy. This would include the beginning of May and the end of September. Some Italians consider the start of tourist season after Easter, but you will find it’s not nearly as crowded in May as it is the middle of summer. You will not be nearly as hot in a country that may or may not have air conditioning at your accomodations.
Get the guided tours for the popular destinations. We ended up getting tours for Pompeii, The Vatican, and the Appian Way. There is no way I could have made it through these places and grasped an ounce of the depth of history without some sort of tour. How old everything is and how it is interwoven into different aspects of modern life can honestly be a bit overwhelming. In addition, you need someone who knows the area and can weave you throughout the crowds. Without a guide, there was no way I would have attempted making it through The Vatican.
While tours can be great, also double check with companies beforehand. Sometimes meet up locations can get confusing. Make sure you know what you sign up for. A “private” tour might actually be an intimate group of thirty people.
Plan to plan and plan to wonder. It is nice to see the touristy spots because they are famous for a reason, but sometimes it is also nice to get lost. Some of the best memories we made were roaming down the side streets of Naples, or going to the local Italian beach. Having a combination of both big destinations and small explorations that get you out of your comfort zone make for a fantastic trip.
