 My wife says I'm a great kisser. Perhaps it's because I've had lots of practice before she came into my life. (Only joking, lovey!) But perhaps it's because I'm Italian. Yea... that's the story and I'm sticking to it. Aside from burning 6 calories per kiss (as Father Guido Sarducci used to say, "It adds up!), there are other health benefits from kissing. With over 30 muscles involved in producing the perfect kiss (more if you're actually Italian), you can get quite a workout over the course of a passionate evening after some Prosecco, pasta carbonara and tiramisu.  Il bacio (The Kiss), 1859 by Francesco Hayez. Note the use of hands on jaw, cheek, neck and hair. My wife says I'm a great kisser. Perhaps it's because I've had lots of practice before she came into my life. (Only joking, lovey!) But perhaps it's because I'm Italian. Yea... that's the story and I'm sticking to it. Aside from burning 6 calories per kiss (as Father Guido Sarducci used to say, "It adds up!), there are other health benefits from kissing. With over 30 muscles involved in producing the perfect kiss (more if you're actually Italian), you can get quite a workout over the course of a passionate evening after some Prosecco, pasta carbonara and tiramisu.  Bradley Cooper and Irina Shayk during an Italian Vacation trying out an Italian style kiss  Now, let's get down to the specific advantages of an Italian Kiss. Sure, the French Kiss seemingly has high-jacked the romantic kiss for most people, but speaking as someone who speaks a bit of French and Italian, you're missing out if you've never kissed an Italian. The ancient Romans had three different kind of kisses: For relatives, there was the osculum, similar to the double-cheek kiss used today when greeting friends. Next, there was a more intimate kiss for close family, husbands and wives called bacio alla Romana. This kiss was a full mouth kiss, originally intended to find out whether the receiver of the kiss was drunk or not. For men there was also the savium, used only with prostitutes. In an effort to save our relationships, I'm not going to describe this one. The last type, the more intimate basium, was a Lover's Kiss, somewhat like a French Kiss but with more subtle lip action combined with hands applied to each others' face, neck or shoulders. With Italian lovers, it's a more of a full body sport...  A bit more bite or squeeze in by the lips. A firm tenderness with fingers on cheek, neck or gentle tug of hair while kissing. Kissing often being part of a well planned, sensual meal. Each kiss lasting a bit longer than you could hold your breath. Open mouths resting while inhaling each others' hot breaths. Perhaps a leg or forearm embracing or intertwined during the kiss. Occasional, intense eye to eye contact when moving in and out of kisses.  Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss... Cupid was a Roman deity, after all. --Jerry Finzi
 Beginning in January, 2017, Grand Voyage Italy is undergoing a reconstruction: adding new pages, categories and moving older posts to more appropriate pages. If you can't find what you are looking for in this new Lifestyle page, use the Search Box to help find what you need. Grazie!
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