The culture in Italy is very different than in the U.S... especially concerning rules of proper behavior. What is acceptable in the States might be considered disgusting in Italy. What Italians consider as normal behavior, we would never thing of doing at home. Here are a few differences...
Popular tissues in Italy - Blowing your nose in public is perfectly acceptable in Italy. You don't have to hide... you can blow your nose while in the middle of a conversation. In fact, do like the Italians do and start packing tissues wherever you go. And when you have to blow, just blow! Va tutto bene.
- Italians never eat on the street while walking along during the normal workday, they never eat in their cars (which at times seems to be an extended part of their bella figura), and wouldn't even consider eating on the Metro. For breakfast, they eat at home or go to a bar for espresso or cappuccino and a sweet pastry. For their 3-hour lunch, they go home for a larger meal. The only times you will see Italians eating outside is at street festivals or sagre, or in certain areas of Italy known for a particular type of street food, like arancini or panelle in Palermo, Sicily. Eating a gelato in public doesn't count against you, though, but Italians usually sit down to enjoy it.
- At home, Italians always eat at a table--never on the couch. Families tend to eat their meals together.
- Italians don't wear shoes they've worn outside while inside their home--they remove them and put on slippers. They are also very particular what shoes get worn where: shoes and sandals for outside; sport shoes for taking part in sports; flip-flops and rubber sandals for the beach or poolside only; shower shoes for spas/hotel showers; slippers for home. Most Italian homes have a sort of shoe garage... the scarpiera.
Pick up your change - The Nonna next to you in the supermarket will more than likely stop you if you try to pick up fruit of veggies with your bare hands. There are plastic gloves in the produce section for this purpose. It's considered more sanitary.
- Italian cashiers do not place your change into your hand. Instead, it's considered more polite to place the change onto a little tray for you to retrieve yourself.
- Bread might be used by Italians merely as a scarpetta to wipe up the remaining sauce as they finish their pasta secundo course of a meal. Don't expect bread and butter to be placed on the table at the beginning of a meal. Bread tends to be used as a vehicle in and of itself, for bruschetta, crostini, etc.
Avoiding la colpo d'aria
- Italians grow into life respecting their Nonna's warning about avoiding la colpo d'aria (literally, air blow). They fear any breezes or drafts (consider the ubiquitous Italian scarf) that will bring illness: Cervicale (stiff neck), raffredore (common cold), or febbre (a fever).
- It's considered polite to use exact change when paying for things in Italy. If you hand someone a €20 note for an €11 purchase, they will likely ask if you have the €11 before giving change for the 20. Get in the habit of carrying coins.
- In Italy, unless you've become friendly with someone, don't use "ciao". Instead, address people when leaving or arriving with buongiorno (good day), buonasera (good evening), buonanotte (good night, for late evening before bedtime) or arrivaderci (see you later). You may use a presto (see you soon) or a domani ('til tomorrow) with friends or strangers. Save ciao (bye or hi) or salve (hello) for close friends.
- Breastfeeding in the U.S. is still a fairly private thing, and Moms who do it in public typically hide the activity with the use of a blanket or wearable nursing cover. In Italy things are more liberal and you might see mothers breastfeeding without cover in the piazza or parks.
It's Chilly down there - Using the bidet is essential in Italy. It's an integrated part of going to the toilet. Italians couldn't think of not having a bidet to clean their, er... centro storico (historic center) thoroughly. When Italians visit homes in the States, they will tend to take a shower after each and every bowel movement. In Italy, using a bidet is quicker. They use toilet paper after using the toilet, and then straddle the bidet either facing toward or away, depending on which end they are cleaning. They use a special soap for this purpose--Chilly--and water. Patting dry with a towel finishes the process. Both men and women and children use bidets. Hand washing is usually done afterwards. This is part of the bella figura attitude about one's personal appearance and grooming.
--GVI
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