Do’s and Don’ts in Italy
DO:
- Do try to speak the language. Italians will appreciate the effort, but probably respond in English as they like to practice
- Do walk a lot and take in the sights. Wear comfortable shoes, but try to avoid sneakers if you don’t want to stand out as an American tourist
- Do try to dress stylishly
- Do be mindful that most businesses close around 4 p.m. and most Italians take a two hour lunch break
- Do expect a 10%-15% service charge to be added to your restaurant bill and do leave a small tip on top of that if the service was good
- Do tip taxi drivers about one Euro
DON’T:
- Don’t eat or talk on your phone in museums or churches
- Don’t show your shoulders, knees or midriff when visiting Italian churches. Some have people monitoring visitor’s attire (here’s one example of a dress code from the Vatican City’s own website)
- Don’t forget to make dinner reservations at nice restaurants
- Don’t give chrysanthemums or roses, unless you know the meaning behind them. Chrysanthemums are for funerals and roses indicate romance.
- Don’t point with your index finger and pinky finger at the same time. (Don’t worry about mastering all the unique Italian hand gestures, though. There are so many!)