Fascinatingsa Facts

• Italy has the highest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the Colosseum in Rome and the City of Pompeii.

• Italians consume 14 billion expressos each year.

• The first pizza with a tomato base was made in Naples in 1860. 

• Tourists throw around €3,000 worth of change into the beautiful Fontana di Trevi in Rome each day.

Religion and Ethnic Groups

• Christian 83.3% (overwhelmingly Roman Catholic with very small groups of Jehovah's Witnesses and Protestants), Muslim 3.7%, unaffiliated 12.4%, other 0.6%

• Italian (includes small clusters of German-, French-, and Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and Greek-Italians in the south)

Greetings

• When meeting and upon leaving, friends and strangers wish each other a good day or good evening. Ciao isn’t used unless you know the person.
  
• The common greeting when you meet a new person is a handshake with direct eye contact and a smile.
  
• When greeting those you know well, it’s common to give air kisses or light kisses on both cheeks, usually first on the left. In Southern Italy, men generally reserve kisses for family members and show affection by patting someone on the back.
  
• Address a person by their title and last name until invited to move to a first-name basis.
  
• Stand to greet any senior person who enters the room. This is a sign of respect.

General Social Etiquette

• Don’t enter a church wearing shorts or with bare shoulders.
  
• If you get into conversation with Italians, avoid the subject of the mafia.
  
• When in a shop or clothing store, ask for what you want. Don’t start looking through a pile of neatly folded shirts. Tell the salesperson what size and color you need.
  
• Be mindful of regional sensibilities. When in a place, don’t offer too much praise for other cities or compare the place you’re in with other ones. Saying something like "Verona looks like a little Rome" can be quite offensive to some locals. Also, don’t compare the North and South.

Eating

• If someone gives you something to taste that they’ve prepared, it’s highly offensive to refuse. Take a bite, even if you’re not hungry.
  
• Don’t ask for parmesan on your pasta or pizza. Italians are strict about what is supposed to have cheese on it and what’s not. If it’s not offered to you, don’t ask for it.
  
• Don’t cut your pasta with a knife. A fork is the only utensil you should use.
  
• Wait to eat plan bread with your meal. It's often used as the main tool to mop up any what’s left on your plate after a meal.
  
• Don’t season your food at the table. The chef has the last word on the right amount of seasoning for your food.

Getting Around

Italy has a well-maintained public transport system. The rail system is extensive and the most cost-effective and includes a high-speed rail network that connects major cities. Though also cost effective, getting around by bus can be slow due to traffic, especially in bigger cities. The metro is the preferred way to get around in major cities. Rome, Naples, Milan and Turin all have metro systems. Milan’s is the largest with 113 stations.

If you’re getting around by foot or by car there are some key things to know.

• Look both ways when crossing the street, since drivers in Italy won’t stop and wait for pedestrians to cross the street if they’re waiting at the crosswalk. Make sure it’s safe to cross by showing the driver with eye contact or with a hand gesture, that it’s your turn to cross.

• When driving, don’t turn right at a red light. It’s forbidden.

Key Phrases

Greetings:

Hello: Ciao (informal); Salve (formal)

Goodbye: Ciao (informal); Arrivederci (formal)

Good morning: Buongiorno

Good evening: Buonasera

Goodnight: Buonanotte (use this when you’re going to bed)

See you later: Ci becchiamo dopo

Have a nice day!: Buona giornata! 

Please: Per favore

Thank you: Grazie

You’re welcome: Prego

Excuse me: Mi scusi, (passing through a crowd): Permesso

Good: Buono (masculine); Buona (feminine)

Friend: Amico (masculine); Amica (feminine)

I don't understand: Non capisco. 

Excuse me, what did you say?: Scusi, che cosa ha detto?

Could you speak more slowly?: Può parlare lentamente? 

I understand perfectly: Capisco benissimo

How are you?: Come sta?

How’s it going?: Come va?

I'm fine, thank you: Sto bene, grazie.

I am pleased to meet you: Piacere.

It was nice to meet you: È stato un piacere conoscerla.

I don’t know: Non lo so

All’s well: Tutto bene

I’m sorry: Mi dispiace

What is your name?: Come si chiama?

My name is…: Mi chiamo...

OK: Va bene

Who?: Chi?

What?: Che?; Cosa?

Where?: Dove?

When?: Quando?

Why?: Perché?

How much?: Quanto?