The 5 Most Beloved Italian Habits

When traveling in a new country you can notice the differences and the common points with your culture. Then there are customs, traditions or simply particular habits that may seem strange or, on the contrary, are close to your being and you would also like to adopt.

Here are all those Italian habits to put into practice immediately if you spend time in one of its fantastic cities (including Rome!)

Gesticulate

It’s the Italian habit par excellence: they can communicate a lot with gestures, sometimes without needing to add any words. Have you ever tried to say “go away”, “come”, or “are you crazy” just with one hand? There are gestures of all kinds, expressing different feelings and moods such as fear, shame, pride, and happiness. Italians use more than 250 gestures. So you must learn some of them as soon as possible!

Be affectionate

Italians hug and kiss to greet each other or to give their best wishes; they shake hands to congratulate, they give you a pat on the back as encouragement. They are certainly very tactile and you don’t have to be embarrassed about this. If you don’t know someone very well, you keep a certain distance: but if you are quite close, a kiss on the cheek to ask “How are you?” is a must!

Go out for a walk in the city center

In Italy, you can go out even just for a walk downtown, in order to look at the shop windows or to meet people. It’s a way to socialize and have a chat.

Eating together

Italians eat together. In family, with friends, with relatives. Every opportunity is good to share a lunch or a dinner: sometimes it is normal to organize even at the last moment, without a formal invitation.

Take a coffee break

The best known of Italian habits is a passion for coffee! Coffee is a symbol of Italian culture and an everyday part of life. It’s perfect for every kind of break. But never have a cappuccino in the afternoon: this is a rule!

Rome, despite being a big city, still keeps many of the genuine and traditional aspects of a town. Romans still go to the market, some you can check near our apartments. They know each other in the same neighborhood and they often go out just to admire the beauty of their city.