Italy is a country that not only can boast of its great cultural wealth, but also hides charming towns, impressive natural landscapes and spectacular beaches. Also, Italians are noble and warm people. Therefore, it is not surprising that it was considered one of the best countries in the world to go on vacation in 2017.
Today at Vuela Viajes we move to this European country to discover some of its main customs and traditions. Surely we have left some important customs in the pipeline, so we encourage you to tell us through the comments.
Greetings
First of all, we want to talk about the way Italians greet each other. The normal thing is that when meeting someone you know, they greet each other with their hands and then give each other a kiss on the cheek without touching it with their lips, always offering the left cheek. On the other hand, you must take into account how much to say " hello ”as“ goodbye ”, they usually use the popular“ ciao ”, although it is true that in informal contexts formulas such as“ buongiorno ”,“ buenasera ”or“ salve ”are more common when it comes to strangers or a group.
Non-verbal communication
On the other hand, it is important that you take into consideration that non-verbal communication in Italy is essential. Moreover, only with the gestures of one hand, Italians express that they are hungry, that they are angry, that something does not matter to them, they can ask someone to leave, they show perplexity …
Religion
We cannot talk about the customs of Italy without mentioning religion. And it is necessary to bear in mind that Italians are very believers, and more specifically, very Catholic . In fact, about 90% of the population is Roman Catholic and almost 40% are practitioners.
Gastronomy
If we talk about the customs of Italy we must also mention the gastronomy, one of the main attractions of the country. In fact, Italian food has spread all over the world (find out more about it in our article "The most typical dishes of Italy"). There are a number of customs that you should keep in mind: normal menus are made up of antipasto, li primo, li secondo, li contour and li dolce; spaghetti is neither cut nor eaten with a spoon; pasta is not served with bread; and no one cooks better than the mother and grandmother of each Italian. As for the tip, it is included in the bill.
The importance of coffee
Coffee deserves a special mention, which Italians use to interact with others. In this country you can drink a wide range of types of coffee, but they all have two things in common: the quality of the bean and the art of the Italians to prepare it.
Christmas
As Christmas is just around the corner, we also want to tell you how Italians live these holidays. Thus, the first thing to keep in mind is that these are very family parties. The most important days are Christmas Eve, when the cenone (great dinner) is celebrated; Christmas, which is celebrated with visits to relatives, large meals, gift exchanges and meetings with friends; and New Year’s Eve, when you eat and drink in abundance. Interestingly, in Naples, Sicily and Calabria there is a tradition that consists of throwing disused furniture and utensils out the window.
Beyond Christmas, in Italy there are other important holidays such as, for example, Holy Week , which is celebrated in a very similar way to Spain, in addition to the well-known Venice Carnival.
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