Italy Local Customs

 
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  •   Local Customs
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      there was some charity day during my...
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Most Viewed Local Customs in Italy

151.

Do As Romans Do   Rome

Do As Romans Do, Rome

 160 Reviews  News: TUSCAN VILLAGER WINS 148 MILLION EURO ON SAT, AUG 22! This week, Aug 20, was the 86th draw without a winner and pushed the pot to 146.9 million euros for Italy's SuperEnalotto jackpot. It... 

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152.

Carnival   Venice

Carnival, Venice

 44 Reviews  Carneval di Venezia ( Carnival of Venice ) is a must visit at least once in your lifetime, and to get into the spirit of things, a mask is a must. Venice has seen some form of mask going back to the... 

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153.

Dining and Drinking   Milan

Dining and Drinking, Milan

 25 Reviews  The custom of aperitivi is helpful when you're on a budget. Many of the bars in Milan, for the price of a drink, will give you food to go along with it. You can easily make it into a light... 

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154.

Legends   Verona

Legends, Verona

 14 Reviews  There are so many contradictions regarding W. Shakespeare and his work, some experts doubt he ever visited Italy and Verona, others doubts he wrote all those novels among which "Romeo and Juliet" is... 

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155.

Events   Pisa

Events, Pisa

 5 Reviews  Last Sunday in June - 'Gioco del Ponte' (Bridges Game) . This is probably the most important festival in Pisa. It involves Mediaeval costumes, horseback parades and 12 teams of 20 people attempting to... 

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156.

people   Genoa

people, Genoa

 5 Reviews  Raffaele Rubattino was a visionary and the first Italian ship owner to commit his company to steam navigation. He formed the steamship line that would connect Genova to several ports of the... 

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157.

Meals and drinks   Palermo

Meals and drinks, Palermo

 8 Reviews  Palermo presents an impresive range of fresh fishes . While being in Sicily I ate all my lunch at a friend mom's home, and later on I was trying to find the recipes of whatever she was making. The... 

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158.

Festivals/Holidays/Celebratios   Como

Festivals/Holidays/Celebratios, Como

 5 Reviews  I visited Como the last week in February, so it was carnival season. Children have a week holiday from school and they can be seen in different masquerade costumes (especially the younger ones) and... 

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159.

Signs, Signals & Superstitions   Rome

Signs, Signals & Superstitions, Rome

 34 Reviews  Cigarette sales in Italy fell by around 50 million packets in 2007 compared to the previous year, a report by independent thinktank Ref said Friday, February 8, 2008. Sales in Italy have fallen since... 

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160.

Gondole, gondoliere, traghetti   Venice

Gondole, gondoliere, traghetti, Venice

 19 Reviews  Next to our hotel was one of the 7 Traghetto crossings of the Grand Canal. Ours was going from Campo Santa Sofia, close to the Ca'D'Oro, to the Pescheria the fish market. These are old gondolas... 

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161.

Torino's Bull at the Gallery (to be squeezed)   Milan

Torino's Bull at the Gallery (to be squeezed), Milan

 7 Reviews  This bull is depicted in the coat of arms of Torino. You see that there is a hole on its genitals and may wonder why. Well, a tradition says that if you put your right heel on this hole and turn on... 

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162.

The Patron Saint of Verona   Verona

The Patron Saint of Verona, Verona

 12 Reviews  The magnificent look of the apse and Romanesque bell-tower of the basilica of San Zeno. The roof and the apse were rebuilt in the Gothic period. The weathered Veronese stone of which the basilica is... 

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163.

Churchs   Pisa

Churchs, Pisa

 7 Reviews   This is Santa Maria della Spina by night during the "LUMINARA". The scenery is very impressive so if you are in Pisa on june the 16, in the evening you could take a walk along the Arno River. 

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164.

surroundings   Genoa

surroundings, Genoa

 5 Reviews  The sea is a basic part of Italian culture. After a day of fishing, local fishermen spend the remainder of daylight enjoying each other's company and re-living their experiences. Students walk and... 

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165.

Daily life   Palermo

Daily life, Palermo

 2 Reviews  Coming from the UK I know how it feels when you go on holiday and as soon as it gets a little bit hot you need to put your flip flops on and a skimpy little vest top. Well they don't do that in... 

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166.

Festivals Celebrations & Protests   Rome

Festivals Celebrations & Protests, Rome

 31 Reviews  Yes, Italy's royal scandal starring the House of Savoy with KING VITTORIO EMANUELE III - he was deposed - exiled to Switzerland - begged to return - was granted his wish - returned - was arrested and... 

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167.

Festivals   Venice

Festivals, Venice

 18 Reviews  Before the Regatta started, Canal Grande was a very bussy place, there were lots of moving up and down the chanel. More or less I got impression its big confusion down there on the water front, boats... 

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168.

Fashion   Milan

Fashion, Milan

 10 Reviews  Here ... city of fashion. You will not see anyone wearing a simple shirt or dress when they out to town. Most of ppls here, are beautiful with their dress. Not only for woemn, also applicable for a... 

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169.

Other   Verona

Other, Verona

 18 Reviews  not a proposal! Mmm and not really a "local" custom but I though that placing it under the "to dos" was a little too much- Anyway, up to the 2009 spring the civil weddings took place nearly only at... 

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170.

language   Genoa

language, Genoa

 2 Reviews  The local dialect of Genoa (Zena) is most interesting. Coincidentally, Genoese is spoken in 2 towns in Sardinia, one of which is Calasetta, so i grew up speaking a little Genoese. In Genoa, as in all... 

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171.

Shopping   Palermo

Shopping, Palermo

 3 Reviews  In general people are less focussed on famous labels like Armani, Versace (like in Rome). I couldn't believe the number of blond people. (probably has to do with the history of a/o the Normans). The... 

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172.

Tipping/Restaurant Charges   Venice

Tipping/Restaurant Charges, Venice

 10 Reviews  Cappuccino — a shot of espresso infused with steamed milk and foam and drunk in the morning by Italians, but never after lunch or dinner, since with that much milk is considered a meal in itself, -... 

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173.

Ciao: when to use it!   Milan

Ciao: when to use it!, Milan

 3 Reviews  English is hardly spoken in Milano. Oh dear, huh?. ;-) Nevertheless, don't let this deter you from visiting this great city. You can pick up some Italian before your trip to Italy. Memorize common... 

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174.

Events   Verona

Events, Verona

 11 Reviews  Tocatì (Your turn! in Verona dialect) was a frequent word exanged beetween children playng along the roads, swapping roles in the games. How many times i told it! Time of no cars around, no PCs or... 

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175.

museums and exibitions   Genoa

museums and exibitions, Genoa

 3 Reviews  A new special service offered by the "Associazione Le Voci" You can rent a cd-player with a complete audioguide in many languages to visit step by step the principal places of interest in the city.... 

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Italian toilet

by LadyXoc

This is a toilet in San Gimignano. The public toilets actually. But all the hotels I stayed in were the sitting type. I didn't have a problem using this type but my senior citizen mother considered that she could not manage squatting. Actually to quote her she said " I am a teacher and I can hold it forever." And I found that quite often one was expected to pay a Euro or fifty cents to use public toilets. Here in San Gimignano the first thing I saw in the womens toilet was a man sitting at a table collecting the money. As an American I am used to the occupants of a womens restroom being female. No big deal really but if sharing this is at all helpful then I have accomplished my goal.I don't want to know what the broom is for.

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White Tennis Shoes

by astrosara

If you want to stick out like a sore thumb, wear white sneakers and carry a camera. Not only will you be pegged as a tourist, but an AMERICAN tourist. My family (in Italy) constantly makes jokes about this.

Embrace the local atmosphere

by candc

When staying in hotels, don't expect it to always be like it is at home. Most smaller hotels in Italy, (and I expect other European countries as well) often have smaller rooms than we are used to in the states. A bidet makes a wonderful foot bath after a long day of sightseeing. Showers can be very small. The bathrooms in many places will be different. You may have to figure out how to get the water out of the faucet. Look for a foot pedal, or a sensor. You will have to pay to use public restrooms, usually 50 cents to 1 Euro. There are attendants who will make change, but they do not like taking big bills. In gas stations there are usually no coin slots, but the attendant will expect 30 or 40 cents tip. Look for her basket. In restaurants don't expect lots of ice, and remember that pedestrians do NOT have the right of way. It might look like a sidewalk, but it is probably a street. Watch...

Italians in the world

by Mikebond

Maybe you didn't know it, but there are more than 40 million Italians living all over the world (Italia has 58 million inhabitants).There have been three different migratory fluxes:1) from Southern Italia (especially Sicilia) to the USA at the end of 19th - beginning of 20th centuries. Their grand-children are now third-generation immigrants who have mostly lost their origins and they usually don't speak Italian any longer;2) from Northern Italia (especially from my Veneto) to Southern America in the 20th century. Brazil and Argentina host wide communities of Italians (second-generation immigrants) who have not lost their roots and still speak Venetian dialect or a variety of Italian called taliàn;3) from Southern Italia to European countries like Deutschland and Belgique-Belgie after World War II.The importance of Italians in the world has been steadily revalued in the past years.There...

General facts about Italia

by Mikebond

AREA: 301,338 sq. kms. (except San Marino and Città del Vaticano)POPULATION: 57,888,245 (2003)DENSITY: 192 inhab./sq. kmCAPITAL CITY: Roma (2,540,829 inhabitants in 2003)OTHER CITIES (2003): Milano (1,247,052), Napoli (1,008,419), Torino (861,644), Palermo (682,901), Genova (604,732), Bologna (373,018), Firenze (352,940), Bari (315,068), Catania (308,438)CURRENCY: euro (EUR)MEMBER OF: Council of Europe, EBRD, EU, NATO, OCDE, OSCE, UN, WTO

Pomp and Pagentry in Roma

by icunme

Villa Borghese was the site of Rome's impressive tribute on June 5, 2006, marking the 192nd Anniversary celebration of the Carabinieri. In formal dress, they escorted the newly elected Prime Minister and President of Italy in a display of pagentry witnessed by an adoring public citizenry. The Interntional Horse Show had just closed at Piazza di Siena in Villa Borghese and enhancements were made to accommodate the Carabinieri celebration. We were privileged to be able to view some of the behind the scene happenings as well as the tribute on the field.We were fortunate to be able to view behind the scene happenings here and share them on the CARABINIERI travelogue. Enjoy........

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Tipping

by vinnieconte

Tipping - with money not with drinking. We are used to tipping for service, especially while dining here in the United States, usually around 15% to 20%. Many parts of the world, Europe included, it is not customary. You can make a friend and do something nice by being a "moderate" tipper.

Italian travel

by MonicaLouise

Please be advised to expect the unexpected when travelling through Italy !! On my first day of arrival in Naples, a broken down bus practically shut down the city. I happened to be on a red "hop-on, hop-off" sightseeing bus and must admit to being initially amused and enjoying my vantage point. Nothing moved except pedestrians (who strangely had more power now that they had less moving obstacles to contend with) and the almighty scooters. When I realized time was wasting to get to my destination ( Museo Archeological) I ended up ditching the idea, getting a refund (another local custom/tip: ask politely even if you are p____ed off), setting off on foot and "hopping" on a local bus after passing the traffic entanglement. Day 2, in Sorrento, I intended on taking the Circumvesuviana train to tour Herculaneum and Mt. Vesuvius. Guess again - there was a scheduled "strike" from 8:30 am to 4-5...

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Peschiera del Garda

by croisbeauty

The huge fortification of Peschiera del Garda originaly dates from the Roman times but in the course of the centuris it was reconstructed many times. Nothing of its origins have survived, except for the stones used in the reconstructions. The present look of the fortification dates back in the 19th century and was built during the Austrian rule over this part of the Italy. By its construction and purpose, it is strictly military object.

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Tori del Benaco

by croisbeauty

Torri del Benaco is townlet situated in between Bardolino and Malcesine. It is one of the most pitoresque places in whole of Lago di Garda. The Scaligeri Castle dominates whole the place and is very well preserved. Nowadays it houses the local museum.

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Questions and Answers

SandiM profile photo

Q:  For my 3rd trip to Italy, my mother and I are on a tight budget (food-wise). On previous visits, I'd simply select a recommended... 

Beausoleil profile photo

A: Sandi, I'm no expert on Italian eating but eating from each menu section would be an incredible feat. We always order a starter OR a dessert and then we order either a... 

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