COFFEE:

If you’d like to order an espresso, simply ask for „un caffè“. Please don’t lick the small spoon that comes with your cup. Many Italians frown on that. The spoon is merely there for stirring your coffee. Cappuccino is generally not consumed after 11:00 a.m., except by tourists!

 

RESTAURANT SERVICE:

Be prepared to refill your own water and wine glasses in most restaurants, trattorias, pizzerias, osterias. The waiter will generally not do it for you. It’s not custom and you are on vacation, you have time to do it yourself!

 

RECEIPTS:

Please take your receipts from bars, restaurants, shops, etc. with you. It is important. The police may stop you on the street and ask to see the receipt. If you cannot show it you are in trouble, so is the owner of the business. These controls are rare, but when they do happen, they can have serious consequences.

 

CUSTOM:

Italy is a Catholic country and topless bathing is fairly rare on Italian beaches. When I see it, it is usually practiced by women from other (European) countries. Italian women generally prefer to spend their money on fashionable swimwear, as tiny as that may be.

 

PARKING:

When in Italy you may see people parking their cars just about anywhere (on sidewalks, zebra stripes, pedestrian zones, in front of churches, in the curve, etc.). Don’t be fooled. Italians know the rules, they know when the local police passes by (or doesn’t), and often they leave their cars just for a few minutes to pick up a pizza, or to chat with a friend. Parking rules do get enforced and fines on foreign number plates get sent to countries all over Europe.

 

ZTL TRAFFIC ZONES:

Do not drive into inner cities when the sign for ZTL (video surveilled limited traffic zone) is on (i.e., when it is red or says closed). Cities limit traffic to their downtown areas at certain times of the day. Your car can be confiscated and fines are high!

 

TRAFFIC IN GENERAL:

Traffic in Italy may at times seem chaotic and rules get interpreted in a more „flexible“ way. Driving on Italian roads certainly requires a lot of concentration and cooperation. Try to relax and observe, and you may come to appreciate a system that is more fluid and less aggressive than in other European countries.