Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Etiquette
»
Greetings
Shake hands, make eye contact and say
buongiorno
(good morning/after-
noon),
buonasera
(good evening) or
piacere
(pleased to meet you). If you know someone
well, air-kissing on both cheeks (starting on their left cheek) is standard.
»
Polite Language
Say
mi scusi
to attract attention or say 'I'm sorry',
grazie (mille)
to
say 'thank you (very much)',
per favore
to say 'please',
prego
to say 'you're welcome' or
'please, after you' and
permesso
if you need to push past someone in a crowd.
»
Cafes
Don't hang around at an espresso bar; drink your coffee and go. It's called es-
presso for a reason.
»
Body Language
Be wary of making a circle with two hands ('I'll kick your ass'), an A-
OK signal ('You might be gay'), or the devil horns with your hand ('Your wife is cheating
on you').
»
In churches
Never intrude on a mass or service.
