Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
»
Hotels
€1 per bag is standard for baggage handling; €1 per night for cleaning service is
welcome.
»
Transport
Round up taxi fares to the nearest euro.
Etiquette
»
Greetings
The standard form of greeting is a handshake. If you know someone well,
air-kissing on both cheeks (starting on the left) is the norm.
»
Be polite
Say
mi scusi
to attract attention or 'I'm sorry';
grazie
(
mille
) to say 'thank you
(very much)';
prego
to say 'you're welcome' or 'please, after you' and
permesso
if you
need to get past.
»
Cafe culture
Don't linger at an espresso bar; drink your coffee and go. It's called es-
presso for a reason.
»
Paying the bill
Whoever invites usually pays. Splitting the bill between friends is OK,
but itemising it is
molto vulgare
(very vulgar).
»
Boating
Allow passengers to disembark before boarding boats. For those in need of as-
sistance, the crew are happy to lend a hand.
