FASHION and STYLE
Making a good first impression is very important in Italy and you should be aware that you will most likely be judged first and foremost based on your physical appearance and that includes grooming, clothing and posture.
In Italy it’s common to stare at other people and comment on their appearance with the person next to you. Every Italian city has a main pedestrian street where people walk up and down every Saturday to see and be seen. Even the outdoor cafés have many seats facing the street with the purpose of ‘people-watching.’


For the most part Italians don’t like to wear sportswear such as sweatpants, baseball caps or flip flops outside the gym and they prefer brand name clothing when possible. Italian fashion is worldwide famous and Italians are proud of that.
There are several ‘rules’ regarding color-matching such as never wearing brown and black or blue and green pieces of clothing together. Italian women are often color-matching shoes and purse and both men and women like to follow trends and new fashion styles which usually follow the Milan’s fashion week straight from the runaways.
Most people like to wear the same clothes other wear (especially when it comes to jackets, shoes and bags) rather than being original or becoming trend-setters.
There are many churches and places of worship in Italy and legend says there is a church every 10 inhabitants in Rome itself so make sure you dress appropriately when visiting such places. In recent times the rules are not as strict as they used to be but it’s still good practice not to enter a church with shorts or skirts above the knees, sleeveless shirts or low-cut blouses for women.


SOCIAL RELATIONS and RULES
Upon meeting and leaving a place Italians (whether they are friends or strangers) wish each other Buona giornata which means “have a good day” or Buona serata “have a good evening” – obviously according to the time of day.
Where there is an existing relationship, hence you met before (even once), Italians greet each other with a kiss on both cheeks (left cheek always first and I always get it wrong myself!) but it’s not uncommon to kiss on the cheek also the first time you meet if you wish to establish a friendly relationship right away. Italians are also big huggers and it’s not unusual to hug someone to show them your affection in public.
In business, people shake hands firmly when they meet and they speak quite informally nowadays using the ‘tu’ rather than the ‘Lei’ which is the formal language form for ‘you’ that should be used to infer respect.
Chivalry is losing some ground in Italy but it’s still a typical act of kindness for men to open doors for women and to pay at the café or at the restaurant, especially during a date.
Italians are usually fashionably late. It’s common to give an appointment at a set time but rarely you expect the other person to show up on time so if you arrive sharply at X time you’ll be waiting a while. It’s not considered rude because most people do it and if you invite someone for dinner at your home it’s customary people will come half an hour later than the time you agreed and that’s actually considered a courtesy to the host so he/she may have more time to prepare.

EATING and DRINKING
Eating and dining out are an important part of Italian culture.
At the restaurant you always need to wait for the hostess to give you a table whilst you can seat yourself at a café. Interesting enough prices differ in the cafés if you eat or drink at the counter or if you consume your drinks and snacks at the table and that’s due to the service you receive.
In fact it’s not common practice to tip waiters in Italy but tipping is not offensive and widely welcomed.
The service is usually an added voice in your bill at the restaurant and it’s called coperto. The coperto actually comprises service and bread, which accompanies every Italian meal.
The presentation of the food is very important in Italy and when writing a review about a restaurant Italians will rarely mention anything about the service but the will rather focus on the freshness of the ingredients and the presentation of the dishes which are key.


Cheering is done every time an alcoholic drink is consumed and Italians raise their glasses, say ‘Salute’ (cheers) and look at one another in the eyes, according to superstition indeed eye contact is essential to prevent bad luck.