The most significant heritage of art and architecture, history, cuisine that has become a cult, insanely beautiful landscapes, and temperamental residents who incredibly love their country (there is a reason) – all this is Italy! A country to which you want to return, where you want to love, create, eat deliciously, admire, be inspired by the creations of great artists, and savor every second of life! I am telling you what you need to know before visiting Italy, in addition to the fact that you will be delicate, beautiful and tasty.
What a tourist needs to know when going to Italy
Of course, in Italy, there are many nuances related to the life of Italians, and which, in my opinion, every tourist needs to know.
The lifestyle of Italians
The expression “drunk-drunk” translates “slowly-slowly.” This expression can characterize almost all spheres of life of Italians. They are never really in a hurry or a hurry.
Everything should be consistent, and nothing should disturb their usual rhythm of life. This is fundamentally different from what we are used to in the CIS countries. And no tourists will be able to influence the cancellation of (for example) siesta. Which in summer is entirely justified because of the heat. Well, what about in winter?
Many face the expression of drunkenness when they decide to make repairs or when receiving any documents from the local municipality. So the most important thing in this cases is patience.
The shops
Going to Italy, you need to know that there are no convenience stores. This is clearly stated in the labor law. The same can be said about lunch breaks (siesta); they are mandatory and, on average, start at 13.00 and end at 16.00.
Sunday is considered a public holiday, but some shops may be open in the first half of the day. Gas stations and bars can be an exception. Restaurants, pizzerias, and hairdressers are generally closed on Mondays.
At lunchtime, you rarely see Italians on the street, as food is “sacred” for them. In Italy, specialized stores are ubiquitous: butcher’s, bread, vegetables.
I would also like to say a few words about open markets; they can be found in any town in Italy, some are open every day. In such markets, as a rule, you can find anything you want for a small price, but to be honest, often not very good quality.
Breakfast
Morning meals for Italians can be called a ritual. Most of them consider it their duty to go to a bar and have breakfast with a delicious hot croissant or called in Italy – cornetto (cornetto or croissant) and drink a cup of authentic Italian coffee or cappuccino.
- The assortment of croissants in bars is about the same; the most common fillings are jam, chocolate, white chocolate, cream, Nutella. Some bars even offer a hot cornet with ham and mozzarella for those who do not like sweets. An important nuance, but which I ignore, is that drinking cappuccino (or other hot drinks with added milk), say, after 11.00, and even more so in the evening, is considered “bad” form. Because, according to the logic of the Italians, hot milk is only for breakfast. However, this does not apply to “pure” coffee. And if you crave a croissant in the afternoon, then most likely it will be morning, or you won’t be able to find it at all that king spaces in big cities are in short supply. It would help if you were very careful with this since a fine is immediately imposed on a car parked in the wrong place.
- Italians drive fast and often honk with or without reason, and this is considered the norm;
- Speed limits on highways 130 km / h, on city roads 50 km / h. I advise you to follow all the restrictions since the fines are huge carefully, they can exceed 1000 €, especially in cities where there are electronic devices for measuring the speed “Autovelox”;
- As a rule, there are no public toilets in the cities of Italy, only in rare cases, you can meet him. It is pretty normal to use the bathroom of a bar or cafe, but by law, you must be permitted to do so;
- Banks are open on weekdays from 8:30 to 13:30, after which they close for lunch for one and a half or two hours. After that, work continues until a maximum of 17:00. It should be noted that Italian banks perform some types of operations only in the morning (for example, exchange a check for cash, etc.);
- Churches are open from morning until 18:00; some close at lunchtime for several hours. Of course, this does not apply to the most visited churches, which are available throughout the day;
- Hairdressers and restaurants generally close on Monday for rest;
- Petrol stations are closed on Sunday. Alternatively, self-service petrol stations can be used;
- In summer, the peak season is August, as almost all Italians, by law, go on vacation. Therefore, you should plan your trip to the sea resorts in Italy, as there may be problems with finding accommodation, etc.