Oh tuscanlifeedit, my post certainly did not mean to insult, and if it did I humbly apologies.

What I was trying to get across, in a stumbling way obviously, is that so many first time visitors worry so much. And bless people that want to do things properly in any country they visit.

I was trying to convey, here are some customs (I will not use the word rules) that are in Italy. I then tried to reassure if they go with kindness, politness and respect they will be well received. I then (stupidly perhaps) mentioned that some of the worst offenders I know of are Italian Americans.

Now does this mean all? Of course not. But I am sad to say that I have heard stories (bragging really), seen photos etc. of people here in CA that are of Italian descent that go back to their parents homeland with no respect whatsoever. I would have died of shame if I had been with them. And have been invited, but gracefully declined.

And have many Italian friends that travel to Italy that do so with dignity and care. As obviously you do.

Again, I did not mean to give offense, and since I did my apology.

Hello all, I went back and reread my post about Italian Americans. It is my post of January 14th, at 10:23pm. I did not say all Italians born in America I said I had friends -- and it is true. They made me cringe when they shared their stories and showed me photos. They made my husband cringe too. When I say friends I guess I should say people I have know since when I was in school. They pretend to live the Italian life here in N.CA. They do not. They live in a little dream world so to speak. Their Italian is terrible - their food is mock Italian cooking etc. They mentally think of Italy as back in the 1930's because they only know the stories that their parents or grandparents have told them. They do not know the Italy of today. And their one or two visits to their extended families in Italy has been in a big group where they expected to impress and wow the Italians with their money and so called sophistication etc. And IMHO made complete fools of themselves.

I hope I have been able to explain this properly. If not, again I apologize.

What did they do, if you feel it's appropriate to tell? (I think I know, or hear of, people like that.)

I cant believe the way this thread is going...I have lived in many countries of the world and found that basically people are all the same.
I have had good experiences and bad ones in many places, but I did not whine about it, or singled out a certain country either.
people are people, some are nice, generous, kind and some are nasty, loud, miserable, and like the French say: C'Est La Vie, and dont worry about it.

For whatever it's worth, I'm moderately touchy and very intolerant of ethnic slurs, but I wasn't offended. (But I am curious about what these people actually did.)

Dog mother: To answer your question, no, that has never happened to me. It's not worth trying to figure out rationally why you were treated that way, because there probably was no rational reason. You just got stuck with a waiter with a chip on his shoulder about foreigners, or English-speaking foreigners, or Americans, or maybe about all humans. It certainly wasn't behavior typical of Italians or of waiters, but you got stuck with a weirdo. Sometimes one just gets flucked by the fluctuations of life.

cmt, what did they do? Tried to get into the Vatican with shorts and sleevless Tshirts.

Got roaring drunk and fell in the Trevi fountain.

Drove into the extended families small villages with items such as coffee, sugar and towels etc "because we knew they had nothing" - oh right!

Wearing shorts and sleevless Tshirts to top restaurants and being insultated that they were not welcomed.

Where they did settle into eat they yelled at the top of their lungs to each other, drank and got drunk and then were insulted because the "service was not good".

Speaking pidgen (sp?) Italian and then complaining because the Italians did not understand them. And keep in mind their Italian that they do know is dialects.

Oh lets see, trying to barter in very elegant shops as though they were in a bazaar in some third country.

Oh, one jerk tried to give money to his mothers second cousin (or some relation like that) for the beautiful family dinner she prepared for him. And was insulted when she was insulted.

They do not go back to Italy anymore, probably because so many of their extended family members lit candles praying to their favorite saint that they not, LOL.

Dog_Mother, if I were you I really would not take offense at the waiters who did not understand your "tovagliolo" request. The most likely explanation is there was something a little off in your pronunciation and they honestly did not know what you were asking for. I always give the benefit of the doubt. When a French waiter once turned on his heel and walked away from my table right in the middle of my placing my order (in French), I just assumed he suddenly remembered a pressing engagement. It's those kinds of memories that keep me going back to Europe year after year ...

LoveItaly, they certainly made an awful scene. They were NOT "typical" I-A tourists.

You said <<Speaking pidgen (sp?) Italian and then complaining because the Italians did not understand them. And keep in mind their Italian that they do know is dialects.>> This, I heard, IS common (not necessarily the complaining part, though). Cousins and other people whom I met in Sicily and Basilicata told me that many Italian Americans visit the towns speaking a really bad corrupted version of a very old fashioned (early 1900s) version of a strictly local form of the dialect, and that no one, not even the old people, still speaks that way, and it sounds really funny to everyone. They always seem to like the fact that I learned standard Italian in school, and that I speak in an understandable way (though with a lot of concentration and not perfectly), and also try to pick up some dialect words when I can.

Getting drunk is very frowned upon among traditional southern Italians, and especially Sicilians. Your acquaintances who fancy themselves so Italian couldn't have been raised in a very traditional Italian-American way if they get drunk the way you described. The old fashioned way is to drink wine routinely with meals but never to excess. I have the impression that alcoholism is becoming more common in modern Italy, especially in the north and in bigger cities, but in traditional little southern towns, I think it's still considered a disgraceful thing to get drunk.

Hi cmt, thanks for understanding.

And do keep in mind dear one they were using "their Italian language" in Rome and Venice". As in "mama mia!"

And the strange think is here in the US they never overdrink. They have wine with dinner but do not overdo it.

So over excited about being in Italy - probably. Over hyper is probably a better description.

And they are all good devoted Catholics.
So what was with the "beachwear" when they tried to get into the Vatican. Heaven only knows.

And a side note. Some of their Italian families in Italy I know. They are so beautiful. And not to brag (honest) but we have always been so welcomed and have had the most beautiful visits.

Haven't seen any of these dear people since my DH died as it takes a car to get to the villages. And that is more then I can do. But we exchange Christmas and Easter cards etc. Beautiful families, so dear to my heart.

Again, I do so appreciate people that post here asking questions about customs etc. so that they can have a truly beautiful and relaxing vacation.

And again I would say if one goes to Italy with respect and good manners they will do just fine. And isn't that true no matter where one visits.

FYI, the plastic glove rule applies in France as well. God forbid you pick up a peach or an apple sans gloves to examine for bruises, etc. The plastic gloves are usually located near the plastic bags or weighing scale. Basically, what you pick up, you buy! Also, you must weigh your produce on the scale, then print out the price label (kg) and go up to the cash register to pay. It is on the honor system because one could select a different (cheaper per kg) apple than the one(s) purchased. (BTW, this is not always the procedure in small towns where the family owner will just tell you how much for 2 apples and you pay him/her directly).

Don't forget your basic salutations when entering a store, restaurant, business, etc. Always remember a "buon giorno!" "buona sera!" etc. prior to asking about this or that. And of course finishing up with a "grazie" is nice too.

There is no "rule" about cappuccino in the morning.....you can order it from a cafe, restaurant, or coffee bar any time you'd like. I often have one in the morning, then one around 4:00 pm (during a site-seeing break).

On a culinary note, a table of 6 Americans were dining in a restaurant in Monterosso al mare, in the Cinque Terre, and they were trying (expecting, really) to get small plates of olive oil for the table so they could dip their bread in it! They did not speak any Italian and were attempting to ask the waitress to bring some to their table. She did not understand what they meant, so they asked me to ask for them in Italian. When I did, I apologized to her and told her it is often the "custom" in the Italian restaurants in the U.S. to dip bread/focaccia in some olive oil on a small plate then eat it. She frowned at me and refused to get it for them - it was against her gastronomic principles! (Even though the Italians use olive oil generously in their cooking, they would never do something as "unhealthy" as eat olive oil raw like that with bread). My Italian friend here in the States reacted the very same way when I came back and told her about that incident.

I don't think I saw this mentioned above - the "rules" about paying the cashier - you're expected to exchange money via the tray on the counter, rather than hand to hand. Also about cashiers, in my experience it causes problems if you try using a relatively large bill for a small purchase (like a 20 for a 2 euro item). And it usually messes them up when I pay with, say 2.02 for a 1.77 purchase in order to get a round number of change, even more than it messes up cashiers at home LOL
But the main thing to remember in Italy is... rules, schmules! My Italian friend had recommended that I take a swim in a certain hot spring down the road. Later that day, he asked me how I enjoyed it. I told him that when I got there, I discovered a big sign that said danger, no admittance, closed, so I turned around. He just laughed and said "Are you going to listen to me or to a sign? This is Italy, you're not supposed to obey the rules!"

Dog Mother-I agree with CMT: you must have met un unpolite waiter, but I have to say you were also facing a difficult word as "tovagliolo" (that should be pronounced something like : "tou-va-eeolo"), but the italian "gli" sound, is diffucult for english-speaking, and easily mispronounced (tou-va-GLee-olo). One more reason why the "unkind waiter" thought he had a good reason to give you a mean answer.

Among other words, be carefull of : "gnocchi" (dumplings), "ghiaccio" (ice), "aglio" (garlic), "sogliola" (sole, and so on ;-)

These are all very good and interesting to read. This one sounds much more like preaching than commentary on culture to me though. I saw plenty of intoxicated tourists AND Italians in Rome, Venice and Florence. Perhaps the Italians have not heard it is not the thing to do.

"Getting drunk is not considered the thing to do in Italy. I do not mean to infere it is considered the thing to do in any country but I have seen so many tourist (especially younger ones in groups) drunk, yelling as they go down the street etc. Not a good thing."

One thing about Italian Americans. First of all I have good friends among them, and most of the times I love their attitudes, but I've noticed some (few), tend to come back to Italy, believing they're making a trip through time, (just like in the movie with M.J.Fox, "Back to future"),rather than from a country to another in the same year, so they would:
1)Speak the dialect their parents (or grandparents) exported from their little town in Italy when they left(1920, or '30 or whenever). Which is kind of precious for 2005 italians, because with the evolution of the It-language, some of those words have completely disappeared, and these IAs are the only mean of preservation for some old fashioned (and fascinating!) expressions.
2) Would ask me if we have televisions or washing machines, as if they were visiting the same exact country their ancestors left.
3) Would ask dishes at restaurants (like "Spaghetti with meatballs") that you'd never find in a restaurant's menu, but that used to be typical as a home made meal of an Italian family of so long ago.
To end my post, again I'm happy I get the chance to meet some of these IA, also because I can look back at our past, and I understand that when they have this "peculiar behavior", they don't really mean to offend.

Francesco, You made a few interesting comments about IA. When I was growing up listening to my relatives speak in Italian, I had no idea they were speaking an Italian dialet. By the way, none of my friends or relatives ever refer to themselves as Italian-Americans. They simply say they are ITALIAN and PROUD OF IT.

Vowels (a,e,i,o,u) were always droped at the end of a word. For example, they would say mozzarell, apizz. Now that I am (hopefully) learning proper Italian, I am getting over the awkward feeling of pronouncing the vowels at the end of a word. The Italian words are much more beautiful when spoken correctly, but so many "IA" people in my area still speak the old dialet because they are comfortable with it. However, they all understand spoken and written proper Italian.

Even popular singers from the l940's, 50's, 60's sang in dialet: Lou Monte, Louie Prima and even Dean Martin.

As far as modernization in Italy is concerned, would you say it is equal throughout the country? The Mezzogiorno for example?

I visited my ancestral paese, Castelfranco in Miscano, three years ago. Yes, they have power, but there are huge windmills erected on the top of the mountain range to provide power to this small medieval village.

Spaghetti and meatballs! Yes, our family and friends still eat this simple, filling dish with crusty Italian bread.

In 2001, Connecticut was written up in an Associated Press article stating that a recent census showed Connecticut as having the highest percentage of Italian-Americans in the United States. 16.4 percent of Connecticut residents listed Italian as their primary ancestry. This figure does not include people like me, who are "1/2" Italian (one parent, grandparents from Italy). In my case, it is my mother's relatives who emigrated from Italy to the U.S.

Connecticut edged out Rhode Island in this last census, and some R.I.'s seem reluctant to accept the runner-up spot.

It is agonizing waiting until April 2006 to visit Italy again. I love italia.

MDTravel: I didn’t write the “drunkenness” comment that you find fault with, but I think I know just what L.I. meant when she wrote it. We all take some liberties by making some generalizations to make a point when we post here, because these are just casual posts on a travel forum, not accounts of scholarly research. I have noticed that in bigger cities and in the north, some Italians have picked up “foreign” habits and attitudes re alcohol drinking, while in quieter parts of the south and Sicily, people drink wine with meals, and maybe an after dinner liqueur or herbal bitters, but they don’t drink for the sake of drinking and drunkenness is rare and shameful. I had made a similar comment to L.I.’s, but since it’s more qualified and restricted to people in the south in smaller towns who follow the traditional ways, maybe you will know what I mean, and possibly what L.I. meant as well: <<Getting drunk is very frowned upon among traditional southern Italians, and especially Sicilians. Your acquaintances who fancy themselves so Italian couldn't have been raised in a very traditional Italian-American way if they get drunk the way you described. The old fashioned way is to drink wine routinely with meals but never to excess. I have the impression that alcoholism is becoming more common in modern Italy, especially in the north and in bigger cities, but in traditional little southern towns, I think it's still considered a disgraceful thing to get drunk.>>

I_am_Kane: The vowels aren’t dropped in Sicily. But in Sicilian dialect they are usually different vowels, and, in fact, different words, since the Sicilian language (and its local variations) is different from standard Italian, though closely related, since Italian, and Sicilian, and the other dialects of Italy developed from various local forms of Latin vulgate spoken in different areas. For example, instead of bello/bella, in Sicilian the words would be beddu/bedda, but the vowels, either u or a, are definitely pronounced.

I don’t know whether my family was atypical, but I was aware from a pretty young age that among “Italians” there were different dialects spoken and also “Italian.” My father was US-born, but raised in Sicily, never spoke Italian in the home, except with my maternal grandparents (and Italian visitors and passersby), and spoke absolutely perfect unaccented English. I knew he could speak standard Italian, and also Sicilian, and also understand various other southern dialects, and also tell a long narrative joke in Venetian dialect, though I don’t know how he learned that. My maternal grandmother spoke mainly the dialect of Basilicata, with a little smattering of other southern dialects spoken by neighbors and co-workers when she came to the US, plus a little Yiddish spoken by her fellow seamstresses when she used to work in a garment factory. I think my grandfather may have switched off speaking Calabrese dialect, and Italian, and some generic southern way of speaking that immigrants had developed when Italians from various places lived closely in NYC neighborhoods in the early 20th century. But I think at least from the time that I was 7 or 8 I knew that there were different ways of speaking among Italians. My mother, American-born, could communicate adequately with any southerner, but acknowledged that she was speaking what she called a “bastardized” Italian, made up of Lucano dialect, and bits of other southern dialects learned from neighbors in the tenements when she was a child, and some Italian that she’d learned, but not that well, in college. She never claimed that she was speaking standard Italian. When I was really young—around 3 years old—I had the notion that I couldn’t be an American until I learned a foreign language. In my little brain, my grandparents were “Italian,” my parents, who could bridge both cultures, were “American,” and I, as a little child who couldn’t speak Italian, was still just “English,” but would grow up to be “American” when I learned Italian and other languages. Wrong, but I like that concept of Americanism, in a way.

cmt, Very interesting about your family's use of the Italian language. My Italian tutor has explained to me all of what you are saying. I not only receive Italian lessons, but also Italian history and Italian cultural lessons from her.

You mention your grandfather lived in NYC neighborhoods in the early 20th Century, which influenced his style of speaking Italian. That makes a lot of sense in a large city. Connecticut is next-door to NYC, but the type of housing was very different.

From what I can deduce, the Italian immigrants in Connecticut tended to find housing in a neighborhood where they were all from the same Italian region, town or village. For instance I never met a family from Abruzzi, Marche, Lazio, Puglie. The immigrants from these regions were certainly here, but my family didn't associate with them. Around here, the immigrants from Campania were mostly housed in one section of Bridgeport. They lived, worked, worshiped and socialized within their "new" American community.

However,the Italian clubs started to form, and again, they were named after towns or regions from Italy, i.e. Castelfrancese Society, Marchegiana Society, Roma Society. They were frequented by the immigrants from those regions.

Enough of that..I could go on forever,but this discussion was about the Rules of Italy, and we should get back to that subject.

<<but this discussion was about the Rules of Italy, and we should get back to that subject.>>

We're just giving a demo of the Italian way: rules are meant to be broken, and the converstion never ends.

I find that custom of immigrants from a particular region clustering in certain neighborhoods in the suburbs very interesting. (Different from NYC and some other boig cities, where immigrants from various places lived all pressed closely together in the tenements). In Princeton, NJ, there were a lot of early 20th c. Italian immigrants from the little town or Pettoranello (near Isernia). They were stone masons for the university and for the wealthy people with big estate, with stone walls and statues. Then later in the 20th century, more people from Pettoranello came to this country and moved to nearby towns and to Trenton, which already had a lot of Italians. In some nearby towns, there can be an average street, in an ethnically mixed, mostly not foreign, neighborhood, where there happen to be several Italian-born people, ALL from Pettoranello. Princeton, NJ, and Pettoranello (in Abruzzi-Molise region) are sister cities. There's a Pettoranello park in Princeton where there are concerts and plays performed, the high school students from each town had exchange visits and school band and choir trips, etc.

Perhaps it would be better to focus on the yelling as they walk down the street. Again, saw plenty of drunk Italians (young and old and very old) but all were well behaved. At the same time, saying that is not the thing to do there implies, to me at least, that it is considered the thing to do here. Do I sometimes drink too much? Yes. Do I think it gives license to be disorderly? Nope.

In general, I don't think having a little too much to drink and getting mildly drunk, but not causing trouble, carries much if any stigma in the US. I think it DOES carry quite a bit of stigma and would be shameful in small southern Italian towns where many observe the traditional ways. In bigger cities and in the north, though, it may be more like the US, i.e. somewhat of a non-issue for the majority of people, with some people never over-indulging, and some others having an alcoholism problem. Possibly in yet other cultures, like in cold countries, drinking a lot, maybe too much, might possibly be the norm. There really are cultural differences, I think.

CMT- I agree, there are big cultural differences:
Get drunk in any town near Dublin (just an example!!!) on a friday night: no one notices;
Get drunk in any town near Palermo: local people will remember you got drunk;
Get drunk in any town in Saudi Arabia:
...you might be in trouble!!!

No offence for any of these cities and countries, but there are certainly different cultures in different places, and these make travelling even more interesting.
That's why the phrase : "Getting drunk is not considered the thing to do...", has a meaning to me if referred to a place or another.

Ha! Good examples.

Resurrecting this thread because there's a new thread with almost the same title on the same question.

>I wondered later if my attempts had been interpreted by the waiters as believing I HAD to use Italian because I didn't believe/assume that THEY knew English. And perhaps, this was considered demeaning on my part.<

Dog_mother, I had a similar situation in a restaurant as well, and wondered the exact same thing. I knew I had spoken correctly, but the waiter seemed to just want to get on with it and not make me bother with trying to speak Italian to him. It made me a little sad! This happened in Florence, but nowhere else.

I found Italians to be pretty patient, and friendly as well. They do have a keen understanding that tourism is a big part of their economy.

The only thing I can add/echo is that Italians seem to appreciate it if you at least try to attempt the basics: saying hello and goodbye when entering a shop, saying please and thank you, etc. I noticed that if you tried to speak these basic phrases, even if you got them wrong, they would either wink and laugh, correct you, or simply overlook your meager attempt at Italian and acknowledge you back, properly. It was usually done with warmth and kindness, I never felt anger or annoyance.

On the other hand, what I did notice was that they do not respond well to Americans who simply march up to them and start barking in English, especially without saying please or thank you - in English at least! Everytime I saw that happen (and it happened a lot) I cringed and watched as the daggers flew. It seems meaningful to Italians if you show that you can just try a few key phrases.

Last but not least, I have to say that the worst thing I witnessed was an American woman who thanked an Italian shopkeeper by saying "Muchas Gracias." Lady, do you even know what country you are in??

Oh faredolce, the "mucho gracias" - that is too funny because I have known people that have gone to Italy and before their trip have said that they would not have a problem communicating in Italy because they understood Spanish. Hello???? I know both Italian and Spanish are a Romance language but thinking that Spanish would suffice in Italy always gave me a good chuckle although I know Italians can understand Spanish better than an English speaking person who does not speak another language. But still - do some people even have a clue about the country they are going to visit?

That little scene actually was one of my favorite moments in Italy. Her "Muchas Gracias" was said rather triumphantly as she walked out (followed by an, "okay?"). I started shaking my head and hung it in shame for my fellow traveler. The shopkeeper looked at me and shrugged and cracked up. We exchanged the unspoken, international version of "What-ever!"

LOL faredolce, thanks for the good laugh. And I bet the Italian did the shrug of the shoulders and the rolling of the eyes. Too funny!

Hi All,
I'm new to Fodors, have been reading this thread with much interest. One question occurs to me, and may also throw some light on a situation I was in here in Sydney recently.

In the US, is it not customary to greet a shop keeper/assistant on entry and bid them goodbye when you leave?

And, are Please & Thank You not the norm?

I'm not trying to be "smart" or critical here - just curious.

My niece owns a small coffee shop in an "upmarket" eastern suburb in Sydney and I took over for a few hours last week while she ran some errands. There were 5 or 6 people at the counter, for whom our barista was making coffees, and I was plating up some cakes etc to go out to the tables. Our family has been in hospitality for 3 generations, so I was not exactly out of my depth with this number of customers.

I was, however, a bit taken aback when a rather large gent pushed his way between the people at the counter and barked "coffee" at me. Now, we serve at least 6 varieties, discounting all the exotic & weird permutations that have become trendy, especially in that part of town, so "Coffee" wasn't exactly the most enlightening order I could have received. Not to mention request.

So, I looked at him inquisitively. " I want a coffee !" (louder).

"Apparently. And if you would like to tell me how you would like it - Long Black, Espresso, Latte, Cappucino, Macchiato, Flat white or something else, I shall be happy to get it for you as soon as we have served these people."

"Cappucino" he barked and was mid-turn to lope out to a table when I quietly added his "Please", which he had obviously simply forgotten in his haste. He favoured me with a glare that reminded me of Lot's wife and continued outside.

At this stage, there were assorted eyebrows on the ceiling, muffled guffaws and Paolo was shaking so much he was in danger of spilling the "fabulous froth" all over the floor.

I made sure the cappucino had a :) in the froth and deliverd it with a smile and a purred, "Enjoy your coffee, Sir, Is there anything else I can get for you?". "No, just bring me the check"

Which I did, and thanked him when he came in and paid 30 mins or so later.
It wasn't reciprocated, and I wondered whether those two little words of social lubrication had been excised from his vocabulary by his frenetic lifestyle or whether he had simply had a "courtesy bypass" at birth.

Now, I wouldn't have raised this, except that there have been quite a few comments about the Italians' appreciation/expectation of salutations & per favore & grazia's on this thread.

I'm off the NYC shortly and don't want to be "out of sync" so to speak. Do I need to brush up my barking (LOL) or was this chap an abberation? :)

The norm. here (and I suspect/hope in most other places) is along the lines of .... "'Morning, may I have a skim milk latte, please" "Thanks" "'Bye"

I'm sure I'm risking a few "flames" but would genuinely appreciate your comments. Is this a cultural difference I need to be aware of - or was this just a bad mannered bore?

No flame at all, except to point out to Bokhara that the brusk gentleman he describes can't be taken to represent all Americans or any other group. You can see that behavior in large cities, esp. in the northeast, but it's certainly not the norm.

That said, although there are some class differences in the US -- e.g., small very expensive stores treat one differently from huge discount houses -- in general, most Americans (IME) customarily expect to walk into a store and survey the merchandise without being much noticed until and unless they need help and cannot help themselves. It's fine for sales personnel to approach and say "may I help you?" or "is there anything I can help you with?" but going much further than that can be considered pushy and intrusive in many situations -- although sometimes specific establishments pride themselves on "good service" which may translate into more aggressive sales behavior ("this would look good on you, sir"). Some customers appreciate that but some find it annoying.

Of course he was bad mannered. But when you visit NYC you will more likely see another customer tell the offender to get his a$$ to the back of the line rather than have the whole village of you engage in mutual eyerolling and guffawing.

You're going to need a slightly thicker skin in NY. "Morning, may I have a skim milk latte, please" might be considered excessive and not responded to in kind.

Agreeing with HKP that the bristley, curt behavior seems more prevalent in the NE and in fact NE transplants to other parts of the US, especially the south, find the level of social exchange you quote to be OTT and false. But please and thank you work and are appreciated almost everywhere.

For me the level of interaction depends on the sort of place I'm visiting. I don't announce "Greetings, all!" when I walk into the supermarket. But I'd certainly make eye contact and exchange a brief greeting with someone attending a small shop.

Bokhara and Rockhopper
Good evening ;-)You got it right. When I first left NYC to venture off into the world I felt like an idiot using niceties like "please" and "thank you" which took up so much time, had nothing to do with the situation at hand and thought it was unnecessary mollycoddling.
Happy to report I have changed my ways, gotten into the spirit of things amd slowed down enough to smell the cappucino.

Good for you, Ahotpoet :) I bet you get a great response,too !

You wouldn't believe how well I'm treated, especially when I'm wearing my tiara.

NEVER, BUT NEVER ask for a capuccino after lunch or dinner. Italians never do that! Pls DO NOT drink it with your meal either (neither tea!).

Ahotpoet: Love it ! My imagination's running riot ! Have you, by any chance seen the Australian film, "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert"?
Cheers, B.

Yes Bokhara I've seen it although I don't remember much about it. Didn't they travel around in a bus? Not exactly like my RV trip along the Atlantic seaboard....
Back to the subject. Another rule of Italy...... you always have to wear the latest fashionable spiked heels while touring Pompeii. I've seen it done. Who knew???? Just wished I was faster with my camera so I could show you the evidence.

Just had a thought regarding "Rules of Italy". Be like the Italians and break all the rules, LOL.

Yes, it's possible to cross a street in Rome. Just find an old woman and let her go first!

Dring coffee of tea with a meal is also not done in the UK either, unless the meal is tea of course.
I recently had lunch with an American and he asked for coffee with his meal. It's to the credit of the restaurant that they brought it without comment.