La Bella Vita: Romantic Italian phrases and the unwritten rules not to break
From impressing your Italian date this Valentine's Day to the unwritten rules for life in Italy, new weekly newsletter La Bella Vita offers you an essential starting point for eating, talking, drinking and living like an Italian.
La Bella Vita is our regular look at the real culture of Italy – from language to cuisine, manners to art. This new newsletter will be published weekly and you can receive it directly to your inbox, by going to newsletter preferences in 'My Account' or following the instructions in the newsletter box below.
Italy is a country with particularly strong traditions, and it’s often described as being generally monocultural. This results in a famously long and strictly-observed list of unwritten ‘rules’ or social norms - especially when it comes to the art of eating and drinking, but not only.
Non-Italians are usually given some slack if we break these rules. After all, how could we know any better? But the expectation is still that we'll learn, adapt, and get it ‘right’ next time, particularly if we’ve made Italy our home.
Most missteps are just mildly embarrassing, as I found out plenty of times when I first moved here. Being able to laugh at yourself helps. But if you appear to disrespect some aspects of Italian culture, you could find yourself in hot water - or with no Italian friends - and this can happen more easily than you might expect.
We’ve put together a list of 34 things that you really shouldn’t say or do in Italy if you want to avoid causing upset:
34 sure-fire ways to truly offend an Italian
You might agree that Italian wines are the best in the world, but if you prefer French wine, don't say so in Italy. And definitely don't put any ice cubes in it. Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP
Valentine’s Day is believed to have originated in Italy, although here the modern version of the holiday isn’t as big a deal as it is in some countries. The whole concept is arguably a bit redundant in a country where romance is already part of everyday life.
But if you want to get into the spirit of things by learning a few romantic phrases, here’s how to use the language of love to talk about flirting, falling in love, and everything in between. You probably won’t have heard some of these in Italian class.
Here’s how to talk about love, sex, and dating in Italian
If you'd like to attend some Carnival events in Italy this month but can't get to Venice, other Carnivals are available, and some prefer these smaller-scale (but no less entertaining) celebrations. Here's a selection of just seven of our favourites.
Beyond Venice: Seven of Italy’s most magical carnivals
And Italy's Carnival today is a family-friendly festivity revolving around costumes, confetti, fried frappe and castagnole. But it has some pretty wild, and ancient, origins.
We spoke to one historian who explained how the tradition's roots are in the Ancient Greek celebration of Baccanali - which was in turn likely imported from Mesopotamia - and how in Ancient Rome the event became a "blank cheque for debauchery," designed to let people get their darker desires out of their systems once a year. Read all about it here:
Wine, masks and debauchery: How did Italy’s Carnival tradition begin?
Remember if you'd like to have this weekly newsletter sent straight to your inbox you can sign up for it via Newsletter preferences in "My Account".
Is there an aspect of the Italian way of life you'd like to see us write more about on The Local? Please email me at [email protected].
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La Bella Vita is our regular look at the real culture of Italy – from language to cuisine, manners to art. This new newsletter will be published weekly and you can receive it directly to your inbox, by going to newsletter preferences in 'My Account' or following the instructions in the newsletter box below.
Italy is a country with particularly strong traditions, and it’s often described as being generally monocultural. This results in a famously long and strictly-observed list of unwritten ‘rules’ or social norms - especially when it comes to the art of eating and drinking, but not only.
Non-Italians are usually given some slack if we break these rules. After all, how could we know any better? But the expectation is still that we'll learn, adapt, and get it ‘right’ next time, particularly if we’ve made Italy our home.
Most missteps are just mildly embarrassing, as I found out plenty of times when I first moved here. Being able to laugh at yourself helps. But if you appear to disrespect some aspects of Italian culture, you could find yourself in hot water - or with no Italian friends - and this can happen more easily than you might expect.
We’ve put together a list of 34 things that you really shouldn’t say or do in Italy if you want to avoid causing upset:
34 sure-fire ways to truly offend an Italian
Valentine’s Day is believed to have originated in Italy, although here the modern version of the holiday isn’t as big a deal as it is in some countries. The whole concept is arguably a bit redundant in a country where romance is already part of everyday life.
But if you want to get into the spirit of things by learning a few romantic phrases, here’s how to use the language of love to talk about flirting, falling in love, and everything in between. You probably won’t have heard some of these in Italian class.
Here’s how to talk about love, sex, and dating in Italian
If you'd like to attend some Carnival events in Italy this month but can't get to Venice, other Carnivals are available, and some prefer these smaller-scale (but no less entertaining) celebrations. Here's a selection of just seven of our favourites.
Beyond Venice: Seven of Italy’s most magical carnivals
And Italy's Carnival today is a family-friendly festivity revolving around costumes, confetti, fried frappe and castagnole. But it has some pretty wild, and ancient, origins.
We spoke to one historian who explained how the tradition's roots are in the Ancient Greek celebration of Baccanali - which was in turn likely imported from Mesopotamia - and how in Ancient Rome the event became a "blank cheque for debauchery," designed to let people get their darker desires out of their systems once a year. Read all about it here:
Wine, masks and debauchery: How did Italy’s Carnival tradition begin?
Remember if you'd like to have this weekly newsletter sent straight to your inbox you can sign up for it via Newsletter preferences in "My Account".
Is there an aspect of the Italian way of life you'd like to see us write more about on The Local? Please email me at [email protected].
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