*NEVER* do THIS when visiting Italy!

Discover the unwritten rules and faux pas to avoid when visiting Italy. From dress codes to tipping, and the infamous cappuccino curfew, we’ll help you navigate Italian customs like a local. Save your vacation and avoid the pitfalls!

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there are some things you should never do when visiting Italy they are faux paw frowned upon and fundamentally forbidden and one involves an Unwritten curfew that most tourists maybe even you are unaware of come with me as we tiptoe our way around these delicate issues that could save your vacation your money or just leave you scratching your head you should never buy water most cities have fountains like the one behind me here where you can fill up your bottle when you’re on the go if you plan well and know where the fountains are or if you’ve bought a plastic water bottle drink it finish it then when you see a fountain refill it it’s good for the environment and don’t worry you’re not going to get food poisoning or some sort of strange bacteria no no no they’re set up just for drinking and in fact this one here has Aqua gasat or sparkling water as well as Still Water yeah we’re in Italy one phrase to keep in mind when you’re out and about especially if you’re in the countryside is look for a phrase above the fountain that might say Aqua n that means the water is not drinkable I remember one time when I was living on Lake KO I’d ride my bike past this Fountain all the time always fill up my water bottle and then about a year in they put up a sign Aqua n pabia I was wondering for how long was that water not drinkable but don’t worry almost all the fountains have drinkable water and what about tipping should you leave tips when you’re eating and dining around in Italy well I’ll get to that so hold on you should never dress inappropriately don’t dress like you’re a Beach tourist or you’re going to the nightclub wear sensible shoes don’t walk around in flipflops or high heels or some sort of dress shoes Italian don’t do that anyway and your feet will thank you for it also consider if you want to get in and out of some of the famous mums or churches you’re going to need to dress appropriately appropriately for the church’s standards yes this is religion with his own traditions and superstitions So within churches don’t be surprised if you’re wearing shorts or revealing top they’re not going to let you in and a bonus tip for you I’ve seen you out there wearing your baseball caps with the low goes or the big brimmed sun hats if you’re a beautiful girl walking around with your hat on they’re pretty cool looking I’ll admit but nothing makes you stand out more like a tourist especially one from the United States when you’re wearing those big hats or the baseball caps because Italians don’t wear them if you need to do something to keep the sun off your face and I don’t blame you in the summertime it’s hot in Italy wear something simple taxi uh never tried to Hell a taxi on this tree this isn’t New York City or Sex in the City if you need to get a taxi the best advice well don’t take one the prices are really high here in Italy but if you need to get one find a taxi stand you’ll see them around their orange signs with the black lettering taxi or if you’re at a hotel have your hotel receptionist call you one never expect punctuality it annoys me to no end an Italian will say I’ll be there at 10:00 and they won’t show up until 10:20 10:30 or worse yet they call you at 10:00 and they say hey I’m running late excuse me oh I’m sorry it’s terrible this relaxed way of life or should be called inappropriate inconsiderate way of life spills over into everyday life and will affect you when you’re on vacation it affects the trains it affects the bus schedules all those things are always running late in Italy and oh yeah you’ll have strikes too don’t ask me why but they’re striking about every other Monday I mean we love you Italians but as a tourist you should never expect punctuality here in Italy never assume locals speak your language where can I get some seafood pasta it’s rude to just go up to a local and start talking in English as if they’re going to understand everything you say with your Cadence and your speed my suggestion to you is go online buy a phrase book I linked one down below for Italian phrases use your Google app for conversation and to look up some key words or before you visit just learn a few basic phrases here are a couple for you bonjo up until about 400 p.m. from the morning till about 400 p.m. after that you say bu both of those mean Hello the next phrase par parley and GL do you speak English parley and GL and then add on to that if you’re an expert like I know you are per per even my Italian after all these years is not great but let’s try it B joural par that means hello do you speak English please and another couple phrases you might want to have written down on your phone ready to go or circled in your phrase book no parlo Italiano I don’t speak Italian or nonap Pisco I don’t understand nisco paralo you will upset people if you go up and just start speaking English immediately without any respect to the person their country or their culture imagine you in the United States if a tourist came up to you and just started speaking in German wouldn’t be great right never rely on just a a credit card bring cash with you because you never know when you’ll need it in some places in the public you need to pay to use the bathroom yes I know it sucks but you got to pay €1 or. 50 to use the bathroom or if you want to buy a bottle of water from a tobacco shop or you want to get another gelato from the gelataria and you find they don’t want to let you charge that small amount on a credit card you might need cash oh and if you want to throw some coins in a fountain for good luck you have your cash and yeah here’s a bonus tip for you I said never rely on just a credit card well don’t rely on one single credit card pack two or three credit cards also from different companies that way if one credit card is refused or if you have one credit card stolen you always have backup my suggestion carry one or two along with you and leave one or two in your bag back at the hotel that way you have a backup solution and you’re not left stranded now what about paying cash for a cappuccino at a bar or a restaurant and what about this mysterious cappuccino curfew well hold on we’ll get to that never tip when you’re out and about for dinner or lunch it’s all folded in into the price and the waiters they’re not working for the tip they’re on a salary job it’s much different than you would find in the United States where the tip culture is massive there the service is overbearing and they’re always on you because you know at the end of it all they want a good tip here on the other hand well the service isn’t always that great and sometimes they’re slow to bring you your next plate of pasta or your second course or your next glass of wine but that’s okay because you know at the end of it all they’re not going to be fussing about how much what percentage you left in tip on the bill now no hard worker is going to turn down free money and if you must leave some money on the table just drop one or two Euro on the table don’t make a fuss about it and certainly don’t ask to add that percentage onto the bill when you’re paying with a credit card in Italy and in Europe in general there’s none of this tipping culture and we’re thankful for it now I want you to be warned these credit card machines with the percentage of tips are starting to creep their way into Europe the other day at the Munich Airport I ordered a coffee and I went to pay and she pointed there select your tip and then pay and I thought why do I need a tip she just punched a button on the coffee machine gave me my coffee why do I need to add a tip to that look in Europe there is no tipping culture I don’t know if these machines are just starting to add it because they’re coming from the United States or what select 0% and move about your [Music] business I know this probably goes without saying but never cross the road without looking both ways and that’s especially true here in Italy Italian drivers always think they have the right away so pay attention when you’re crossing the crosswalks never go unprepared remember the 7ps proper planning and preparation prevents piss po performance and that applies to you when you’re taking your Italian vacation think about those iconic sites you might want to visit in the big cities along the way the Coliseum in Rome the statue of David in Florence or the Last Supper in Milan or just think about your dinner plans is there that restaurant that you’ve been wanting to go to the famous spot that your cousin told you about there in Milan well book one or two days in advance so you’re making sure you have a table and maybe a table outside there on the Terrace you can call up most of these places will speak English just remember the phrase bone joural parly and glaz per and you’re on your way look I’ll be honest it’s a lot to remember I made a PDF that you can download have in your pocket for when you’re visiting Italy everything you need to know about hotels restaurants how to get to and from Italy and how to get around Italy there’s also a dining and Italy PDF both of those you can download have in your pocket for when you’re walking around enjoying Italy check the link in the description never insult Italian food there are some dining no no or things you should never do when you’re eating in Italy at least don’t get caught doing them one sprinkling parmesan cheese on any sort of seafood pasta plate another one is using a knife and Fork to eat your pasta don’t cut your spaghetti with a knife and don’t use the spoon even if they offer you a spoon instead learn how to twirl and swirl it with your fork and you’ll be dining like a true Italian and when they bring you out that bread don’t ask for balsamic vinegar to go along with the olive oil to dip with your bread it’s not done here in Italy oh but the great thing to do with the bread is save it and use it as you’re eating your pasta as a way to help you eat your pasta also at the end do what the Italians do Las scarpeta and you take the bread and scoop up soak up any of that last remaining goodness pasta sauce eat it a and when you’re ordering your food don’t ask for modifications to the plate pick the plate of pasta or the dish you want off the menu and go with it don’t say hey yeah I want the carbonada but can you hold the pork no it’s not done that way here never expect 24-hour service in Italy it’s one of the downsides especially if you’re used to the United States or me recently traveling in Southeast Asia where you can always find a 7-Eleven or a Circle K giving you exactly what you need a cold beer a bottle of water or some snacks to get you going along your way so many times here in Italy around 1 p.m. or so I thought ah I could really use a bottle of beer or a bottle of water but there’s nowhere to go to buy this maybe you can go down to the local Corner Bar and ask them if they’ll sell you one but it’s inconvenient it’s not a convenient store and on that note don’t expect to dine in restaurants outside of the normal lunch and dinner hours lunch hours are 12 12:30 all the way through 2:33 p.m. dinner hours now pay attention you can’t eat dinner until maybe 7:00 but normally 7:30 running all the way up till 10: 10:30 sometimes 11: so plan accordingly if you need to eat outside those hours well try grabbing a quick sandwich at a bar or going to more of a fast food type Place yeah I know you’re here in Italy but that’s why I recommend to you if you have to eat outside of those hours other than that just get used to the Italian Vibe and the Italian lifestyle never order a cappuccino after after 11:00 a.m. in the morning hi is it too late to order a cappuccino it’s not too late in the day nobody want okay I do it some cappuccino I do it sometimes but the Italians frown if you order cappuccino past the curfew of 11: yeah there’s the cappuccino curfew of 11:00 a.m. but hey sometimes you do it and if you must at a restaurant after you order your food and have lunch don’t ask for Cappuccino following LUN or dinner if you must ask for Cafe macchiato or just a straight up Cafe Italians will look at you like you’re a mad man for having a cappuccino after dinner and never no matter what you do don’t order a cappuccino with your food it’s not done in Italy if you really want to kick it up and have a cafe the proper Italian way the way I see a lot of guys doing it at 9:00 a.m. in the morning at the local Corner Bar you can have a cafe coretto and that’s a cafe with a little bit of alcoh added into it have it after dinner after lunch or heck even do like those locals do and have it at 9 a.m. in the morning now what about paying for the cappuccino or your coffee with a credit card you can do it just right there I paid with cash and after 2020 when they thought money was dirty they started accepting credit card more and more for smaller amounts so yeah you can pay for your cappuccino or coffee with the credit card but having some cash on hand always helps ordering a cappuccino with the pizza you should never do no because it’s too much it’s like it’s it’s not good for your stomach yeah the Italians think that too much milk and especially after 11:00 Dairy is is not good for your stomach and I kind of agree it it depends upon what part of the world you’re from if you’re used to all that dairy product just order straight up coffee a cafe or or a cafe coretto after your pizza and you’ll be flying thank you gra even with all their rules I love Italy and the Italians they’re just so friendly now I know what you’re thinking this is all too much too many rules this is vacation not boarding school right well I have a solution for you hold on though I got to tell you about a few more things never never eat and drink on the go Italians take their food sitting down and they take their drinks standing at the bar or sitting at a table table you’ll never see them walking around with one of those big vinty latte coffee cups that you have in the United States and other parts of the world and they’re not going to be walking around with a hot dog in hand letting the mustard go all over their shirt and just making a mess of themselves but also more importantly for you the visitor a mess of the city with trash piling up from the tourist as they walk around and spill things no no no no no the only exception to this rule for the Italians the only thing that they’ll let slide is their sacred and holy gelato you can walk around eating a gelato anything for gelato never over Spritz it I like my Spritz I also like my Americano that it’s a heavier version of a spritz I also like Negron every now and then prefer the Americano let me know what you drink the Spritz but just don’t overdo it by that I mean when you order your food at a restaurant don’t order a Spritz to go along with it beer or wine is okay to have along with your food but not a spritz leave the Spritz for the hour of apptivo you can sometimes have them at lunch if you’re an alcoholic or if you just like Spritz like I do or you can have them in that special hour that golden hour between 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. the hour of apptivo and that’s when people go crazy for these red drinks I first saw them when I came to Italy at thought what are these red drinks that everyone’s drinking well it turns out it was the sprits or Americano with Kari and they’re all sitting around enjoying those with some finger foods that’s the hour of apptivo after that you stroll find your restaurant and have dinner but you certainly don’t have a spritz along with dinner have a beer have a glass of wine and afterwards you can order a d just dvo a graa or armato and you’ll be happy you did so never overdo do it breathe just relax with me remember I said I have a solution for you to all these rules that just maybe seem like too much for you on your vacation uh first do me a favor and click that like button right down below it helps with this video thank you so much also I don’t know if you’re yet subscribed but a lot of the viewers aren’t yet subscribe to my channel so while you’re down there click that subscribe button it helps my channel helps these videos get out to a much wider audience people like yourself who love Italy love traveling the world and love exploring I have a bonus tip for you but before I get to that I want to remind you never do too much remember we spoke about that and by that I mean when you’re coming to Italy if you have a 5 day or weekl long trip don’t try to squeeze all of Italy in into that weekl long trip it’s going to be overboard too much give yourself a couple of days in each City to explore a bit of time to relax soak in the vibe and Savor the moment your vacation also the great thing about Italy there are no rules and the rules that they have they’re barely enforced so you can take everything I’ve given you and toss it out the window and Forge ahead with your plans drink cappuccinos at 10 o’clock at night who cares but maybe keep some of these Nevers in mind when you’re visiting Italy the bonus never be too silly or too touristy in Italy be warned there are a lot of scammers in this country but don’t you worry I made a video about that and everything you need to know you can watch it here see you there next [Music] n [Music]