Ai, ai, ai, my dear American bambinos, come closer, sit down, and listen carefully to Nonna. I’ve seen with my own eyes, you crossing the seas and coming to our beautiful Italia, only to make a spectacle with your strange ways. Bless your hearts, you try, but listen to Nonna, and next time, maybe you won’t stick out like a sore thumb at the Sunday dinner table, eh?
1. Wearing Shoes Inside
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Image Credit: Shutterstock / Ground Picture
Ai Dio mio, why? Our homes are not the streets of New York! Leave your shoes at the door. Nonna doesn’t want to clean your footprints from her clean floors!
2. Asking for Parmesan on Seafood Pasta
![Americans in Italy: 22 Cultural Mistakes You’re Probably Making 2 pexels makafood 82669418 8918519](https://mamasaywhat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/pexels-makafood-82669418-8918519.jpg)
Image Credit: Pexels / makafood
Madonna mia, you want to give me a heart attack? Fish swims in the sea, not in cheese. Remember this, and Nonna won’t have to cut you with her spoon.
3. Cappuccino After 11 AM
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Image Credit: Pexels / Pixabay
This is not Starbucks, tesoro. Drinking milk after breakfast? It’s like wearing white after Labor Day, but worse! It confuses the stomach. Espresso, always espresso.
4. Eating Pizza with a Fork and Knife
![Americans in Italy: 22 Cultural Mistakes You’re Probably Making 4 pexels pranjall kumar 150768 7906702](https://mamasaywhat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/pexels-pranjall-kumar-150768-7906702.jpg)
Image Credit: Pexels / Pranjall Kumar
Look at this, a crime against humanity! Pizza was made for hands, not silverware. Fold it, embrace the mess, live a little!
5. Talking Loudly
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Image Credit: Pexels / ELEVATE
My dear, are you calling across the Alps? Lower your voice. Italians speak with passion, not volume. Except Nonna. Nonna can be loud.
6. Overloading on Salad Dressing
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Image Credit: Pexels / Shameel mukkath
Insalata is not a swimming pool for your ranch dressing. Olive oil, vinegar, a pinch of salt—perfection. Why drown the lettuce? It’s already dead.
7. Not Greeting Properly
![Americans in Italy: 22 Cultural Mistakes You’re Probably Making 7 shutterstock 1364479997](https://mamasaywhat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/shutterstock_1364479997.jpg)
Image Credit: Shutterstock / fizkes
When you enter, you say “Buongiorno” or “Buonasera,” not “Hey.” We’re not herding cattle here; we’re showing respect.
8. Wearing Shorts to Church
![Americans in Italy: 22 Cultural Mistakes You’re Probably Making 8 shutterstock 1633803898](https://mamasaywhat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/shutterstock_1633803898.jpg)
Image Credit: Shutterstock / silverfox999
Madre di Dio, you’re in a church, not on Miami Beach. Cover up those knees; God doesn’t need to see them.
9. Expecting Everything to be Open Midday
![Americans in Italy: 22 Cultural Mistakes You’re Probably Making 9 shutterstock 630087863](https://mamasaywhat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/shutterstock_630087863.jpg)
Image Credit: Shutterstock / NEOS1AM
Ah, the siesta, tesoro. Italy sleeps after lunch. Don’t bang on closed doors. Rest, relax, recharge. Learn from us.
10. Dinner Before 8 PM
![Americans in Italy: 22 Cultural Mistakes You’re Probably Making 10 shutterstock 289805117](https://mamasaywhat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/shutterstock_289805117.jpg)
Image Credit: Shutterstock / Monkey Business Images
Eating with the birds, are we? Dinner is late here; the night is young, and so are we—at heart, anyway.
11. Ignoring Bread Etiquette
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Image Credit: Pexels / Valeria Boltneva
Bread is for eating, not for playing. And for heaven’s sake, it’s not a utensil to push your food. Nonna is watching.
12. Cutting Spaghetti with a Fork and Knife
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Image Credit: Pexels / Klaus Nielsen
You’re breaking Nonna’s heart. Twist it, my child. The fork is a dance partner for your pasta, not a lumberjack.
13. Drinking Espresso in Three Gulps
![Americans in Italy: 22 Cultural Mistakes You’re Probably Making 13 shutterstock 767150956](https://mamasaywhat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/shutterstock_767150956.jpg)
Image Credit: Shutterstock / stockphoto for you
Espresso is a pleasure, not a race. Savor it, feel it, let it whisper sweet nothings to your soul.
14. Walking Around with To-Go Cups
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Image Credit: Pexels / cottonbro studio
This is Italy, not a marathon. Sit down, enjoy your drink. Life is passing you by while you sip and run.
15. Tipping Excessively
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Image Credit: Shutterstock / New Africa
Generosity is one thing, but in Italia, we don’t tip like Americans. Service is included. Keep your coins, buy yourself a gelato.
16. Asking for Tap Water in Restaurants
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Image Credit: Pexels / Yan Krukau
We have wine, we have sparkling water. Tap water is for plants. Let’s keep it that way, yes?
17. Expecting Ice in Your Drink
![Americans in Italy: 22 Cultural Mistakes You’re Probably Making 17 pexels picjumbo com 55570 225236](https://mamasaywhat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/pexels-picjumbo-com-55570-225236.jpg)
Image Credit: Pexels / picjumbo.com
Ice is a luxury, my dear. Your drink won’t get lonely without it. Embrace the lukewarm love.
18. Eating Cheese with Seafood
![Americans in Italy: 22 Cultural Mistakes You’re Probably Making 18 pexels public domain pictures 41967](https://mamasaywhat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/pexels-public-domain-pictures-41967.jpg)
Image Credit: Pexels / Public Domain Pictures
Again with the cheese? Cheese and fish are like oil and water; they don’t mix. Trust Nonna.
19. Not Trying to Speak Italian
![Americans in Italy: 22 Cultural Mistakes You’re Probably Making 19 shutterstock 2260863393](https://mamasaywhat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/shutterstock_2260863393.jpg)
Image Credit: Shutterstock / DavideAngelini
A “Grazie” or “Per favore” never killed nobody. Show some effort; we appreciate the try more than the perfection.
20. Being Impatient
![Americans in Italy: 22 Cultural Mistakes You’re Probably Making 20 shutterstock 1364480018](https://mamasaywhat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/shutterstock_1364480018.jpg)
Image Credit: Shutterstock / fizkes
Everything takes time, amore. Your food, your coffee, your bill. Breathe, watch the world, be Italian.
21. Ignoring Local Customs
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Image Credit: Shutterstock / gurb101088
When in Rome—or anywhere in Italy—do as the Italians do. Embrace our ways, and you’ll find the sweet life, la dolce vita.
22. Forgetting to Enjoy the Moment
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Image Credit: Shutterstock / DavideAngelini
Life is beautiful, my bambinos. Don’t rush, don’t stress. You’re in Italy. Eat, love, laugh. That’s an order from Nonna.
A Final Blessing from Nonna
![Americans in Italy: 22 Cultural Mistakes You’re Probably Making 23 shutterstock 2140410383](https://mamasaywhat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/shutterstock_2140410383.jpg)
Image Credit: Shutterstock / Igor Link
Now, go, my dear children, armed with this knowledge, and sin no more against our beautiful Italian ways. Nonna loves you, but remember, she has a wooden spoon and isn’t afraid to use it. Enjoy Italia, and remember, when in doubt, just ask yourself: “What would Nonna do?”
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The post Americans in Italy: 22 Cultural Mistakes You’re Probably Making republished on Passing Thru with permission from The Green Voyage.
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