'Italian time' is a real thing. And that means everything runs about 8-10ish minutes behind schedule. If you're on time, you're actually a tinsy bit early, so good for you! Italians also LOVE to take naps (or not work at least) between the hours of 12pm-3pm every day. All shops will close, even banks. To make things even more convient, many small shops and cafes are open at the most random times and have no consistency whatsoever!
If you have a car, it better be a tiny one. Only the smallest cars survive in the Italian world of race-car driving styles. You'll need a small car to swerve around cars in traffic and around those pesky pedestrians who get in your way. This also leads us to..
Need a place to park? Try in between some trees. There are zero rules regarding parking. Park on any side of the street, facing any direction. If you can get in a space that is only one inch longer than your car, bonus points! No where to park? It's okay to squeeze your way onto the sidewalk and fit in between two trees.
Italians are very affectionate! They love to kiss, huge, embrace, touch, etc. Prepare yourself to see a ton of PDA everywhere, even on the metro at 10am. They are generally very enthusiastic and loud and friendly, too!
Are you a woman over age 16? Prepare to be hit on every 8 seconds. Whistles, waves, yelled remarks, cat calls, winks from old men.. you will get it all. This happens to. every. one. The first few times it happens you will laugh and blush, and be thinking, "Oh my gosh this is so funny!" Ten times later, you will be thinking, "I feel so flattered, but this is getting annoying." Four hundred times later, you will wanting to scream "LEAVE ME ALONE. WHY CAN'T I WALK DOWN THE STREET IN PEACE." You have two solutions: a) Stare at the ground, the sky, or just walk around looking very angry, and you will get minimal attention. b) Wink back, just to throw them off. (This was Natalie's ingenious idea.) Have fun!
Wearing yoga pants or shorts will get you a LOT of weird stares. Italians don't work out, haven't you heard? It's totally normal to eat carbs day and night and still be extremely thin and gorgeous! This is obviously why anyone wearing work-out attire on the tram to the park deserves to be stared at for long periods of time.
Italy isn't a parallel universe of perfection and beauty, contrary to what it looks like in movies. There's graffiti, traffic, dirty sidewalks and poorer areas of town. Not to mention it seems like almost everyone smokes. It's especially rough when you get stuck behind a mob of smokers on the sidewalk and no where to go.
Say goodbye to American comfort foods. Such as mac & cheese, peanut butter, salsa, avocados, coffee that is not an espresso shot, and chocolate chip cookies. And the convenience of having lots and lots of brand choices doesn't exist. Also, spagetti and meatballs is TOTALLY American.
If you hang out at an Italian guy's house, you might meet his parents. And not because your relationship is serious.. but because most young people live at home well into their 20's. Totally normal.
Be prepared for the fashion differences. You can spot guys wearing skinny jeans and dressing like they're in 90's boy bands, while girls can be seen rocking the mc hammer super-baggy pants or wedge sneaker heels.
Eating in Italy is an art, and is taken very seriously. If you make reservations at a restaurant for dinner, the table is yours for the evening. A waiter will never rush you, and will even encourage you to try dishes from their six different courses. It is also assumed you will eat the entire plate of food, or pizza, that you're given. (If you appear to be done eating, but have not finished every last bite of food, they will without hesitation ask you why you didn't like it.)
You will develop a sixth sense in recognizing the best gelato. In no time you will be able to tell, with a single glance, whether or not that gelato you walk past will be totally fantastic. Factors include the consistency, the design, the texture, the thickness, type of container, etc. Also, the phrase "posso assagiare.." (can I taste) will come in handy a LOT. ;)
