Avoid Embarrassment In Italy: Learn From My Mistake

We’ll share some personal stories and valuable insights on navigating Italian culture smoothly—specifically in the stunning region of Sicily. During our time there, we made a few mistakes that could’ve easily been avoided if we had known more about local customs and etiquette. From dining manners to everyday interactions, unique aspects of Sicilian life might surprise you.

In this video, we’ll discuss some of the most common cultural faux pas visitors make so you can avoid awkward situations and truly embrace the local experience.

Whether planning your first trip to Sicily, Italy, or simply curious about Italian customs, these tips will help you fit in like a local.

Get ready to explore the do’s and don’ts, and learn from my missteps so your Italian adventure can be smooth and enjoyable!

▶️ Language Matters:
• Don’t assume everyone speaks English. Even a little effort to learn Italian will go a long way.
• Use proper greetings: “Ciao” (informal), “Salve” (formal), “Buongiorno” (good morning), “Buonasera” (good evening).

▶️ Respectful Greetings:
• In Sicily, greeting friends and acquaintances with two-cheek kisses is common.
• If you’re unsure, a friendly handshake is always appropriate.

▶️ Understand Local Customs:
• Research local customs and traditions to avoid misunderstandings.
• Be mindful of gestures that may have different meanings in Italy.
• Always ask for permission before taking photos and videos indoors.

▶️ Avoid Common Mistakes:
• Don’t assume everyone understands English.
• Be aware of regional differences in customs.
• Respect local traditions and avoid offensive gestures.

▶️ Greeting A Person In Italy
One of my most embarrassing moments in Sicily was during a family introduction. I accidentally leaned in for a kiss on the cheek, going in the wrong direction, resulting in a near-miss. It was a funny and awkward experience, but it taught me a valuable lesson about cultural differences.

Following these tips, you can confidently explore Italy without worrying about embarrassing yourself. Remember, the key is to be respectful, curious, and open-minded.

With a little effort, you’ll be well-prepared to enjoy all that this beautiful country has to offer.

We’re going to help you avoid awkward situations when you’re interacting with Italians, and then we’re going to help you not make a bad impression, or brutta figura. Absolutely.

And then we’re going to share our favorite topic, and then my most embarrassing moment ever in Sicily. That was so funny.

I was mortified. It was terrible. But we’re going to share some tips so that you will never have to go through that.

Phrases For Greetings

First, we’d like to cover phrases for greetings. Now, a lot of Americans know the term ciao. It’s very common, but you don’t use the word ciao when you walk into a store or walk into a doctor’s office or something like that.

It’s a very informal phrase. It’s a greeting – it’s a very friendly greeting, but you’re supposed to use that with friends or family.

And the next term would be salve, and I really didn’t know this until just a few years ago because I hadn’t heard it much. But when I walked into a computer store to have something looked at, like my laptop looked at, he said salve. And it just means hello, but it’s more of a formal greeting.

Buongiorno. Yes, and it’s a very kind and polite phrase. A lot of people use it. And when you’re out and about shopping and in offices, and you’re pretty much safe with that.

Now, after 12 o’clock noon, technically, it’s supposed to be buona sera, but really it’s after 4 p.m. Because everything closes down in the midday for the midday meal. So anything after 4:00.

Language

The next thing we want to talk about is language. So even on the plane coming over, there are people who are bilingual.

So most of them, I would say the majority, know English and Italian.

So if you have a negative comment to say to your spouse, it’s better not to say it.

Because you can’t assume that somebody does not know what you’re saying. Even in Italy, don’t assume nobody understands English because you could be in a store, you could be maybe making a negative comment about the clothing or whatever, and it just would be rude.

It’d be more polite to keep those things to yourself.

Now, it’s a little bit of a safe haven when we can speak a different language, when we know we’re in an area that doesn’t understand us. It’s a little bit comforting, but don’t assume that in Sicily, in Italy, or on the plane.

On the other hand, you don’t assume that everybody speaks English. You wouldn’t go into a store in Italy and speak English asking questions. Even making a small effort will go a long way with trying to learn some Italian.

You could learn the daily phrases, buongiorno, the greetings, buonasera, salve. Then you could learn, “Parli inglese?” That means, “Do you speak English?” You could say Signore, Mister, Signora, Misses.

And when addressing someone formally, you use these terms, it really does show respect and politeness.

Be Respectful of Traditions

Be respectful of tradition. Yes, we do need to be respectful of traditions.

Now, there are a lot of religious traditions. And even if you don’t have that particular belief yourself, if there is a religious procession or something going down the street, you want to be respectful. You don’t want to just be walking by, and you heading away when everyone’s going there. It’s just a little bit rude.

So obviously, you don’t have to believe in something that you don’t. But just if they’re passing by, just stand still for just a moment while they pass by, that you’re respecting those people in the procession. Not the actual religion or the belief, but the people that are involved. When it has passed, you can obviously go on your way. But just for a moment, it would be good. People appreciate that.

Understand Gestures

Italians definitely use a lot of hand gestures, don’t they? I don’t think an Italian can talk without their hands. I do quite a bit as well. Anyway, you need to familiarize yourself because you don’t want to be making a mistake.

Certain cultures have hand gestures that are perfectly fine, and in another country, it means something totally different. The sign “okay” is fine in America, but in some other countries, I know it’s not good. The thumbs up pretty much universally is okay, but I’m not sure.

So just make yourself aware, do a little bit of research. A very common hand gesture in Italy is this, it’s what, what do you want, right? And then this, a lot of times grandmas or others will do that with their kids, they’re frustrated. It’s like you’re in trouble.

And then this is let’s go. And there’s a lot more, we’ll probably do another video on that. But just familiarize yourself. Don’t use a hand gesture unless you absolutely know that it is accepted.

Ask Permission for Photos & Videos

Everybody wants to document their special time in Sicily and Italy by photos and videos. Absolutely. But if you’re indoors, please ask permission because it’s just polite and kind.

So ask the waitress, ask the pizza maker. If you want to film them making a pizza or film the indoors of workers or a store or something, ask permission first. They’ll most likely say yes, but it’s just good etiquette to ask permission first.

Of course, if you buy a ticket for a museum or a show or an event, they’ll have signs there telling you what’s permitted and what’s not. But just get in the habit of asking permission first. Now, if it’s just a plate of food, and you’ve been served a plate of food and you just want to take a picture of what you’re having for dinner, that’s fine.

I wouldn’t think you would need permission for that, right? Right. Yeah, it’s just a good practice to get into.

Greeting A Person In Italy

All right, this is our favorite section.

We’re going to be talking about greeting a person in Italy. And my absolutely most embarrassing moment was when we were at your mom’s house and your cousin was there, and I had never met her husband. And we went to greet each other.

Because it was family, so we’re doing the cheek-to-cheek kiss. And I went the wrong way, and he was going the right way. And so we met in the middle, and I was absolutely mortified.

So we’re just about kissing on the mouth. That was so funny. I was mortified. It was terrible.

But we’re going to share some tips so that you will never have to go through that.

Kissing cheek-to-cheek in Italy can be a lovely gesture, but it can feel a bit awkward if you’re not familiar with the custom.

So here are a few tips to make it smoother for you. First of all, a smile and eye contact is the very first thing before you go in to kiss the person. And you don’t kiss everybody if you don’t know them, if you’re meeting them for the first time.

It’s a friendly handshake. The lady extends her hand right away to give a warm handshake. And that’s what you do when you’re meeting someone for the first time.

But if it’s a repeat, and you know the person as an acquaintance, a family or a friend, a family member or friend, then you give the double cheek. Croce, we’re going to demonstrate this. So turn around.

Okay. The thing you need to remember is that the right thing to do is go right. So it’s left cheek to left cheek, but the right thing to do is to go right.

So whatever you do, remember to move right because that’s right. So ciao. [Demo] Now we clicked glasses, but normally you would go to the right, lean in cheek to cheek.

It’s not the forward cheek. It’s the back cheek, and you make the air kiss sound. It’s not a kiss on the cheek. You’re not kissing skin, right? You’re cheek to cheek. You’re just touching and you’re — it’s like a pecking chicken.

But let’s do it again. Ciao. [Demo]

And you just, you move away enough so that lips don’t swish together when you’re coming around to the other side. But the right thing is to go right. So left cheek to left cheek, you’re going to be going right.

So if I had known that I would have gone from ashamed to confident.

Can I have another kiss? I tell you, it’s such a normal thing.

But a lot of times older grandmas and such will hug you, but normally, Italians don’t hug. In fact, a kiss is more appropriate than a hug.

A handshake, a healthy handshake at a business meeting. When we met Rosario at the realtor’s office, at the real estate office, handshake, because I was meeting him for the first time.

And it was, you know, buongiorno. It wasn’t, you know, ciao, because I didn’t know him.

And so just use formality, friendly, formal greetings, but the kisses are used for people that you already know and have already been presented.

Next, you’ll want to watch 5 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE TRAVELING TO SICILY ITALY.