Religious Traditions Most Italians profess Catholicism.
Italians treat religion with great trepidation, regularly visit temples and churches, and celebrate every church holiday. Italian traditions in this category include: Italians perceive religion as something visible and tangible. Images of saints and the Pope can be seen in every home and public places. Many believers carry icons with them in their wallets and purses. The Pope is considered the most important person in the country. If he comes to any Italian city on a visit, then all its inhabitants tend to attend this event. Believing Italians go to church with their entire families.
Culinary traditions Italian cuisine deserves special attention.
Like many other nations, Italian cuisine has many interesting traditions. In each Italian region you will find a “signature” recipe for pasta and pizza. Traditional Italian products include cheese, olive oil, vegetables, seafood and countless spices and sauces.
Italians dine at home with their relatives, but they prefer to dine in taverns, restaurants or trattorias. In Italy, it is not customary to drink strong alcoholic beverages (beer is no exception). However, a glass of local wine is sure to be on the menu of a traditional Italian lunch.
In the boot country, no one says spatial toasts.
As a rule, they are replaced by the uncomplicated phrase “chin-chin”. The people of Italy are real coffee lovers. Each region has its own traditions of preparing and drinking a fragrant drink. Many culinary customs are associated with the holidays. For example, on New Year’s Eve, Italians put a dish of lentils and grapes on the table.
Each member of the family must eat 12 grapes so that good luck accompanies during all the next 12 months of the coming year. For Easter, Italians prepare colomba (dove-shaped bread), casaiello (cheese and egg pie with sausage) and pastiera (wheat pie with ricotta). In addition, each region boasts a signature Easter dish. For example, in Campania they bake sweet cakes, in Emilia Romagna there is green lasagne on the table, and in Lazio they cook roasted lamb with offal.
National traditions There
are common traditions in Italy that are difficult to attribute to any one category. We will talk about them below. Italians are a very sociable and expressive nation. When meeting a resident of a boot country, expect to hear from him not only his name, but also his profession. Without exception, all Italians say hello when entering a store or supermarket.
Leaving the institution
they must say goodbye to the seller. The conversations of the inhabitants of Italy are most often loud, accompanied by violent gestures. In the country, it is customary to kiss and hug when meeting and during a conversation. When gathering with family or friends, Italians try to divide into small groups: men with men, women with women, children with children, grandmothers with grandmothers, etc.
All Italians, regardless of gender and age, refer to each other as “you”. Having made acquaintance with a resident of the country, do not think that he is not educated, in fact he simply follows his customs.
In Italy, you may encounter such an unpleasant concept for tourists and pleasant for local workers, the concept of “siesta”. It means the afternoon rest, which starts at about 13:00 and lasts until 16:00.
Moreover, the Italians come to work not earlier than 10 am, and return back at about 18-19 pm. Almost all Italians “work up their appetite” before dinner, taking a pleasant little walk around the city. In some cities, the number of “revelers” is so high that local authorities have to stop the movement of cars.