Italy

Italy/ Italia

Kissing  One of Italy's customs is kissing. When Italian families or friends meet the usually kiss eachother no matter what the gender. If you're kissing a person of the opposite sex the kiss is high on the cheek, never on the lips, and not really a kiss but a light brushing against the cheek. When kissing there are usually two in the order of one on the right and one on the left. It's common for male relatives and close male friends to embrace each other.

Greetings  When greeting or greeted by someone in Italy you should say or they would say 'good day' or in Italian // buongiorno //and shake hands, but when someone is greeted or greeting by a close friend or   family member you should say hello in Italian ciao. Also when saying goodbye you should shake hands. The Italian word for goodbye is arriverderci or when saying to one person arrivederia. Also being introduced to someone formally it's common to say 'pleased to meet you' or in Italian //molto lieto.//   Invitations When invited to Italian's home for dinner, which is a rare honour, you should bring these items: -a small present of flowers -pasteries -or chocolate Some say never to bring wine although it may depend on your host. Gifts of foreign food or drink aren't generally well accepted unless they are highly in prize in Italy such as single malt whisky. It's common in Italy to invite people to come after dinner from 9:30 to dessert and wine.

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 300%;">Donating and Recieving Gifts <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Giving flowers as a gift is a less common gift in Italy, only when invited to someone's house. If you have recieved a gift you are expected to open it immediately after it was given and expected to keep an eye on it the whole time. In Italy wrapping gifts in purple is considered a sign of bad luck. Wrapping gifts in black is reserved for funerals or sad situations and is considered tactless to give in normal situations. Italians pay a lot of attention to their gifts.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 300%;">Table Manners <span style="font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">It is considered rude to sit down in any seat before being invited to one. The knife is in the right and the fork in the left while eating. The host/hostess is the one to lead in the meal so if the host/hostess sits you should to. Leaving a small amount of food on your plate if your done eating is acceptable, but if a large amount if left it's considered disrespect.