It’s happened to everyone of us at least once.
We see someone and even without hearing him speaking, we immediately know where he’s from.
Of course, it’s not an exact science. Sometimes, we happen to be right and some others not but still there are some behaviours, or some features, that make us think someone comes from a specific country.
The same applies for Italians. There are some features that usually allow people to recognize Italians abroad.
Let’s see some of them.
1. ITALIANS SPEAK LOUDLY
The first thing that allows you to recognize Italians abroad is that they usually speak loudly.
Of course, there are always some exceptions but generally speaking it’s true.
I remember that one year I was on holiday in Spain with my husband.
We were sunbathing on a very quiet beach when we saw an Italian couple come and put their towel on the sand not too far from us.
After ten minutes or so, the man took his cell phone and decided to make a call to his mother.
His tone was incredibly loud, but the worst part was that when his mother answered the call, we realized that he had turned on the hands-free speaker.
So, the result was that the entire beach heard – but maybe didn’t understand – the entire conversation they were having!
2. ITALIANS CLAP AFTER LANDING
I haven’t taken a flight full of Italians in a while but the last time I did, this practice was still happening.
When a plane lands safely, many Italians tend to clap, sometimes they even shout “bravo” to the pilot, probably because they’re very happy they have landed safely.
Have you ever experienced this?
3. ITALIANS DON’T TIP
Italians aren’t usually accustomed to leave the tip, especially at the restaurant.
So, sometimes Italians can seem a little bit rude. But the reality is that many Italians don’t even know that leaving the tip is a custom in some foreign countries.
4. ITALIANS DON’T QUEUE
Another thing that allows you to recognize Italians abroad is that Italians dont’ queue.
This is not a legend, it’s real. Italians seem to be allergic to queues.
For example, in Italy when taking a bus, queues don’t even exist – see Twelve things you should know before visitng Italy.
Instead, at the supermarket you do find queues but sooner or later you’ll also come across someone who tries to jump them.
So, don’t be surprised if some Italians try to do the same also abroad.
5. ITALIANS USE GESTURES
This is something very typical of Italians. When they don’t know the language of the country they’re visiting, they don’t lose hope but try to communicate using gestures. And they usually also expect everyone to understand them.
Obviously, not every Italian shares these features, but many do.
What do you think about them? Are these five features stereotypes or not? How do you usually recognize Italians abroad?
Credits
Original image by 12019
Basic Italian travel phrases
