Buzz
Cuisine, weather, and transportation can bring delightful experiences but sometimes cultural shocks for many travelers.
Here are 10 points that many travelers find quite surprising when they set foot in Italy.
1. Food
Entering some restaurants around the world, travelers easily order spaghetti with meatballs. However, this dish is nowhere to be found in Italy. Similarly, chicken parmesan with Alfredo sauce, which is a familiar Italian dish in many countries, is not recognized here even by Italians themselves.
2. Dinner is a Marathon
Italians indulge in hearty dinners. The evening meal is divided into 3 parts: the starter (primo) usually starts with pasta, the main course (secondo) consisting of meat or fish; dessert (dolce) with fruits or ice cream. Dinner is a time for the whole family to gather, so everyone eats slowly to be able to exchange many stories together. Unlike the hurried eating habits of many Western countries, even after finishing the meal, Italians still sit together, enjoying the remaining dishes and continuing unfinished conversations.
Italians have a strong aversion to cold weather.
Italians do not like winter at all. At the slightest hint of winter, they equip themselves with hats, coats, gloves, sweaters, jackets, as if they were from Asian countries.
Papà vs Papa
In Italian, Papà means 'father' while Papa means the Pope. With this pronunciation, many tourists might confuse the way Italians address their fathers with the title for the Pope.
Motorbikes hold a special status.
Once they hop on scooters, they zoom away with gusto, sometimes bumping into others but paying little attention. Italians mostly drive quite recklessly, so tourists should be proactive in keeping a safe distance.
6. The Hub of Carbs, but Everyone's Slim
It's evident Italians indulge in calorie-rich delights like pizza, pasta, biscotti, and an array of enticing pastries. Yet, obesity is a rarity among them. Is it a marvel or a result of unique Italian genes? Many travelers ponder upon this when visiting.
7. Wine Everywhere
Wine is omnipresent, always accompanied by tempting invitations. Tourists can treat themselves to a glass post-breakfast and take a cup to-go for lunch. That portion of wine is usually stored in a small bottle designated for a single meal.
8. Hazelnuts Take the Crown
Sometimes you'll find yourself searching among countless types of nuts and butter displayed on supermarket shelves to find one that suits you. However, in Italy, everything is made from hazelnuts. Pictured here are the products most favored by the majority of the locals.
9. Aperiviti
This is a rather peculiar restaurant concept. You'll have to pay for a portion of drinks and food. However, sometimes the food portion is just a very small appetizer, and sometimes it's an entire enticing buffet feast.
10. Here, there's no such thing as coffee
Instead of sipping on a medium or large cup of coffee, in Italy, you can only enjoy cups of cappuccino for breakfast or espresso throughout the day, served in a small, dainty cup. However, the flavor is still perfect, and no one can resist.
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Source: Travel Guide by Mytour – From VnExpress
MytourMarch 28, 2014
