4 mistakes we all make in Rome

On Thursday I am going back to my beloved Italy. After 18 years of visiting my favorite boot multiple times a year and even living there for half a year, I think I know the ways of the Italian a little bit. So I know these six customs like the back of my hand. Because there are strict and unwritten rules. Here they come.

1. Kissing

Everyone kisses each other. Even if you don't know someone well yet, there's a chance a mouth will head towards your cheek. Men kiss each other too. Just know: these are air kisses, there are two (and not three like with us) and they start on the right cheek, where we usually begin kissing on the left.

2. The coffee rules

By now you probably know that after twelve o'clock in the afternoon, no dairy products are consumed in coffee. Not that you'll get a corrective slap if you order a caffè latte at 3:00 PM, but the stamp of ’tourist‘ will immediately be firmly on your forehead. If you really want to fit in, you order a caffè (don't say ’espresso‘ because espresso is the way the coffee is made) and a real Italian drinks that with a little bit of sugar. The strongest is definitely the caffè Napoletana ’che sveglia anche i morti‘ or: that even wakes the dead. And oh yes, if you're craving something creamy in the afternoon, then order an espressino. That's a cold mix of coffee, whipped cream (sorry), and sugar (sorry), but how delicious it is.

3. Always take five courses

Misunderstanding number one. Did you really think that Italians always eat all those courses? They really don't have to. You can easily skip your primo (pasta dish) and go straight from appetizer to secundo. Just a small side note: this is how you make a restaurant-worthy pasta.

What is also completely accepted is to share a dish over two plates. You say ‘Prendiamo in due’. And if you have a great fish dish left, ask ‘se sia possibile de portare via’. They have a love for food and also find it a shame if everything gets thrown away, so if you want to take it with you, that is completely accepted.

4. Ordering ice cream in a restaurant

Maybe you're saying now: they have ice cream as dessert there and there, but in all the restaurants I've eaten at, ice cream isn't really on the menu. They usually have nice desserts like tiramisu or a semifreddo or a small cake. Italy is very much a country of specialists. For vegetables, you go to the fruttivendolo, for a cornetto you go to the cornetteria or the coffee bar, and so on. Italy has the best gelaterie (plural of gelateria), so a restaurant wouldn't want to compete with that. Still craving an ice cream after dinner? Walk through one of the beautiful streets in the village or city where you are and you're likely to stumble upon the ice cream parlors. A coffee on the side (without milk) and off to bed.