Etiquette

The basics in one minute

Italians are warm, social and forgiving of visitors who make an effort. Most of what counts as good manners comes down to a few habits: greet people when you walk into a shop or bar, dress a notch above beachwear in towns, cover up in churches, keep your voice down in sacred places, and treat old stones and fountains as monuments rather than furniture.

Italians care about la bella figura, roughly "making a good impression": looking put together, behaving with some grace in public, not making a scene. You do not need designer clothes. You do need to avoid wandering through a town center shirtless, eating a sandwich on a church doorstep or shouting across a piazza at midnight.

Rules also vary by region and city. A beach town in Puglia in August is relaxed; Venice and Rome now enforce decorum rules with fines. This page covers what applies nearly everywhere and the specific rules in the cities that police them hardest.

Greetings and how to address people

The single most useful habit: say buongiorno (good morning, good day) when you enter a shop, bar, pharmacy or small restaurant, and arrivederci or buona giornata (have a good day) when you leave. Walking in silently and starting to browse reads as rude. After roughly mid-afternoon, switch to buonasera (good evening); there is no fixed hour, and some people switch right after lunch.

• Ciao is informal, for friends, children and people your own age once you have been introduced. With a shopkeeper or someone older, use buongiorno or the neutral salve.
• Per favore (please), grazie (thank you) and prego (you're welcome, after you, go ahead) cover a lot of ground.
• Scusi gets someone's attention or apologizes for bumping into them. Permesso is what you say to squeeze past people on a crowded bus or when entering someone's home.
• Formal and informal "you": Italian has a formal form (Lei) for strangers, older people and anyone in a professional role. You will not offend anyone by using simple English or the informal form, but locals notice and appreciate the effort. See Useful Italian.
• Titles: Signore (sir), Signora (madam, for adult women regardless of marital status). University graduates are often addressed as Dottore or Dottoressa.

Handshakes and kisses

A firm handshake with eye contact is standard when you meet someone for the first time. Friends and family greet with a light kiss on each cheek, usually two, though the starting side and the number vary by region. As a visitor, let the other person lead. Men commonly greet close male friends with cheek kisses too.

Dress codes in churches

Churches in Italy are places of worship first. At major basilicas, guards at the door turn away visitors who are not dressed appropriately, and it happens daily in summer. The rule is simple: shoulders and knees covered, for men and women.

• No sleeveless tops, tank tops or bare midriffs. A T-shirt with sleeves is fine.
• Shorts and skirts should reach the knee. Very short shorts and miniskirts are refused at the strictest sites.
• Men remove hats inside.
• Carry a light scarf or shawl to throw over your shoulders, and a wrap or light pants if you are wearing shorts. Some churches hand out or sell disposable paper covers; many do not.
• Phones on silent, voices low, and no eating or drinking inside.

The strictest enforcement is at St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museums (see the Vatican), St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, the Duomo in Florence, the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi and the cathedrals of Siena, Milan and Orvieto. Small parish churches are more relaxed but still expect respect.

Inside the church

• Do not walk around during Mass. If a service starts, stay at the back or come back later. Some areas or chapels are reserved for prayer only; signs will say so.
• Photography is often allowed without flash; some churches ban it entirely. Follow the signs.
• Many dark churches have coin-operated lights that illuminate a painting for a minute or two, usually for €0.50–€2. Keep coins handy.
• A growing number of major churches charge admission for visitors, particularly in Venice, Florence and Siena. See Art and churches.
• Many churches close for several hours around midday, roughly noon or 12:30 pm to 3 or 4 pm. Plan church visits for the morning or late afternoon.

Everyday dress

Italians dress neatly, even casually. Shorts and sneakers are fine for sightseeing in summer. Beachwear, bare chests and bare feet in town are not (see the beachwear rules below). Comfortable, closed shoes beat flip-flops on cobblestones and in Rome's summer dust. For a nicer dinner, people dress up a little; there is rarely a formal dress code.

Shop hours, the riposo and Sundays

The afternoon break, called the riposo or pausa pranzo, still shapes the day in most of Italy outside the big-city centers. It is the biggest daily surprise for Americans.

In August, especially around Ferragosto on August 15, many family businesses close for one to three weeks with a sign reading chiuso per ferie (closed for vacation). Cities empty out while beaches fill. See When to go.

In shops and markets

• At market stalls and greengrocers, do not touch the produce. Point and say how much; the vendor picks it.
• In supermarkets, wear the plastic gloves provided at the produce section and weigh and label your items before the register.
• Bargaining is normal at flea markets and sometimes with street vendors, not in shops. Asking for a small discount when buying several items from an artisan is acceptable.
• You must get a receipt (scontrino) for purchases. Keep it until you are away from the shop.

The passeggiata

The passeggiata is the early-evening stroll, roughly 6 to 8 pm, when whole towns walk up and down the main street or around the central piazza. Couples, grandparents, teenagers in groups and families with strollers come out dressed a little better than during the day, stop for gelato or an aperitivo, greet friends and look at everyone else. It is less about getting somewhere than being seen and catching up.

Join in. It is the best free show in Italy and the best way to feel a town's pulse. It is liveliest in small and mid-size towns and on weekends and summer evenings: along the main street (il corso) in towns from Lecce to Sorrento, on the city walls of Lucca, in the center of Bologna, which closes its main streets to traffic on weekends, and around the lakefronts of Como and Garda.

Queues, personal space and noise

• Lines: In bars, the counter is a crowd rather than a line; catch the barista's eye and order when it is your turn. At post offices, delis, pharmacies and public offices, take a number from the ticket machine and wait to be called. At museums, train ticket machines and bus stops, lines are firmer; politely stand your ground if someone edges in.
• Personal space: Italians stand closer and touch an arm more than Americans do. It is simply friendliness.
• Noise: Italians talk loudly and animatedly, but apartment buildings have quiet hours, typically in the early afternoon and from about 10 or 11 pm to the morning. Keep voices down on stairs and in courtyards, and do not drag suitcases over cobblestones late at night.
• Seats on transit: Give up your seat to older people, pregnant women and people with small children. Designated seats are marked.
• Lateness: Social plans run on loose time. Trains, tours and timed museum entries do not.

At the table and the bar

Restaurant manners have their own section in Food. The short version: do not ask for the check before you are done, because the waiter will not bring it until you ask (il conto, per favore); do not expect separate checks without asking; skip parmesan on seafood; and drink coffee standing at the bar if you want the local price. If you are invited to someone's home, bring flowers, pastries from a good pasticceria or a bottle of wine, and expect to be fed more than you planned.

Tipping recap

For cards, cash and service charges in detail, see Money.

Bathrooms

Public toilets are scarce in Italian cities, and the ones that exist usually charge €0.50–€1.50 (about $0.55–$1.70), often by coin or card at a turnstile. Major train stations have paid toilets. Museums, large churches with visitor facilities, department stores and motorway rest stops are your best free options.

• Bars: The usual approach is to buy a coffee or a bottle of water and then ask posso usare il bagno? (may I use the bathroom?). Some bars refuse non-customers, and that is their right.
• Signs: Bagno, toilette or WC. Watch out: Signori means men and Signore means women. Uomini (men) and Donne (women) are clearer.
• What you will find: Toilets without seats in older bars, flush buttons on the wall or a pedal on the floor, and a bidet in most homes and hotels. Toilet paper goes in the bowl.
• Hotel bathrooms: The cord hanging next to the shower or toilet is usually an emergency alarm, not a light switch.

Monuments, fountains and the fines

Italy's most visited cities have tightened their decorum rules over the last decade, and local police now hand out fines on the spot. These are municipal rules, so they differ from city to city. Ignorance is not a defense, and "everyone else was doing it" does not help either.

Rome

• The Spanish Steps: Sitting or lying on the steps has been banned since 2019. Municipal police patrol and whistle people up; fines of €250 (about $280) have been issued, and €400 (about $448) for dirtying or damaging the steps. Stand, walk and take photos, but do not sit.
• Fountains: Wading, bathing, climbing into or putting your feet in fountains, including the Trevi, is banned and fined. Throwing a coin over your shoulder is still fine.
• Trevi Fountain fee: Since February 2, 2026, close-up access to the basin costs €2 (about $2.25). You can still see the fountain free from the piazza above. The fee applies during the day and evening, roughly 9 am to 10 pm, with later opening on some days; Rome residents, children up to 5 and visitors with disabilities and a companion are exempt. Check the current hours before you go.
• Eating at monuments: Picnicking or messy eating on monument steps and around historic fountains is prohibited.
• Other bans: Walking around bare-chested, dragging wheeled luggage and strollers down historic staircases, organized pub crawls, and carving or writing on monuments. Defacing a monument such as the Colosseum can bring criminal charges and heavy fines.
• The Pantheon charges €7 (about $8) for entry; it is still an active church, so dress accordingly. See Rome sights.

Venice

Venice enforces a set of decorum rules that police have applied more strictly since 2025. Fines reported for the main offenses:

Also avoid lying on benches, attaching padlocks to bridges and stopping on bridges in a way that blocks the flow. Keep right in narrow streets, and step aside to check your map. Venice also charges an access fee for day-trippers on peak days; see Venice for this year's calendar and how to pay.

Florence and elsewhere

• Florence has used ordinances banning eating on sidewalks and doorsteps on a few crowded streets near the Uffizi at mealtimes. Look for signs and move on if asked.
• On some Cinque Terre trails, hiking in flip-flops or sandals has been discouraged and fined because of rescues; wear real shoes. See Cinque Terre.
• In Sardinia, taking sand, pebbles or shells from beaches is illegal, with fines that run into the thousands of euros. Airport security checks bags for it. See Sardinia.
• Many cities restrict drinking in the street at night or selling takeaway alcohol late. See Wine and drinks.

Beachwear rules in towns

Swimsuits belong on the beach, and a growing list of towns says so by law. Walking through a town center in a bikini, swim trunks or without a shirt can bring a fine, and even where it is legal, locals find it disrespectful.

• Sorrento banned swimwear and bare chests in its streets and squares in 2022, with fines up to €500 (about $560).
• Venice fines swimwear and bare chests in the city at €250 (about $280).
• Rome bans walking around bare-chested in the historic center.
• Other towns have issued similar rules, including Lipari in the Aeolian Islands and Tropea in Calabria, which also targeted walking barefoot in town. Expect the same attitude on the Amalfi Coast, Capri and in most seaside resorts.

The fix is easy: throw on a cover-up, shirt or sundress and sandals when you leave the beach, even to buy a gelato. On the beach itself, norms are relaxed, and women going topless is common and legal on most Italian beaches. Beach clubs (stabilimenti) have their own rules on music, umbrellas and reserving loungers; see Outdoors.

What offends, and what does not

Avoid

• Jokes about the Mafia, especially in Sicily, Calabria and Campania, where organized crime has caused real harm. The Godfather references land badly.
• Treating Italy as one place. Italians identify strongly with their city and region; asking a Neapolitan about "Italian pizza" or a Bolognese about "spaghetti Bolognese" invites a lecture.
• Public drunkenness, loud groups late at night and party behavior in residential streets.
• Touching art, frescoes and statues, leaning on old walls with frescoes, or using flash where it is banned.
• Photographing people, especially children, nuns and priests, at close range without asking.
• Hand gestures you do not fully understand. Some common American ones mean something rude in Italy.
• Loud phone calls on trains and in restaurants. Many Frecciarossa trains have quiet areas.

Fine to do

• Speaking English. Start with buongiorno and parla inglese? and most people in tourist areas will switch.
• Ordering a cappuccino in the afternoon. You will look like a visitor, and nobody minds.
• Asking questions about food, family and someone's hometown. These are the favorite topics of conversation in Italy.
• Taking your time. Lingering over coffee, lunch or a glass of wine is the point.