Traveling to a new country often means experiencing unique culture shocks. Today, I’m going to be going over what stuck out to me as the weirdest things Italians do, after traveling extensively in Italy and being exposed to Italian culture for years. So, without further ado, let’s get started and learn about some of the strangest things in Italy for foreigners.

First: Italian Kissing Culture
Just as France has its famous la bise, Italy also has a prominent kissing culture. When meeting friends and family members, Italians give each other 2 or sometimes even three kisses on the cheek. You start on the other person’s left cheek, but don’t actually make contact with your lips unless you are really close to the person you are greeting. The most surprising part about Italian kissing culture, especially in the South, is that even men will kiss when greeting each other.

Second: Italian Mammoni
Another way in which Italy breaks with its macho stereotypes is in how long young Italians, especially young Italian men, live with their parents. Many of the reasons behind these statistics are of course economical, as Italy has one of the highest youth unemployment rates in Europe. Societal factors also come into play, as family is traditionally very important in Italian culture and there isn’t a big stigma associated with living in the family home. There is, however, a subsection of Italians who live at home in their 40s and beyond that Italians call mammoni, meaning mama’s boy. Mammoni are overly dependent on their mothers, even after moving out or getting married.

Third: Italians Work Weird Hours
Not only will most shops close for a few hours in the afternoon and for several weeks in August, but most Italians break for one of two hours in the middle of the day to eat lunch. Furthermore, Italians receive a minimum of 20 days paid holiday time per year.

Fourth: Italians Wear America-Themed Clothing
It’s common for Italians to wear America-themed clothing, to the point where it’s more or less become a brand itself. NASA clothing is especially popular, particularly among young people, although pretty much every Italian owns at least one item with an American flag, sports team, or city name on it.

Fifth: Italians Eat Dessert For Breakfast
Italians, on the other hand, will eat straight up dessert foods for breakfast. I’m talking about foods like milk and cookies, chocolate croissants, and bread lathered in Nutella. However, breakfast in Italy is usually very light, at least compared to America.

Sixth: Eating Horse in Italy
The average Italian eats 1 kilo of horse meat per year. Consumption is primarily concentrated in the regions of Puglia, Emilia Romagna, and Veneto. All around Italy, you can find butchers shops specializing in horse meat. Common horse dishes include Sfilacci di cavallo (tiny frayings of horse meat), Prosciutto di cavallo (horse ham), and Straéca (horse steak).

DISCLAIMER:
Everything listed here is a generalization about Italy. None of these things are meant to be taken offensively or as criticisms of Italy. These are just the Italian habits that caused me to take a second glance as a foreigner.

Weird Things That Italians Do:
0:00 Intro
0:29 Italians kiss as a greeting
1:18 Italians live with their parents
2:40 Italians work weird hours
3:48 Italians wear America-themed clothing
4:32 Italians eat dessert for breakfast
5:26 Italians eat horse meat

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