The Culture of Italy: Learn More About Italy

Exploring the Culture of Italy

Exquisite art, music, food, and architecture make the perfect backdrop on an evening passeggiata (a slow walk) in Italy. From sunny isles and electric blue surf, glacial lakes and fiery volcanoes, rolling vineyards and urban landscapes, Italy is a country of unparalleled beauty. It’s impossible not to marvel at splendid palaces, paintings, churches, and monuments without admiring the centuries of devotion to traditional techniques.

In addition to a rich history, Italian culture consistently leads the way in style and fashion. The world’s best gelato, rich home-cooked meals, remnants of the Roman Empire, snow-capped Alps, or picturesque coastal towns on the Adriatic Sea help Italians truly live la dolce vita (the sweet life).

Study abroad in Italy Host an Italian student in the U.S.

Family Dynamic in Italy

In the culture of Italy, families are generally quite close and they are the focal point for life. Even though daily life is always a rush, Italians always find a way to spend quality time together by eating all around the table. At the dinner table, nobody is in a rush. It’s a time of the day that the parents and children share their thoughts, experiences, and family discussions in general. It is common for many generations to live together under one roof, especially in the South. Young adults tend to stay at home until they get married.

Teenage Life

In Italian culture, teenagers are used to being independent and organizing their own time, chatting in cafés, walking around town, going out dancing, or playing sports. Calcio, Italian soccer league, is the cause of celebration for many Italians, whose teams have won several World Cups. Other sports Italian teenagers enjoy are basketball, cycling, and skiing.

Young people usually get together at the house of a friend, or in places where one can play. Young Italians talk a lot in the afternoon about what they are going to do at night, but rarely ever do what they had planned earlier. In fact, they usually prefer to “stare insieme”, just to stay together. They tend to go to a bar (Italian bars are completely different from American bars, they are more like snack bars), a pizzeria, or a birreria, a discoteca, a “festa” (party). In small towns and cities, both young people and adults traditionally go to the main piazza, park, or street in the afternoon or on Sunday morning to walk and meet their friends.

Official Language

Italian is the official language, although there are different dialects from city to city. There are significant French- and German-speaking pockets of people, as well as the complex Friuliano dialect close to the Slovenian border.

Italian Communication Style

In the culture of Italy, people are generally direct communicators who speak openly about their emotions. They expect honesty from each other and avoid ambiguity in conversation. Italians are curious, opinionated, and talkative. Generally, Italian conversations are full-body experiences, complete with lively hand gestures and animated facial expressions. Typically, people stand close to one another and personal space is smaller than in other cultures. People may speak loudly, but this is usually a sign of excitement rather than anger. People often speak over one another to be heard.

The Italian Diet

Italians take their time when eating and meals are usually long and filling. In the culture of Italy, food is a source of pleasure and enjoyment, where people enjoy lunch in the company of family and friends. Meals contain generous portions, strong coffee, and tasty treats. Fantastic bread, cheeses, and incomparable pizza and pasta are staples of this cuisine, accompanied by seafood, meat, and fresh vegetables. For dessert, there’s a broad selection of traditional pastries, including tiramisu, a rich cake whose name means “pull me up” because of how satisfied and full it makes you feel.

The average Italian family eats three meals a day: a light breakfast, lunch with pasta and/or meat and vegetable, and supper with pasta/soup and/or meat/cheese and vegetable. Lunch and supper always include fruit at the end.