25 Things you must know before visiting Italy: Your Ultimate Italian Guide

Luxury cars require a minimum age of 30 to rent

If you are planning on renting a car to explore Italy, make sure any luxury cars are booked to persons over 30 years old, as this is the legal minimum age to rent a luxury car in Italy. Yes - this is a bit different than the United States, as the minimum age is 25, but be prepared for alternative options if the person booking and driving the rental car is under 30. Luxury vehicles consist of brands such as Land Rover, BMW, Mercedes, Audi, etc.

Highways have toll booths

If you are planning to rent a car and drive away from the metropolitan cities to the countryside by highway please expect to pay with cash at toll booths. Highways will usually have toll booths every 20-50 miles. Depending on the region you are in the prices may fluctuate. On average expect to pay around 10 Euros at each toll booth, multiplied by however many toll booths you pass through. Toll booth costs can quickly add up if traveling hours away, prices may range between 6 and 15 Euros. Many of these toll booths will not accept credit cards, we’ve actually never seen any toll booths accepting credit cards while driving around different regions of Italy so be ready with cash.

Highways all over Italy have cameras for speeding

Highways in Italy will clearly display speed limits in kilometers per hour all throughout the country, and although you may not see any police cars enforcing the speed limit and may feel at ease to speed beyond the displayed limit - expect at least one mailed in ticket, or multiple tickets, with a clear picture of you driving and a timestamp of your infraction. If you are renting a car expect these tickets to arrive about 9 months later following your infracture, so our best advice is to keep to the speed limit.

GPS signal might not exist in countryside Italy, download offline map

Make sure to download offline maps of regions you will be visiting throughout Italy because you may not get the best signal once you are away from a large city. We like to use google offline maps but there are other platforms and applications you may use for navigation.

Cash is a must

As nice as newer platforms are for ridesharing, these may not be available in major cities around Italy as they might have their own ridesharing requirements, allowing only taxi cabs in some major cities. Taxi cabs may not allow credit card payments and cash will be needed, plus they might not have exact change so be sure to have smaller denomination bills to pay your cab fare. If you are planning to rent a car and drive through long stretches of highways, expect toll booths requiring cash payment. Cash is extremely helpful for everything else because some smaller businesses or vendors will not accept credit card payments and many times you must purchase a minimum amount to pay with a card, if available at all.

Bring lower denomination euro bills

Make sure to break your large bills down into smaller bills, especially 1’s, 5’s, and 10’s because if not you may be forced to pay a higher amount when sellers or taxi cab drivers do not have spare change. If you are planning to buy anything from a small business, vendor, or hitch a taxi cab ride, you will need cash, and don’t be surprised to hear vendors and taxi cab drivers tell you they do not have change.

Restaurant siestas do exist

Don’t be shocked to see restaurants opening for dinner between 7 and 8 pm, this is part of siestas that exist all throughout Italy as a time to relax and unwind between lunch and evening dinner times. Be prepared to wait for full service meals and for dinner entrees, these may take a while to be served especially if you are arriving when a restaurant is opening. If you are near a tourist trap location, you may find food places open the whole day at the cost of quality and authenticity. The food culture in Italy is best appreciated as an experience, bringing us to our next point below!

It is common for smaller restaurants to expect you to find your desired table yourself rather than waiting to be seated

If you are coming from the United States you might be accustomed to entering a restaurant and waiting for a waiter to lead you to your table - that’s not necessarily true in Italy. Many restaurants prefer that you enter, pick your table, and await a waiter to take your orders. Feel out a restaurant, see if people are waiting for a table, if there are open tables and there is no line you may just be able to walk in, sit down, and wait for a waiter to assist you accordingly.

Restaurant menus are designed for a 3 course meal experience

The food culture of Italy values evening dinners as an experience to discover foods, drink wine, and unwind. Restaurant menus will usually show these 3 main courses: antipasti, primi piatti, secondi piatti.

In contrast, the United States runs on a faster paced culture, where food is seen simply as fuel to keep going, but when in Italy - take the time to discover and enjoy new foods, and expect to make it a 2-3 hours experience.

Tipping is not common, it’s actually very rare

Restaurant tipping in Italy is not common, and many restaurants will not even have a receipt line for adding tips because this is not a custom. Restaurants in the United States have made tipping almost a requirement in order to pay waiters minimum wage, but this is not the case throughout Italy. Please keep this in mind when going to restaurants, because even if a tip is given, the tip may not even go to your waiter.

Hot chocolate is literally melted, warm chocolate

We discovered this while enjoying the Christmas holidays in northern Italy. We were looking to warm up from the cold nights in the Alps so we ventured out for hot chocolate and came to discover that Italian hot chocolate is a creamy, thick chocolate ganache unlike we had known in the United States. Although you may find hot chocolate with an abundance of milk in more tourist trap locations, this is not the norm. Albeit, this is something delicious to try! Give yourself a new and delicious meaning to the concept of hot chocolate!

Coffee drink names are unique to Italian language

Coffee is a great part of Italian culture and the most popular form of coffee is espresso. Whether you’re going to a cafe or a restaurant, coffee is consumed for breakfast, with pastries, during mid day at cafes, and after meals. Beware of how you order coffee drinks as they will not be interpreted in the same way, a cup of coffee will translate to an espresso, while a latte will interpret simply as milk.

Athleisure is a big no-no

Fashion in Italy is very apparent as soon as you land, boasting with peacoats, boots, button ups, scarves, and business attire as everyday attire; therefore make sure to pack accordingly and blend in respectively. Athlesuire is not seen as appropriate attire when going out and about for errands, your business casual attire is considered a norm and a basic standard throughout Italy, therefore plan your outfits accordingly. Running sneakers are not something to wear out with casual outfits so expect to stick out like a sore thumb if you wear running sneakers. Better yet, find yourself some fashionable yet comfortable boots or dress up shoes and you’ll be one step closer to adopting the Italian fashion as your own.

It’s very important to wear comfortable shoes

As a couple who loves to dress fashionably we understand shoes are an important part of any attire, but trust us on this one - prioritize comfort over fashion! Many large Italian cities such as Rome, Florence, etc, have streets lined with cobblestones as live remnants from the Roman empire. These stones are HARD, uneven surfaces that will hurt your feet after walking a full day. High heels or sandals will leave your feet sore and in a sour mood while exploring. Find yourself some fashionable shoes that can comfortably support walking thousands of steps over cobblestone streets all day long.

Dress appropriately for museums and churches

Italy delivers! Abundant with beautiful, historic museums and churches that you will want to explore such as Santa Maria delle Grazie, St. Peter’s basilica at the Vatican, Duomo di Milano... the list goes on, but when planning to visit these sites remember to dress appropriately as you may be turned down at the entrance. This is especially true when visiting the Vatican as the visitor guide clearly states that short skirts, tank tops, and shoulder baring clothing may impede entry. Although this may be controversial it can be interpreted as a sign of respect. Be sure to keep attire in mind to be on your way to see beautiful, historic pieces.

Book your train tickets ahead of time

Trains can provide all the transportation you need to travel between major cities in Italy, as a matter of fact these trains can safely take you all over Europe with ease. High-speed trains can transport you from Milan to Paris in a matter of 5 hours while sitting in comfortable seats and taking in beautiful landscapes! There are quite a few major train lines in Italy, the largest train line being ItaliaRail. This train line can transport you to hundreds of cities throughout the country and outside of the country. If you have a travel itinerary you will want to book your tickets at least a few months ahead of time as these trains are very popular for both locals and tourists. When onboard, make sure to have your ticket handy as staff will come by requesting to see proper ticket purchases for everyone. This is a highly recommended form of transportation as you will be enjoying an abundance of beautiful sights!

Book sightseeing bus tours for transportation

If you are visiting a major city and would like to explore multiple tourist attraction sites within the city, we suggest booking a tour bus company so you can hop on and off to your desired tourist attraction sites. These sightseeing bus tours can be booked for the exact number of days needed and operate all day into night time, stopping at major city attractions so you can just hop on and off as needed. Our personal favorite sightseeing bus tour was BigBus, which had stops at major attractions in Rome such as the Colosseum, Pantheon, Palatine hill, Spanish steps, etc.

Do not pay attention to street vendors

Street vendors roam streets of all major cities in Italy and if you pay ANY attention to them they will be very aggressive in forcing you to buy their offered knick knacks, so our best recommendation is to not pay attention to vendors at all. Many times you will see street vendors charismatically handing a “free flower” or “free balloon” but please beware these are never free - they will haggle you to pay for these items as soon as you grab them in your hand.

European toilets

Toilets in Europe are not the same as American toilets due to a few major differences. Toilets in Europe will normally have a small amount of water in the toilet bowl. A European toilet bowl with the amount of water seen in American toilets is most likely clogged. Toilet seat covers are nonexistent in Europe, so be ready to make your own seat cover every time.

Historical buildings have different style of locks

Historical buildings in Italy, needless to say, are very old - and designed with different kinds of doors and locks that you may not be used to opening and closing. In our first adventure to Italy we encountered this problem, where we were not able to open our door once being out and about. We needed help from the host to open the door correctly - yikes! Please make sure to confirm with your host on how to open and close your doors if you are staying in a historical building. Historical buildings will usually not have the same type of modern lock and key configuration, because the design of these doors is based on deadbolts.

Outlet adapters are needed for charging electronic devices

If you are bringing electronic devices that require a charge, which let’s be honest, who doesn’t need to charge some sort of electronic device nowadays - you will need an outlet adapter to convert your north american 120V plug to the european 110V plug. You will see all electrical plugs throughout Europe look different and thus an adapter will be needed to plug into these outlets. We recommend purchasing this highly rated European Plug Adapter from Amazon, that way you are prepared when you arrive and you pay a decent price, simply add it to your cart and now you are ready for Italy!

European charging adaptors in a 2 pack assembly

Beware of pickpockets in major attraction sites

Major city attraction sites require being more aware of pickpockets and keeping your wallet and valuables stored securely and close to you. Public transportation near tourist attraction sites usually sees the highest rates of stolen wallets, purses, or phones from back pockets and jacket pockets or backpacks - so please remember to be aware and you should be okay.

Learning a few Italian phrases will go a long way!

Learn a few important phrases you will most likely need to know and ask while in Italy such as, “thank you”, “yes please”, “the check please”, and “where is the bathroom?”. While not knowing fluent Italian should be okay especially in major cities, learning at least the most important or common phrases you will encounter will go a long way and will be greatly appreciated by Italians everywhere as a sign of respect for visiting and caring enough to learn how to communicate for the essentials. We highly recommend Paul Noble’s beginner Italian audio course, available on Audible along with an accompanying PDF of the most important phrases and translations you will need to know. In one month of consistent practice you will know how to communicate basic needs and questions, and best of all feeling proud of all you have learned!

Paul Noble’s beginner Italian audio course

We hope these important must-knows help to make your next visit to Italy an amazing and comfortable experience. For more information view our other Italy articles for inspiration, guides, and recommendations!