Bongiorno! Today I am helping you enjoy life a bit more by adding some Italian habits to your week. These are some habits we picked up on hopping around Italy. Read along to add a little Italian culture to your life.
Prego!
8 Ways to Add Italian Culture to Your Life
- Drink espresso. Fun fact: What we call coffee in the US is actually a simple shot of espresso in Italy. If made correctly, it is delicious! We have a Bazzetti to make six shots espresso. Brad and I split it in the morning with frothed milk for an affordable cappuccino.
- Thin Crust Pizza. The Italians eat it thin and with very sparse toppings. It is like the healthy version of pizza and super crispy. Oh, how I miss it already.
- Happy Hour – Apertivo. Restaurants in Italy do not open until 6. You can find everyone enjoying a happy hour spritz and apertivo prior to dinner. When in Rome or when your heart is in rome you apertivo to hold you over until 9 PM dinner.
- Slow it down. One thing we noticed is that Italians love their breaks. 15 minutes late or not, they WILL get their smoke break. I don’t recommend you chain-smoke, but we all could use a little break and slow-down. Life will go on tomorrow.
- Take a siesta (an afternoon nap). Again, many shops in Italy are closed from 1-4 for siesta or break. Really, I am just always looking to take a nap and Italian schedules are accommodating.
- Break out your linen. Leather and linen are aplenty in Italy. I love thin, yet beautiful linen fabrics in Italy. You do not catch Italians in shorts or dresses above the knee. They manage to stay cool via linen fabrics. Plus, it’s beautiful.
- Enjoy a Spritz. First, get a fancy wine cup. Fill it with ½ prosecco, ½ Aperol or Campari liquor. Top with a splash of club soda to get a spritz! The liquor makes it a fun coral, orangey red color. Add an orange and/or strawberry garnish if you are feeling extra. Brad and I became huge fans of the Spritz in Florence, Italy. They were 8 Euro beside our apartment, 6 euro down the street, and 3 euro in a local wine shop hidden on the next street. I mean- talk about tourism- we kept that wine shop in business those 3 days.
- Grab some Italian wine from Trader Joe’s. Finally, most restaurants we visited had the vino della casa (house wine) for around 10 Euro a liter. These were usually of the Sangiovese or Chianti varieties (both reds).
I hope you enjoyed this little snippet! If you are headed to Italy soon, check out my 10 Day Tour of Italy Itinerary HERE.
VENICE GUIDE
ROME GUIDE
FLORENCE GUIDE
POMPEII GUIDE
THE AMALFI COST GUIDE
With Joy,
Audrey
