10 Things Italians Wish Tourists Would Stop Doing

Please stop harming us with your selfie sticks.

As travel to Italy ramps up for the summer, I thought it would be fun to share this article from the archives written by Rachel Vermiglio Smith.

Here are ten things Italians wish tourists would stop doing while visiting il bel paese.

1.) Harming others with your selfie sticks

Imagine you’re walking down the street.

You’ve got heavy groceries in a thin plastic bag in one hand, and a paper bag full of bread, swaddled like a baby and propped on your hip, on the other.

The plastic bag is threatening to break under the weight of your acquisitions, and your arm has gone numb from holding the bread.

Only two more blocks to go, you think, before I can climb the 100 steps to my apartment and have a break.

Then, out of nowhere, WHAP!

Someone swings their selfie stick, hitting you smack in the face.

Your bread goes flying into the Arno, and your bag of groceries finally succumbs under its own weight.

You’re distraught – all that hard work, money and time. When you turn to face the culprit, the tourist smiles happily, completely unaware.

Who cares what happens to you, dear local, as long as she gets her perfect shot, lips pouty, Ponte Vecchio behind her.

2.) Being loud

Have you ever been to one of those science museum rooms where someone whispers something on one side of a room and you, standing on the other, can hear it perfectly because of the shape of the walls?

The same principle applies in small alleyways in Italy. Your voice, bouncing off the buildings and cobblestones, carries perfectly into the quiet homes above.

Please use your indoor voice outdoors when visiting. What’s more, if you know that you get louder the more that you drink, then please drink mindfully.

3.) Randomly stopping in the middle of doorways and sidewalks

Despite the fact that you need to consult your map, sidewalks, doorways and streets are still places of movement.

Locals are coming and going, and other tourists are on to their next destination.

This is made even more frustrating when “excuse me”, “scusi”, “permesso”, “scusemoi” and any number of other words across a spectrum of languages for “move” are used, to no avail.

4.) Making gross generalizations

If you’re going to make gross generalizations, the least that you can do is never let a local hear you do it.

Saying “Italians do it like this…”  after two days in Florence is like only visiting the strip in Las Vegas and then telling everyone how all Americans prefer fake beaches to real beaches and everything is open 24 hours.

Since you know those gross generalizations aren’t true about Americans, please don’t make them about Italians.

All Italians do not eat their pasta al dente, not everyone rides motorini and not everyone takes 2-hour lunch naps in the afternoon.

Please, leave the generalizations at the door as you exit the plane.

5.) The way you pronounce “grazie”

Unless you were born and raised in Naples, Italy, “thank you” is pronounced, GRAH-tsee-eh.

It is not pronounced grahtz, grah-tzee, grah-zay, or any other combination of the word.

6.) Learning NONE of the language

While this won’t be a problem for the readers of this website, not even bothering to learn “grazie” or “per favore” drives locals crazy.

Since this won’t be a problem for you, you can do locals a favor by encouraging all of your friends who plan on visiting Italy to learn a handful of words.

7.) Visiting major tourist spots without knowing anything about them

While this might not be shared by all locals, it is a particular pet peeve among many when tourists follow the crowd by going to major attractions without knowing anything about them, like looking at the David and not knowing what it is or who made it.

Take the time to read up on the basic facts, and I guarantee you’ll enjoy the sights much more.

8.) Buying items from illegal street vendors

The illegal street vendors in Italy are a huge economic burden for the country.

They don’t pay taxes, the goods often come from illegal sweatshops, and often times those selling them don’t have visas or permits.

If you love Italy, please stop buying from them, and support the Italians who work hard and pay a lot of money in taxes to follow the rules.

9.) Giving money to Roma people

Lesson #1: Roma people are not poor people who are down on their luck and desperately need a hand out.

They belong to a culture where begging for money is the norm, and despite what their sign says, they won’t use your euro to  feed their babies.

Every “sad” Roma person on the street has access to Italian health care, Italian social services and even food programs, so please stop giving them money.

If you must give them something, just go buy them a “ricarica”, or credit, for their smartphone. When I lived in Italy, the Roma people on my street had the iPhone 6 before I did.

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About the Author: Rachel graduated with a degree in Italian language and literature. After falling in love with Italian art as well, she went on for a master’s in art history with a focus on the Italian Renaissance. You can follow her on Instagram @theitalianista.

Note to the passionate Italian language student: This is a free lesson that I hope makes you laugh and love Italian just a little bit more than you already do. If you love this content, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Everything around is funded by readers like you and by my enthusiasm for the Italian language and culture. Grazie in anticipo!