Italians place importance on appearance and fashion. Greetings are formal but enthusiastic, involving handshakes, eye contact, or air kisses between friends. Punctuality is less emphasized for social events than business. Family is the center of social life and provides emotional and financial support. Non-verbal communication like gestures, eye contact, touch and music are especially powerful forms of expression in Italian culture.

1. ITALIAN

2. Diverse Greetings
•Greetings are enthusiastic, but still remain
formal.
•Handshakes and direct eye contact are traded
between strangers.
•Hugs and air kisses on the cheeks are traded
among friends.
•Calling cards containing the persons name

3. Punctuality
•‘Time is Money’ is not a common
phrase in Italy.
•Foreign business man or woman should
be punctual for business appointments,
although the Italian executive may not
be there.

4. Dining etiquette
•In Italian, etiquette is generally called
galateo.
•If an invitation says the dress is informal,
wear stylish clothes that are still rather
formal, i.e jacket and tie for men and an
elegent dress for woman.
•Punctuality is not mandatory if invited to a
dinner.

5. Grooming
•Fashion and style are very important to the
Italian people.
•It can indicate their sosial and economic
status.
•Italian can judge someone by their
appearance alone.
•‘ Bella Figura’ is not only your appearance,

6. Grooming
• People dress more
formally in Italy.
Therefore dress your
best!
• Simple, elegant clothes
are normal attire
• Italians consider
bathing costumes,
skimpy tops and flip-
flops or sandals with
no socks strictly for the
• Informal Attire-
Informal generally
means tastefully
coordinated clothes,
sometimes including a
jacket and tie for men.
• “formal” dress usually
means formal evening
wear
• Jeans are not appropriate
for church (White,2007)

7. Prioritizing
•Family is very important to the Italian
people
•Family is the center of sosial life
•The family provides both emotional and
financial support

8. Non-verbal
Communications
• Italians use eye contact to depict how honest
one is.
• Touch is the one of the most powerful forms
of non-verbal communication
• “Italians use body language and hand gestures
to punctuate an expression and give it a
shading that the word or phrase itself lacks.”
• Music is a powerful form of communication;
which is important in Italian culture.
• Italian culture has a rich history in art in
which it provides cultural identity to the

9. Italian interests and avoidance in
communications.
Avoidance:
• Avert eyes
• Cross arms
• Lean back
• Close Mouth
Interest:
• Eye contact
• Raised brows
• Lean in
• Smile