Taboos in Italy?

Question

I'm doing a travel project for social studies...we need to plan a two week trip to some place (I chose Italy) but we also need to include research....I need to list some taboos they have. I've looked on this site at other's answers to similar questions, but most people seemed like they were joking, or it seemed kinda...inappropriate for school (lol)...please give me some real taboos they have in Italy?

Answer 1

First of all  I agree with cnx!.

Maybe we are careful about wastefulness and environment, but really not too much (unfortunately).

And it's true that we are very traditionalists about food, but I think that these aren't real taboos.

Maybe that the only real taboo is that nobody is allowed to be rough with our mummy !  We keep on beeing sons (children), until we become parents.

Bye

Answer 2

You may also wanna include intoxication. Although there are no laws prohibiting to buy alcohol under the age of 21 and wine is never missing on an italian table, getting drunk (like lets say at the weekend at the bar with friends) is less tolerated than in the US and in no way considered an acceptable way to have fun.

Italians in general tend to be very conservative about food habits. Experimenting is always despised. You do not wanna drink a cappuccino before or after lunch (thats only for breakfast) you do not want to put anything but parmesan on your pasta, and no ketchup on your pizza, just to mention a few: generally speaking you have to abide by some "rules" about food, unless you wanna be called a degenerate:).

Answer 3

I am roman...but what do you mean for taboos?

you want to know if italians have some problems or if there is something that they don't accept or hate!

or if they are bigoted or too much chatolic?

send me a mail if you want...but write in very easy english because I am not so good...

Answer 4

I am an American living in Italy now.  I have been told it is very rude to order more food than you can eat, or at a private home put more on your plate than you can eat and not finish.  Italians, and I think Europeans in general take wastefulness and caring for the environment very seriously.

Answer 5

I agree with cnx for the first 2 points,but for the 3rd one in my opinion it really depends on the person.

The food is not that important(btw,no one in Italy puts pineapple on the pizza).

I think the 'Italian taboos' are basically about two arguments:

1)Religion

Here it's not funny to make fun of the Pope,God,etc (all the americans I know think it's very funny).Never try to translate into italian expressions such as 'holy ****' or 'holy c**p' if you don't want to be killed :) (the americans told me they're really not that vulgar in English, but, at least in Italian, I have to disagree:anything with holy and a curse word in the same sentence is very vulgar)

2)Family

Do not insult a family member, mainly mother and sisters.

Answer 6

I'm Italian and for me the most important taboos are talk with parents about sexuality or says blasphemies and waste food...

Answer 7

we are europeans and western

we are not different of other people but

dont talk bad about mother and family ths may be is our taboo

if you 're offence italian family people get very angry