The One Greeting Rule Every Visitor To Italy Needs To Know

Italians are known around the world as a warm and friendly people. But they may side-eye you if you violate their unspoken rules, such as food–drink pairings, fashion choices, and social etiquette. For example, greetings are extremely important in Italy anytime you interact with someone or even just encounter them on the street. This is in stark contrast to Switzerland — a country famous for its directness — where greetings between strangers aren't mandatory, and exchanges tend to get straight to the point. 

When in Italy, definitely greet people when you meet them — in a shop, bar, restaurant, or hotel, and yes, also when passing them on the street. A  proper greeting does not need to be effusive, a simple "salve" (polite form of hello) or "buongiorno" (good day) will do, paired with a smile and brief eye contact. In the early evening when the light starts to wane, "buongiorno" changes to "buona sera," meaning good evening. In theory, you could also say "buon pomeriggio" (good afternoon) between lunch and dinner, but it's a much less common expression. 

Then there's the most famous Italian greeting of them all: "ciao!" This is actually a very informal greeting. Therefore, you should only use "ciao" with family or good friends if you want to abide by Italian social etiquette.

After you've had an exchange with someone — let's say a shop owner or restaurant server — Italians consider it polite to say goodbye, too. There are a few different ways to that also depend on the time of day: "buona giornata" during the day and "buona serata" in the evening. Another expression, "buona notte" (good night) is a way to say goodbye to someone when you're parting for the night, often right before bedtime. 

Everyone's favorite — "ciao a tutti" (goodbye everyone) — can also be used in parting, but once again, it's reserved for informal contexts. Maybe all these rules are giving you a Colosseum-sized headache and you want to keep it simpler. In that case, "arrivederci" is another Italian expression for "goodbye" and can be used no matter what time of day it is. Grazie a Dio (thank God)!

You'll be relieved to know that most Italians use one simple word when they want to say thank you: "grazie." If you really want to get fancy, you can dress up the expression in a few ways, like by saying "grazie tanto" (thanks much) or even "grazie mille" (a thousand thanks). On that note, ciao for now. Before leaving for your trip, be sure to learn more about some other important words and phrases to know when traveling in Italy.