Fun Facts About Touring Italy That New Englanders Might Not Know

Traveling to a foreign country can be stressful, but not if you know what to expect. One of the top tourist spots is Italy, a country filled with beautiful views, historic locations, food, and fashion.

Having just returned from another trip to Italy, I was thinking about a few fun facts that many might not know, whether you are traveling from New England or other parts of the country.

1.)  If you are traveling to Europe in the warmer months, most places do not have air-conditioning.  They may advertise that they do, but my last rental in Milan was climate-controlled, and the temperature would not go below 70 degrees F.  It was miserable sleeping in this posh city apartment.  In the mountains, everyone sleeps with windows wide open.

2.)  When driving a rental car in Italy, there will often be an attendant to fill your gas tank (which is a nice surprise).  If parking, you should know that yellow spaces are for locals with permit parking, blue spaces are for paid parking, and white spaces are free.

3.)  Italians, especially woman, do not dress in a provocative manner.  They dress with class and style. That doesn't mean they're not sexy; they're just not trashy.  Contrary to some travel blogs, Italians do wear modest shorts and jeans, but they walk so much that they don't wear clothing that's not comfortable.  Linen, cotton, and silk are common clothing choices.

4.) When you greet someone, you give a slight kiss on each cheek in social situations. Most start with the left cheek, and then the right, but some regions start with the right, so go with what the locals practice.

5.) Cappuccinos are only consumed in the morning hours.  If you drink coffee in the afternoon, you drink espresso.  The "Americano" coffee is watered-down black coffee, and not worth ordering.  Go with what the Italians order if you need your caffeine fix.

6.)  If you are a coffee fan (particularly Starbucks), there are only six Starbucks Roasteries in the world, one of which is in Milan.  Who would want to go to Starbucks when on an Italian vacation?  It's so worth taking the 40-euro tour and tasting coffee roasted right there from the best beans in the world.  The tour ends upstairs at the Arriviamo Bar, with creative coffee-alcohol concoctions.  The secret to their most delicious espresso martini is sweet cream and olive oil.

Prego!