The Unspoken Etiquette Tourists Should Know When Drinking With Locals In Italy

When traveling to a new country as an American, it's important to research and be familiar with the rules of common social etiquette at your destination. This is not just so you can immerse yourself in the culture and show respect for the place you are visiting; it's also to be sure you don't embarrass yourself in front of the locals. Particularly in Italy, there are lots of subtle etiquette rules regarding how you dress or how you behave in a restaurant that you will want to brush up on before getting on that departing flight. After all, ignoring Italian etiquette could leave you with a lecture, particularly when you are raising a toast!

Americans will look a bit silly if they perform their toasts in Italy the way they do in the U.S., where people just clink any kind of beverage containers together, drink up, and then go on about their merry business. In the bel paese, however, no matter how relaxed the occasion, there are a few toasting rules you should never break, because Italians are superstitious about toasts: they believe that performing one incorrectly can bring bad luck. 

The first unspoken Italian toasting rule to know about is this. In the U.S., it's perfectly fine to make a toast using any type of cup with any kind of drink inside, but you should never say cheers in Italy with a plastic cup — only glass. Even worse than missing out on that satisfying clink sound, you may bring misfortune upon yourself if you toast with that synthetic tumbler. 

You should also make sure that your glass contains vino or another alcoholic beverage, because toasting with water, soda, or nothing at all may also bring about bad luck. Another unspoken etiquette rule to keep in mind would be to make direct eye contact with the person or people you are clinking glasses with as a token of sincerity. And while you make eye contact with your toast partners, pay attention to the position of your arms, as Italians believe that crossing your arms while toasting can also evoke bad karma.  

The next bit of toasting etiquette you should know about is that there are actually two ways to say cheers, according to Joy of Languages. One is salute, which directly translates to "health." This tends to be used in more formal settings — like when having drinks or dinner with professors or colleagues. Meanwhile, cin cin is a more relaxed way to say cheers in casual situations, like at a dinner with friends. Fortunately, it doesn't appear that Italians have any superstitions about mixing up these two expressions, so don't worry about this one as much. There certainly are a lot of things to keep in mind while saying cheers in Italy. But you'll certainly impress the locals if you follow these steps correctly, and you'll keep evil energies at bay, too.