When expressing love to a friend, the most common phrase used in Italian is “Ti voglio bene.” This phrase translates to “I care about you” or “I love you” in English. It is a more casual way of expressing love and is commonly used among close friends and family members.
Other Italian phrases to express love besides "ti amo" include "ti adoro" (I adore you), "sei la mia vita" (you are my life), and "ti voglio tanto bene" (I love you very much).
Finally, we came to the simplest expression you can use to say I love you in Italian. “Ti amo” is pretty different from “sono innamorato di te”. While the latter can only be used to confess your love once, you can say “ti amo” whenever you want.
Prolonging and intense eye-contact
If you notice that she tries hard to catch your sight and she intensely looks into your eyes while talking, she might be trying to apprise you of her interest in you.
The general rule of the cheek kisses is to give one or two light kisses, one on each side. Your lips shouldn't touch the other person's cheek unless you are extremely good friends; instead, aim to lightly touch your cheek to theirs.
In Italy, it is a common practice to greet someone with a light kiss on both their cheeks. This is true even if you are just newly acquainted or if you have known someone for quite a long time.
It is common to give air kisses on both cheeks (starting with your left) when greeting those you know well. This is called the 'il bacetto'. However, in Southern Italy, men generally only kiss family members and prefer to give a pat on the back to show affection in a greeting.
«L'amor che move il sol e l'altre stelle» /”The love that moves the sun and the other stars” closes the canticle of the Paradise of the Divine Comedy and has become the prince of idioms on love in Italian. For Dante Alighieri, the great poet, love moves the world (and people too).
Most Italians are warm and demonstrative. They particularly enjoy bestowing their kisses on close friends and family, but for new acquaintances (potential future friends), in business settings, and with strangers, a handshake is the greeting of choice.
Italian men are known for being enthusiastic about public displays of affection (PDA). They see it as a natural first step in expressing their love and admiration for their partners. Be prepared for these little things, as Italian men won't shy away from adding a little romance and affectionate gestures in public.
With Italian lovers, it's a more of a full body sport... A bit more bite or squeeze in by the lips. A firm tenderness with fingers on cheek, neck or gentle tug of hair while kissing. Kissing often being part of a well planned, sensual meal.
One way to get someone's attention is to use the imperative command form of a verb. Two useful verbs for this purpose are ascoltare (to listen) and sentire (to hear).
Pash (pash) / Kiss
An indelicate description of kissing passionately, hence the name. Pashing typically leads to two things: pash rash (red marks around the lips caused by excessive kissing), and/or rooting (the crass Australian term for the birds and the bees).
The more you know the person, the more cheek kisses to expect. 1 kiss = a quick hello or goodbye to a friend, acquaintance/stranger. 2 kisses = friend/close friend/family member. 3+ kisses = close friend/family member.
Avoid kissing sounds in the other person's ear. No, no comfort! Switch smoothly to the left cheek and repeat the gesture. We don't want to make this more difficult than it is, but in some parts of Italy you hit the left cheek first and then the right cheek.
Being Mediterranean, Italian women have very distinct characteristics that set them apart from other ethnicities. Italian women are known to have an intense gaze, olive skin, dark eyes, and dark hair. High cheekbones, a small or Roman nose, long hair, and soft lips are considered beautiful in Italy.
The most common way to say beautiful in Italian is "bello" - you can also use some variations of this adjective, like "molto bello" and "bellissimo".
Outside of Italy, people may colloquially say or write ciao bella to evoke an Italian air for rhetorical effect or to demonstrate worldliness. In the US, ciao bella is often used more flirtatiously, meant to impress or compliment an attractive woman, more in line with its Roman applications.
Two Kisses: Spain, Italy, Greece, Germany, Hungary, Romania, Croatia, Bosnia, Brazil (though, like France, the number can differ by region), and some Middle Eastern countries (though not between opposite sexes)