As to greeting friends and relatives, the tradition dictates that you must exchange a hug and two kisses on the cheeks. Many foreigners, especially those from northern countries, tend to find the traditional way of greeting people in Italy rather unpleasant.
Physical Contact: Italians are generally tactile people and quite affectionate. It is common to see hugging, kissing, back slapping and hand holding in public.
Showing affection in public is very common in Italy. If you want to show your affection for someone, hold hands while walking together or embrace each other in public. Kissing is the number one way that Italians show affection. They kiss everyone: friends, relatives, children, grandparents…you name it!
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.
The primary exception is Italy, which starts il bacio on the left. While some cultures really do apply lips to cheek, you're better off refraining. Instead, touch cheeks and administer an air kiss—a soft smacking sound, as opposed to the more bombastic mwah! —forgoing any actual exchange of saliva.
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.
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.
In Italy (especially southern and central Italy) it is common for men to kiss men, especially relatives or friends. In most Southern European countries, kissing is initiated by leaning to the left side and joining the right cheeks and if there's a second kiss, changing to the left cheeks.
Now, a study of 3,000 tourists conducted by Italian sexologist Serenella Salomoni found that Italians won in five different romance categories, among them passion, duration, and even oral hygiene. French kissers, although in second place, lost out by a considerable margin of 10 percent.
Italy: Two kisses is standard, but watch out — Italians tend to start with the left cheek. Also, try to save it for casual social environments (not networking events).
After the first catchphrase, an Italian flirting strategy would usually proceed with a ton of compliments and sweet words accompanied by slow movements like holding your hand, caressing your face, blinking, winking, smiling, and looking in your eyes.
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).
And this passion is not just reserved for love and affection. Consider the things Italy is famous for: food, cooking, fashion, design, art, politics, religion, family, opera, even the terrible driving – everything in Italy is approached with gusto, joie de vivre, energy and, of course, passion!
DON'T show too much skin for example; arms, cleavage, and legs unless you want guys dribbling all night over you and what you've got on show.
Scientists assessed the association between the frequency of hugging, kissing, and other forms of affectionate touch and love in 37 countries. People in Austria showed the most affectionate touch towards their partners.
Your sex life will thank you
It's not just a cliché that Italians are good in bed – the statistics prove it. One poll that called English lovers 'too lazy' put Italians in the top three nationalities for lovemaking. Some scientists even say a rampant sex life is helping Italians live longer.
What is an Australian kiss? An Australian kiss. is when you start off with a French kiss. and then you end up Down Under.
Fingertips Kiss: Gently bring the fingers and thumb of your right hand together, raise to your lips, kiss lightly, and joyfully toss your fingers and thumb into the air. This gesture is used commonly in Italy, France, Spain, Greece, and Germany as a form of praise. It can mean sexy, delicious, divine, or wonderful.
Three kisses in a row is a new type of kiss that a person in love gives to the one they love. These kisses are short ones that come one after the other. If they give you these magical three kisses, one after the other, they want to make sure that you know that they love you.
: the act or an instance of fluttering one's eyelashes against another person's skin. "… I've invented a new way of kissing. You do it with your eye-lashes." "I've known that for years. It's called a butterfly kiss." Evelyn Waugh.
In Italy, there's a whole lotta smooching going on. On streets, on bridges, on buses … at beaches. Kissing in Italy is an anytime/anywhere scenario. If, currently, PDA's (public displays of affection) wig you out, then traveling Italy will likely inspire a change in perspective.
(sexology, vulgar) The act of someone performing oral sex on a woman during her menstrual period while also simultaneously receiving oral sex from her, followed by a kiss where male ejaculate and menstrual fluid are exchanged via kissing, then usually swallowed. quotations ▼
Usually the cheek kissing routine is between women and women and men and women, but there are regions in Italy, mostly in the south, where men greet one another with kisses on either cheek.
In Switzerland, as in neighboring France, it is common for women and people of opposite sexes to greet each other with alternating kisses on both cheeks. The Swiss version generally involves an asymmetrical three in total, in contrast to the two more usual for 'la bise' (the kiss) across the border.