Common Tourist Mistakes Language barriers can be a hassle for people who are not that used to travel around the world. In fact, it often happens that while you say something in your language, you actually mean a completely different thing in the language of the country you’re visiting. In Italy, this often happens regarding food – surprising, right? ;D. However, worry not, we’re here to help you! Keep reading to learn how to avoid some of the common tourist mistakes made while in Italy. Common Tourist Mistake #1: “Let’s go to a bar for a couple drinks!” Truth is, bars in Italy don’t sell alcoholic drinks. Well, some do, but it’s not the main product they serve. This can be a very common tourist mistake for some. What you want to find if you’re looking for a refreshing drink is a pub. A bar is a lot more like a café. Common Tourist Mistake #2: “A latte, please!” Have you ever tried to order a “latte” at an Italian café only to be served this? This probably happened because latte in Italian literally translates to plain milk. Therefore, if you want an American latte, try asking for a “caffè macchiato”, “caffelatte” or “cappuccino” instead! Common Tourist Mistake #3: “Why are there peppers on my pizza?!” Chances are, if you’ve ordered a pepperoni pizza at an Italian restaurant, you ended up getting a pizza with sweet peppers on top. Don’t worry, it’s not yours or the waiter’s fault. Again, it’s part of very common tourist mistakes. “Peperoni” in Italian means sweet peppers, whereas “salame” is what comes closest to American pepperoni. Also, you might’ve noticed that at a restaurant there’s no pizza size and usually everyone gets a personal one. Usually, that’s because the crust is usually really thin (at
Common Tourist Mistakes Language barriers can be a hassle for people who are not that used to travel around the world. In fact, it often happens that while you say something in your language, you actually mean a completely different thing in the language of the country you’re visiting. In Italy, this often happens regarding
One of the Italian food par excellence is the mozzarella di bufala (buffalo milk mozzarella), which has become a must have for tourists who love eating well and, above all, healthy. This food still hides a little mystery about the arrival of buffaloes in Italy. There are many hypotheses about it. Some say that the Indian buffalo came to Italy with the Langobard invaders; some, on the other hand, state that they were brought to Sicily by the Arabs and, from there, they spread throughout the continent thanks to the Normans, who were invaders as well. However, recent archeological discoveries - fossils found in the countryside around Rome and in Tuscany, as well as in the island of Pianosa - tend to give buffaloes a local origin. Whatever the circumstances of their arrival in Italy and their expansion (whose remarkable impulse was due to the extension of swamp areas, their favorite environment) might have been, buffalo breeding is now one of the country’s excellences, also thanks to the enormous attention given to protection of the species. The production of protected origin buffalo mozzarella attends precise requirements, which also obtained recognition within the EU. Today, production areas include Campania (the provinces of Caserta and Salerno, and part of the provinces of Benevento and Naples); Lazio (part of the provinces of Frosinone, Latina and Rome); Puglia (the Gargano area and part of the province of Foggia); and Molise (part of the province of Isernia). Buffalo milk mozzarella can stay fresh up to 4 days outside the fridge, in fact, one should never keep it in fridge, because the molecular structure changes, and the cheese becomes rubbery. The handmade mozzarella should have a little “nipple” on it, it's a sign that the mozza balls were separated by hand. Another sign of great, handmade
One of the Italian food par excellence is the mozzarella di bufala (buffalo milk mozzarella), which has become a must have for tourists who love eating well and, above all, healthy. This food still hides a little mystery about the arrival of buffaloes in Italy. There are many hypotheses about it. Some say that the
