Handshakes, cheek kisses, when to use "Lei" vs "tu" — the greeting protocol that Italians take seriously.
Plan your Italy trip →Buongiorno is mandatory. When you walk into a shop, restaurant, elevator, or any enclosed space with people, you say buongiorno (morning/afternoon) or buonasera (evening). Not saying it is like ignoring someone's existence — genuinely rude in Italian culture.
Ciao is informal. Use it with friends, young people in casual settings, people who say it to you first. Don't use ciao with elderly people, officials, or in formal situations.
First meeting (formal): Handshake. Firm, brief, with eye contact. Standard in business, shops, restaurants, and with anyone you don't know personally.
Friends and acquaintances: The cheek kiss — two kisses, starting with the RIGHT cheek (lean left first). Not actual kissing — a cheek touch with an air kiss sound. Men-women, women-women: standard. Men-men: depends on the region and closeness (more common in the south).
Close friends: A hug plus cheek kisses. The warmth level scales with the closeness of the relationship.
Lei (formal "you"): Use with anyone older, in authority, or whom you've just met. Shopkeepers, waiters, officials, doctors. This is the safe default.
Tu (informal "you"): Use with friends, peers in casual settings, children. Someone will say "dammi del tu" (use tu with me) when they want to drop the formality.
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