Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Doing Business With - . .: Italy
Doing Business With - . .: Italy
ITALY
Prepared by
Crystal
ITALIAN CULTURE
~Italy is described as colorful, rich, bold, and
romantic.
~Italy has a population of over 58 million
people.
~Italians have a passion for everything they do.
~Italians love to laugh, talk loudly, and speak
with hand gestures.
~Italians love their food, music and heritage.
MAP OF ITALY
FLAG REPRESENTATION
GREEN symbolizes hope
WHITE represents faith
Italy
Time Zone
ITALY
German
French
January 6
April 25
May 1
June 2
August 15
November 2
December 8
December 26
Entertaining
Introduction
Doing Business
In
Italy
Punctuality
Meetings,
Negotiations &
Appointments
Greetings
When arriving and leaving, shake
hands with everyone
Women may kiss good friend on
either cheek (more like pressing the
sides of each others face)
Italians are comfortable with standing
very close. Dont back away! This is
interpreted as unfriendly.
Introduction
Dont use first names unless invited
Use the title
Man
*Dottore
*Signor
Woman
*Dottoressa
*Signora
Punctuality
Aim to be punctual
Deliberate lateness is considered
sloppy
Taking peoples time for granted is
simply rude
Entertaining
Hospitality plays a key role in Italian
business culture
Invitations to lunch and dinner are
expected
There are certain protocols for dining
Main Attraction
The Leaning
Tower of Pisa
Tourist Attractions
Pasteum
Cinque Terre
Amalfi Coast
Milan
Firenze
Tuscany
Rome
References
Kwintessential Ltd, Kwintessential Language and
Culture Specialists, Retrieved April 28, 2007.
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/etiquette/doingbusiness-ital.html
Life in Italy .com, Retrieved April 28, 2007.
http://www.lifeinitaly.com.html
Rizza, Maria. Personal e-mail Interview, April 28, 2007May 8, 2007. rowri@tin.it.