No one said there were RULES!

When I got off the plane to come here, they only asked for my passport. They never gave me the sheet of paper with the "Rules for Living in Italy" to sign, study and learn! Which left me to have to learn them on my own ... 

1 -- If you live in an apartment, all expats must be quiet after 11 p.m. (23:00 for those of you who live life by a 24-hour clock) and before 8:00 a.m. ... even if your Italian neighbors let their children stay up until 2 a.m. screaming, yelling, crying, running up and down the stairs and generally being a nuisance -- It's an expat thang, don'cha know ;-)

2 -- If you double-park your car and block someone in, you need to listen for a honking horn -- or the long, laying-on of a horn -- or risk being screamed at with a slew of fun words for being a jerk...at 6 a.m.! If you're sleeping and you're being "called" in this manner, don't waste time getting dressed -- just get out there even in your pj's!

3 -- This one's important, too: old people (especially women) and pregnant ladies get precedence in supermarket lines (and always on a bus or metro), even if there is no sign stating this. Watch for the evil eye and listen for the not-so-quiet muttering you will hear if you don't respect this!

4 -- Those little copper "pennies" (centessimi) will come in handy on your end. 
Cashiers will expect you to have change to even out your payment, and will even give you "the face" and a sigh to go along with it if you don't produce! Be prepared for the long, drawn-out, dramatic search in the cash machine while people in line are beginning to sigh and mumble about "the foreigner". Don't question it if you are given a centessimo more or less -- it's all good!  Banks don't give their customers rolls of coins, so shops like to get rid of them ;-)

5 -- Italians are social creatures, so don't think you're going to be able to say "this is my space, this is yours" because your neighbors will come and introduce themselves to you -- which is why you should always have the coffee handy and some sweets available.  They're just being social and not nosy ... well, okay, yes they're being nosy because they'll need something to talk about and "the stranieri" make for perfect fodder! But they really are being social.  In this vein, around Christmas and Easter always have some extra panettone ready to give out to the portiere of your building and for anyone who may drop by!

6 -- Remember to take a number in the deli at the supermarket. You'll be hanging around all day if you don't, and you won't be cut any slack because you're "a foreigner".

7 -- When you go to the big markets, be prepared to be bumped (a not-so-subtle hint) by old women with their little roller-carts. They are on missions!  If you want to learn which is the best stand, or how to negotiate the best price (even a few centessimi difference), then follow those carts! But remember to get out of the way, and soon you'll be jumping and weaving with the best of them ;-)

Any more you can think of? What rules have you learned?