The Five Rules of Italy

My parents just arrived yesterday after a hellish travel day and we're so excited to have them here! In honor of our first and only visitors this year, we put together a list of the five rules of Italy:

1. NO cappuccinos after 12 pm. In the afternoon, you must switch to macchiatos or teeny cups of espresso (or Spritzes!).

2. NO red wine before 12 pm! So when you can't drink cappuccinos any more because it's 12:01, you can switch to red wine, if you like. We tend to wait until 7 pm, but we're sooo American.

3. There is no speed limit. Drive how you feel, but don't drive slowly.

4. You CANNOT toast with water and you CANNOT sit at the corner of a table to eat a meal or else, rumor has it, you won't get married.

5. Expect any plans you make to go out the window. (This has already happened once this trip when my parents were supposed to get in at 11:45 am, but ended up getting here at 5:00 pm. And I'm sure it will happen many, many more times over the next ten days).

And, always remember: This is Italy. In this great country, anything goes!