La Bella Vita is our regular look at the real culture of Italy – from language to cuisine, manners to art. This newsletter is published weekly and you can receive it directly to your inbox, by going to newsletter preferences in ‘My Account’ or following the instructions in the newsletter box below.

If, like me, you’re a fan of hot and spicy food, you might find heat is the one thing Italian cuisine lacks.

If you try to name Italian dishes that contain spice, you won’t come up with much – with the exception of some dishes from the southern Calabria region, famous for its fiery red ‘nduja sausage made with Calabrian peperoncini piccanti, or spicy peppers.

There’s also pasta all’arrabbiata – a speciality of the Lazio region around Rome, with a simple sauce made from tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and chilli flakes.

But such strong flavours are rare in Italian cuisine, and international restaurants serving spicy foods from other cultures are few and far between. Are Italians really averse to fiery dishes altogether?

Do Italians really hate all spicy food?

On the subject of eating: what time is dinner in Italy? Anyone who has spent many summer evenings here would probably say “late”.

That’s generally true, though like so many other things about this country it depends on where you are. The further south you go, and the hotter the weather is, the later people tend to start – and finish – their evening meal.

If you’re planning to book a restaurant or want to invite your Italian friends or family over for dinner, here’s what time to plan for:

What time do people eat dinner in Italy?

And if you have ever taken a road trip in Italy, you might consider yourself to be familiar with the country’s motorways. All of the autostrade start with an ‘A’, followed by a number – but did you know they also have nicknames?

For example, if you’ve driven through Piedmontese wine country, there’s a good chance you’ve taken the autostrada dei vini. Or maybe you’ve joined the many holidaymakers on their way south along the autostrada del sole.

See how many of these roads you’ve taken:

‘Autostrada del Sole’: Eight of the best nicknames for Italy’s motorways

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Is there an aspect of the Italian way of life you’d like to see us write more about on The Local? Please email me at [email protected].