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LA BELLA VITA

La Bella Vita: How Italy marks Halloween and the spookiest Italian films to watch

From why Halloween hasn't really caught on in Italy to the best of spooky Italian cinema, our weekly newsletter La Bella Vita offers you an essential starting point for eating, talking, drinking and living like an Italian.

La Bella Vita: How Italy marks Halloween and the spookiest Italian films to watch
Pumpkins in Italy are for eating, not carving. Photo by Bonnie Kittle on Unsplash

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: go to newsletter preferences in ‘My Account’ or follow the instructions in the newsletter box below.

Halloween is coming, and it’s one of my favourite times of the year. I’ve already begun celebrating by watching scary movies, and I’ve bought the biggest zucca (pumpkin) I could find at the market ready to carve – and also turn into a delicious risotto – over the weekend.

There won’t be any fancy-dress parties to go to in my part of Italy, though, and we only ever get a couple of trick-or-treaters coming to the door to ask: “dolcetto o scherzetto?“. I always feel like I’ve gone a little bit overboard with the spooky decorations draped all over the balcony.

If you live here, you’ll know that most Italians don’t share my enthusiasm for this particular holiday, and Halloween parties – at least for adults – aren’t really a thing. In the past I have attended events in Rome and Florence, though these were geared entirely towards those cities’ international residents and visitors. These are great fun, but what do Italians do?

Restaurants in Italy are increasingly putting on special Halloween dinner menus, which are more about celebrating seasonal produce than anything spooky – though sometimes customers might dress up for the occasion. We looked at what else you can expect over the next few days:

READ ALSO: Not many carved pumpkins but a day off: How does Italy mark Halloween?

You might not see many carved pumpkins in Italy this week, but we do get a day off work. Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP

If you share my love of scary films though you’re in luck because Italian cinema does those well.

The ‘giallo‘ genre incorporates elements of horror, murder mystery, supernatural and psychological thriller, and most are underscored by chilling soundtracks. Italian directors inspired successive generations of international film-makers, so you may well spot a few familiar tropes.

We have a few suggestions for the creepiest Italian horror films to watch this Halloween – if you think your nerves can stand it.

READ ALSO: Five scary Italian horror movies to watch at Halloween

There is an important cultural reason why Halloween hasn’t really caught on in Italy though: the strong influence of the Catholic church, particularly down here in the more religious south, where Halloween can be a little controversial.

People will instead mark more traditional Catholic festivities in the coming week: All Saints’ Day (Ognissanti) celebrated on November 1st, and Il Giorno dei Morti on November 2nd (the ‘Day of the Dead’, known elsewhere as All Souls’ Day).

November 1st is a public holiday, and for most people this will revolve around a big family lunch. It’s a particularly big deal in the south where onomastici or saints’ name days are still widely observed: Ognissanti is essentially everyone’s name day at once, which is why you’ll be expected to wish everyone you meet ‘Auguri!’

November 2nd is a more solemn date. It’s not a public holiday, and despite the name it doesn’t involve any spooky goings on and definitely isn’t an occasion for fancy dress. We explained what these traditions are all about in the article below:

READ ALSO: Why Italy’s All Saints and All Souls days have nothing to do with Halloween

Remember if you’d like to have this weekly newsletter sent straight to your inbox you can sign up for it via Newsletter preferences in “My Account”.

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

 

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LA BELLA VITA

La Bella Vita: Italy’s city tourist taxes and key Italian vocabulary for dining out

From knowing how much ‘tourist tax’ you’ll need to pay when visiting Italian destinations this summer to mastering essential Italian words and phrases for dining out, our weekly newsletter La Bella Vita offers you an essential starting point for eating, talking, drinking and living like an Italian.

La Bella Vita: Italy’s city tourist taxes and key Italian vocabulary for dining out

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.

The summer months are by far the busiest time of year in Italy as millions of visitors travel to the peninsula from all over the world to explore its so-called citta’ d’arte (‘art cities’, including Rome, Florence and Venice), beach resorts or natural parks. 

But whether you’re staying in a big city, a seaside holiday spot, or a mountain resort, if you’re one of the 216 million tourists expected in the country this summer, there’s a good chance you’ll have to pay a local ‘tourist tax’ on top of your accommodation bill. 

The fee, which is used by local authorities to offset the costs of public services, is a frequent source of confusion for tourists as not all cities apply it, and those that do tend to vary their rates by type and star rating of accommodation, time of year or location.

As some cities plan to raise their tourist taxes this summer, we’ve looked at the rates (and exemptions) you can expect in Italy’s most popular destinations.

Tourist tax: How much is it increasing in Italy’s cities this year?

Besides an Italian nonna’s homemade cooking and the sagre food festivals cropping up in the warm months, dining out is arguably the best way to explore Italy’s famous cuisine. 

Generally speaking, waiting staff at most restaurants in big cities and holiday hotspots tend to have at least some basic knowledge of English, meaning you should be able to order your meal in inglese without a hitch.

But that’s not the case everywhere in the country.

Whether you’re dealing with staff with a cosi’ cosi’ command of English, or are simply eager to test out your Italian speaking skills, there is some essential vocabulary that’s well worth getting familiar with.

From prenotare un tavolo (booking a table) to pagare il conto (paying the bill), here are some key words and phrases to memorise before your next restaurant meal in Italy.

The essential vocabulary you’ll need to dine out in Italy

People eat in a restaurant in the Murazzi by the Po River, on May 8, 2024 in Turin.

Diners at a restaurant along the Po River in Turin. Photo by MARCO BERTORELLO / AFP

Speaking of paying the bill, Italian restaurants have some peculiar norms around squaring the books which can occasionally catch foreign visitors off guard – or even cause them offence in some cases. 

From where and how to pay to the controversial coperto charge and the tip/no tip dilemma, here’s an overview of what to do (and what not to do) for a stress-free experience next time you’re paying the bill in Italy.

What to do (and avoid) when paying a restaurant bill in Italy

If you’d like to have this weekly newsletter sent straight to your inbox you can sign up for it via Newsletter preferences in “My Account”.

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].

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