Italian customs and taboos

Italian customs include eating grapes on New Year's Day,Taboos include not giving handkerchiefs or chrysanthemums.

Eating grapes on New Year's Eve is an old tradition in Italy, where people gather on the piazza to ring in the New Year. Lovers will give each other 12 grapes, which is to pray for the coming year every month of peace and prosperity, if the Italians put the grape seeds and lentils together also symbolizes money.

Giving souvenirs, do not send handkerchiefs, handkerchiefs are considered to be loved ones parting with tears with ominous things. Do not send chrysanthemums because they are in full bloom when they are sweeping the graves, and flowers should be sent in the singular, and neither men nor women are allowed to wear shorts, skirts, or sleeveless shirts to visit churches or Catholic museums.

Geography

Italy is located in the south of Europe, including the Apennine Peninsula and Sicily, Sardinia and other islands. North of the Alps as a barrier and France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia border, east, south and west, respectively, near the Mediterranean Sea belonging to the Adriatic Sea, the Ionian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea. Land area of 301,333 square kilometers, the coastline is about 7200 kilometers long.

Italy has the Alps in the north and the Apennines in the center. In the north there is the Po River Plain, fertile soil and developed agriculture. Italy and France border of Mont Blanc 4810 meters above sea level, is the second highest peak in Europe. Many volcanoes and earthquakes, the west side of the Apennine Peninsula has the famous Mount Vesuvius, Sicily on the Etna volcano is the largest active volcano in Europe.

Reference for the above: Baidu Encyclopedia-Italy