How to Date an Italian Man

If my previous article on how to date Italiam men wasn’t enough to scare you and you still have your heart set on a love story with your very own Mario or Luigi, the glow of Rome your backdrop as you zip through its streets on the back of a Vespa…wait, I’ve gotten ahead of myself. Before you’re kissing in front of Sardinian sunsets and feeding each other forkfuls of spaghetti, you first need to meet this mythical Italian man of your dreams.

That’s the challenge ladies- the “meet-cute,” the word that describes the moment that two characters in a film meet for the very first time.

I should warn you that it’s very difficult to develop a serious relationship with anyone if you don’t speak each other’s language, therefore if you don’t speak Italian, don’t expect to fall head over heels for someone who speaks only Italian. Physical attraction can only go so far and you can’t have a true rapport through smiles and hand-holding.

You’ll need to know some Italian, or else you will narrow down your opportunities rather drastically by being forced to seek out someone quite proficient in English (which is not as common as you would expect).

Physical attraction can only go so far and you can’t have a true rapport through smiles and hand-holding.

The second problem is that many Italian boys are well-versed in the seduction of foreigners, banking on the fact that the relationship won’t be able to progress beyond the preliminary round and the fact that most tourists or study abroad students will be headed back to their home country come the end of summer. As a non-Italian girl or woman, you might as well walk around with a target on your back. We’ve built up a reputation and I know there’s been many a girl to fall for a “ciao bella” and pretty, green eyes. I don’t blame you, it happened to me, so no judgement here!

Most of the well-known cities in Italy like Florence, Rome, and anywhere in Perugia (where the international language school is located), are wrought with Italians who know all the right moves; if the ancient monuments of these cities could talk, I bet they would tell you a thousand stories of stolen kisses and summer romances that never withstood the winter.

How to Date an Italian Man

So if you’re serious about getting to know an Italian, you’ll need to head out to locales frequented by locals and very few tourists, if any, and you’ll want to be armed with at least a base of Italian to start a conversation. Try to go either alone (less intimidating), or with two other girlfriends (three is the magic number because one person can always be pulled away while the other two keep each other company).

Aperitivo hour is an ideal time to chat and hope for a “meet-cute” with a cute Italian because people tend to be unwinding from the work day but are only one or two Spritz in, therefore things are less likely to get sloppy from too much liquid confidence.

It’s almost impossible to meet someone at a “discoteca” because the Italian clubs like to crank the music up beyond comprehension so you can bet the conversation will be less talking, more touching. Bars are a better bet, especially during the summer months where people nurse their drinks out on the cobblestoned streets for hours and chat amongst the camaraderie of friends.

If the bar is not your cup of tea, another great tool for meeting local boys is meet-up groups or language exchange groups.

If the bar is not your cup of tea, another great tool for meeting local boys is meet-up groups or language exchange groups. You can look for these online and they can also be a great way to work on your Italian. An example of a website is Meetup. The advantage of these is that they are often frequented by people who are like-minded, are genuinely interested in improving their English, and are fascinated by other cultures. InterNations is another website that helps expats and locals network and often organizes events attended by an international crowd, including Italians.

I wish you luck on your adventures in Italy, to wherever or to whomever they may take you! I hope that with this advice, you are able to meet some amazing people along the way who aren’t just looking for another notch on you know where.

 

How to Date an Italian Man
Related Reading

After Giving Up on Finding Romance in Italy, This is What Happened
Italian Men: My Ultimate Weakness
Moving to Italy, Learning Italian, and Falling in Love
Ciao, Bella!: On Being a Foreign Woman in Italy

Have you dated Italian men? What are some of your tips for dating an Italian man? Email us at editor@pinkpangea.com for information about sharing your experience and advice with the Pink Pangea community. We can’t wait to hear from you.

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