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Kacie Burns is an American actor and dancer from Canton, Michigan, who has been documenting her daily adventures in Italy. She moved to Florence, the birth city of Renaissance, which resembles a museum under the sky, after falling in love with her boyfriend Dario on her first solo trip two years ago. Their love blossomed and Kacie is now a proud Florentine, appreciating all the new cultural quirks that come at her.

Kacie is now busy making a series of fun and lighthearted cultural shock videos on her TikTok with each going viral and amassing her a whopping 9.6M likes in total. So let’s see what cultural differences she has spotted between America and Italy below that put living in these two countries in a whole different perspective.

Also, if you’re an American living the Italian dream, be sure to share your experience and hit us in the comment section below!

More info: Tik Tok | KacieBurns.com | Facebook | Twitter

#1

Asking For The Check

Asking For The Check

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Anna Banana
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Bringing a bill unprompted would be like saying you overstayed your welcome. And anyway, how do they know you won't want another glass of wine?

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#3

4 Weeks Of Paid Vacation

4 Weeks Of Paid Vacation

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WilvanderHeijden
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wait until you learn that he can't get fired because his boss had an argument with his wife and he has a lot more paid sickdays than paid vacation.....

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Bored Panda reached out to Kacie Burns, an American actress, dancer, and singer currently living in Florence, Italy who went viral for her fun and lighthearted TikTok videos on cultural quirks of the birthplace of Renaissance. Kacie grew up in Canton, Michigan and moved to NYC when she was 17 for college. In 2018, she decided to take a solo trip to Italy, where she fell in love with the food, the culture, and a boy.

“We were long distance for a year, and then he came to live in NYC on a year-long visa,” Kacie said and added: “I was a professional dancer/actress in NYC, and when COVID shut down my industry, I decided to pursue other big dreams of mine, which were living abroad and traveling—so Dario and I made the move to Italy in January 2021!”

#4

Vouchers From The Government For Food Intolerances

Vouchers From The Government For Food Intolerances

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#5

Kids Choose Specialized Highschools To Attend At 13

Kids Choose Specialized Highschools To Attend At 13

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Asi Bassey
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This makes a lot of sense. There’s still some secondary school knowledge I am yet to use.

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“I love that now I get to share travel tips, life in Italy, and all the fun and interesting things I learn as an American living here with so many people,” she told us.

When asked about whether she has grown accustomed to the initial culture shocks she experienced after moving to Florence, Kacie said that “other than the 'no-tipping' thing (it still feels very weird to not leave a tip!) I'd say for the most part I've gotten used to them—but I also find new things out everyday that shock me all over again.”

#7

Getting Paid For Honeymoon Leave

Getting Paid For Honeymoon Leave

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#9

Not Leaving A Tip At A Hair Salon

Not Leaving A Tip At A Hair Salon

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jimmy pop
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In Europe, the majority of worker jobs earn you enough not having to rely on tips - though to be fair, payment is not rising to keep up with expenses but that basically goes for every job. The service industry in the US is massively f****d up. Here in Germany, you tip waiters and taxi drivers, and that's it - around 10% are common. Waiters work for the restaurant so they get paid by the restaurant, not work for free to get paid by the generousity of the restaurant's customers.

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Tequila4Two
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There are more professions in America beside waiters that relies on tips as salary? So if you are a waiter and going to the hair salon you have to pay them a tip from your own earned tips?

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angie but who cares
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

no you don't have to pay anyone in tips and hairdressers make much more depending on the place

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Eslamala
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wait. Where do they tip at hair salons? Ahhh, the greatest country in 'murica!

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Michael Ward
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For those of us that don't live in a "tipping culture", it's actually very weird and almost a little off putting to be offered a tip. Not that it isn't appreciated, but it's very unexpected and wouldn't even have been considered by us, let alone expected. It feels like someone is overpaying by accident, and so you immediately as a reflex say something like "oh no, that is not necessary", and when they insist it's like a weird combo of feeling grateful, proud that you must have done a good job, and ever so slightly worried that this might count a theft. I don't find that moment comfortable at all, even if the money is useful later on.

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Julie C Rose
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In some nontipping countries, like New Zealand, it’s not discomforting. It’s just considered normal not to do it.

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Ryan Deschanel
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They pay people properly in the first place? That's crazy! /s

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Max L.
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There’s nothing like tip. Service is included in the bill. Asking to an italian waiter if she gets tipped a lot in atouristic place classical answer is "just by foreigners"

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the annoying theatre kid
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

NO WAY THAT BACKGROUND IS LEGIT THE PLACE I GET MY HAIR CUT I THINK THEY TOOKBIT FROM GOOGLE THATS MY PLACE OMG

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backatya
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Dumb people wanting to pay more for the job the employee was suppose to do anyway. Tips are only done for something extra you want done.

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Michael Sanders
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Let’s be clear. It is customary and respectful to tip in America because that’s the culture, but you don’t “have” to tip anyone.

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Ian MacFarlane
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Tipping allows American businesses to pay slave wages. There is no other reason for it.

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Petro Roos
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

South Africans also don't tip our hairdressers. I think it's weird that other places do tip them.

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The social media star and actress assured us that “At the end of the day, though, I love them. Culture differences are so cool and so interesting to learn.”

But there are numerous American things that Kacie really misses. “I love Italian coffee but sometimes I miss walking around and sipping a large to-go American coffee. I used Apple Pay all the time in NYC, but here Apple Pay isn't a thing! 'One-stop shops' like Target and Walmart don't exist here, so I had to adjust to going to multiple stores to get the things I needed.”

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#11

Looking For A Job Right After School

Looking For A Job Right After School

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Mewton’s Third Paw
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That’s pretty cool. Not everyone does well in school, or even wants that path in life. My college years were a waste and I wish I didn’t have the pressure of having to go.

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#12

Adults Live With Their Parents Until Late Twenties

Adults Live With Their Parents Until Late Twenties

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Pervinca
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you don't get married or don't have enough money (or simply your family and you like that way) you can even live with them forever. It's not a so rare event

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“Like a true American, I put ranch dressing on everything, and you can't find ranch here (But actually one of my amazing followers sent me an entire box of it! So sweet). And Cheetos... I miss Cheetos so much,” Kacie said.

When asked about the American expat community in Florence, Kacie said that it’s indeed “a great little community here of American expats, which definitely helped make the transition living away from home easier.”

#13

Some Stores Close From 12:30-3:30 Everyday

Some Stores Close From 12:30-3:30 Everyday

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#14

Drinking A Lot Of Coffee

Drinking A Lot Of Coffee

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It’s no secret that Florence is a cultural playground for the international rich and has been since the 17th and 18th centuries when it was a highlight on the European Grand Tour. Today, the city that’s often called an open-air museum under the sky is loved by international expats, especially fellow Americans.

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According to Celeste Oliphant, a luxury property consultant, “Florence has everything that the foreigner wants from Italy: art, culture, food, and the beautiful countryside of Tuscany on its doorstep.” Plus, she says it’s “less intimidating than southern Italy: it’s clean and there is less chaos.”

#16

Having Sick Days

Having Sick Days

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WilvanderHeijden
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Actually, you have as many sick days as you need. Just call in sick and that's it.

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#17

Charging For Water

Charging For Water

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Hans
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Mineral water, that is. You do not get charged for tap water. But if you order "water", you will get some (possibly even rather fancy) spring water.

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#18

Drinking A Glass Of Wine In Middle Of The Day

Drinking A Glass Of Wine In Middle Of The Day

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WilvanderHeijden
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why wouldn't it be acceptable to drink wine on a Tuesday at 1:00 PM? Next you'll be telling me I can't drink wine on Wednesday at 8:00 AM. I have worked for over 40 years to earn that right.

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Many Americans come to the idyllic city to study and there are more English-speaking education institutions that you could imagine. But due to the covid pandemic, the future of the American students is now unclear as many left and flew back to their home countries for quarantine, where they completed their courses online. The question is whether they will ever return to Florence for studies.

It turns out that the sizable population of American students in the Florence and Tuscany area has a much bigger impact on the region's economy than you could think. According to Fabrizio Ricciardelli, a secretary-treasurer of the Association of American College and University Programs in Italy (AACUPI), “An average of 15,000 students are hosted by North American and Australian study abroad programs in the Florence and Prato areas, creating an added value of 200 million euro in expenditures that benefit the region, along with 5,000 jobs.”

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#19

It's Ok For Kids To Drink A Small Glass Of Wine

It's Ok For Kids To Drink A Small Glass Of Wine

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Requiem
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We always drank the foam off our parents and grandparents beers as a kid. I didnt start drinking more until like 35 and than more at 39. Didnt like drinking as a teen so its not like it will cause them to want to get wasted at an early age

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#20

14 Year Old Kids Can Drive Small-Engine Motorcycles And Scooters

14 Year Old Kids Can Drive Small-Engine Motorcycles And Scooters

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Yegramma
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am from Alberta Canada. At 14, kids can drive a car, a pick-up truck, a motorcycle or scooter. At 14. 😱

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#21

Not Leaving A Tip At A Restaurant

Not Leaving A Tip At A Restaurant

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Try combining losing this all value and putting tourism on hold due to the pandemic, causing economic uncertainties far greater than the region could afford. After all, the number of tourist overnight stays in the city of Florence has been growing over the last years, from 12.2 million in 2012 to roughly 15.8 million in 2019. But according to the recent data, tourist arrivals, including both international and domestic tourists, decreased by roughly 71.5 percent in this city in 2020.

#22

Average Gas Price Is 1.51 Euro Per Liter

Average Gas Price Is 1.51 Euro Per Liter

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#23

It's Normal To Have Dinner Later In The Evening

It's Normal To Have Dinner Later In The Evening

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#24

It's Common To Eat Every Part Of The Animal

It's Common To Eat Every Part Of The Animal

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Pervinca
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ohh, the beef tongue is delicious! We first use it to make broth (with other meats), and then we eat the boiled meats as a second course. (at least in my home)

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#25

Bidet In The Bathroom

Bidet In The Bathroom

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Pervinca
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think it's compulsory in Italian houses. It's a struggle when you go abroad and you don't find any (Luckily I think that it is pretty common in other part of south Europe btw). It's like a part of our identity ahahah

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#26

Don't Go Out If Not Fully Ready

Don't Go Out If Not Fully Ready

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Nomadus Aureus
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've seen this in the UK as well! As someone from a warm country, I was practically suffering from hypothermia for three years. It was amazing seeing people walking around with wet hair, blue skin, shorts in November and yet somehow manage not to die.

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