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‘USA vs. Italy Culture Shocks’: American Moves To Italy, Shares The Biggest Cultural Differences She’s Noticed
Interview With Author
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
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Asking For The Check
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?
Free Healthcare
4 Weeks Of Paid Vacation
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.....
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!”
Vouchers From The Government For Food Intolerances
Kids Choose Specialized Highschools To Attend At 13
This makes a lot of sense. There’s still some secondary school knowledge I am yet to use.
“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.”
Getting Paid For Honeymoon Leave
Some Jobs Provide Lunch Tickets
Not Leaving A Tip At A Hair Salon
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.”
Going Out Only If Fully Ready
Looking For A Job Right After School
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.
Adults Live With Their Parents Until Late Twenties
“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.”
Some Stores Close From 12:30-3:30 Everyday
Drinking A Lot Of Coffee
Americans Order Water With Ice
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.
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.”
Having Sick Days
Actually, you have as many sick days as you need. Just call in sick and that's it.
Charging For Water
Drinking A Glass Of Wine In Middle Of The Day
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.
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.”
It's Ok For Kids To Drink A Small Glass Of Wine
14 Year Old Kids Can Drive Small-Engine Motorcycles And Scooters
Not Leaving A Tip At A Restaurant
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.
Average Gas Price Is 1.51 Euro Per Liter
It's Normal To Have Dinner Later In The Evening
8 isn’t that late in the evening to me. 8pm is like peak dinner hour in my book.
In America, you might invite you guests over at like 5 30, then eat all sorts of appetizers and chit-chat and then you eat dinner at 6 or 6 30 ish.
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8 pm is just the regular hour for dinner, not late. My daughter finishes her sport activities at 8pm. When i didn't have kids i used to have dinner at 9 pm during the week.
I'd be so hungry to wait that long. In my family, we usually eat dinner as soon as my father comes home, so around 4 pm
"at 8" actually means, show up around 8. Food doesn't show up for about 30 mins, and it will go for a couple of hours. When I lived in Belgium, going out after dinner was about 11:30pm.
8? Im thinking about what to cook for dinner at that time. Dinner at 9 or 9:30 at the earliest. In the UK i tried their tea time (about 6) and by the time I go to bed I'm starving. On the other hand I'll have s late full Scottish breakfast and can just skip lunch :) SAOR ALBA :)
For me 8 is the absolute earliest to eat dinner, better around 9. However, I live in Germany and here ppl tend to eat earlier, around 7
If it were up to me, I'd eat my supper/dinner as my midday meal. Easier on the digestion. Then again I am an "old fogey".
Yes, ideally we have dinner, watch tv couple of hours and then go to sleep. The free time is out of the job and before dinner. Americans do that differently
If I ate dinner that early then by the time bedtime came around I would be hungry again.
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It certainly depends on countries and families. We usually have dinner at 6 or 6:30 pm, not later. I think it depends on the whole day. I wake up to work at 6:20 am every morning, and have breakfast at about 6:45, because I have to be at the office at 8 am and I either walk there or go on a bicycle and it takes me etiher 30 or 10 minutes depending whether I walk or not. At 11 am I go for lunch. Aroun 2 pm I have my second cup of cofee of the day (I don't drink more) and something to nibble on. And at 6 or 6:30 pm, depending how time-consuming the dinner preparation is, we have dinner. And at 11 or 11:30 I go to bed. It's a bit different on weekends, but we usually spend weekends traipsing around the countryside :D.
I used to spend the summer in the Pyrenees and it was always a debate… is it too late to go and get dinner in France or shall we wait a few hours for the Spanish restaurants to open.
IIRC, in Spain, it's much later, -- I ate at a fairly busy restaurant at midnight, the first night I landed. And in Israel, 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. are peak hours at restaurants, especially on Thursday nights, the equivalent of Saturday night in the U.S.
I am from Utah and my early start to having dinner was 5:00 and latest 11:00 my normal it 10:00 or 9:00
It's Common To Eat Every Part Of The Animal
Bidet In The Bathroom
Don't Go Out If Not Fully Ready
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.
For food ? South. For wine ? North. Fish ? NorthWest coast. Beer ? NortEast inland. People ? Spain. 🤣
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As a spanish person it was great to see the differences and similarities between both countries. I would love to see more of these comparison but between european countries.
I saw more similarities than differences, it's practically the same
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As an expat living in Italy for several years every single one of these rings so true. My favourite is how the boyfriend will ALWAYS carry the girlfriend's purse. Usually because he puts his stuff in it and then feels badly. Oh and mothers carrying their kid's backpacks to and from school.
Love! I don’t like cities but I could live in Florence the rest of my life.
As italian, that’s not the most comfy place I can think of, but it’s up to personal taste.
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There'd be even more money available for Italians if the government started taxing the Catholic Church and took Rome back from the Church.
Wine. Motorcycles. Oh holy f**k I'm coming *packs water with no ice bcz i hate cold water*
Do the one where your taxes are 3 times what you would pay on the same income in the US. You may not get a bill at the doctors office, but you are paying for it
Source? Quick google shows top tax rates are similar in US and Italy
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Tbf some of these things are news to me as well and I'm European. Government aid for food allergies? Ha!
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Yes, you have to be reminded of it every day, in hopes you will change something. But every other time you guys have an election, you vote the republicans back in.
Load More Replies... For food ? South. For wine ? North. Fish ? NorthWest coast. Beer ? NortEast inland. People ? Spain. 🤣
Load More Replies... As a spanish person it was great to see the differences and similarities between both countries. I would love to see more of these comparison but between european countries.
I saw more similarities than differences, it's practically the same
Load More Replies... As an expat living in Italy for several years every single one of these rings so true. My favourite is how the boyfriend will ALWAYS carry the girlfriend's purse. Usually because he puts his stuff in it and then feels badly. Oh and mothers carrying their kid's backpacks to and from school.
Love! I don’t like cities but I could live in Florence the rest of my life.
As italian, that’s not the most comfy place I can think of, but it’s up to personal taste.
Load More Replies... There'd be even more money available for Italians if the government started taxing the Catholic Church and took Rome back from the Church.
Wine. Motorcycles. Oh holy f**k I'm coming *packs water with no ice bcz i hate cold water*
Do the one where your taxes are 3 times what you would pay on the same income in the US. You may not get a bill at the doctors office, but you are paying for it
Source? Quick google shows top tax rates are similar in US and Italy
Load More Replies... Tbf some of these things are news to me as well and I'm European. Government aid for food allergies? Ha!
Load More Replies... Yes, you have to be reminded of it every day, in hopes you will change something. But every other time you guys have an election, you vote the republicans back in.
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