Italy is known for its many traditions from ceremonial dances to superstitious practices. I found that Italian traditions both bring people together and reflect the values of Italian society. For example, my host mom taught told me that for the New Year Italians often eat lentils. This tradition is supposed to bring Italians prosperity and help them make lots of money throughout the new year. When I asked my host mom if this tradition really worked, she laughed and said although it does not always work, it's still a great way for family members to celebrate the new year together, and it shows the value Italians have for food. Living in Italy has shown me that you can learn a lot about a country from its traditions.
One of my favorite Italian traditions I recently learned about is "fare la scarpetta." Translated literally as "make the shoe", this is the common dining practice of using a piece of bread to clean your plate after a meal. This habit is especially handy after you eat a pasta dish with a lot of sauce. You can use any type of bread, which you then form into a "shoe" (or spoon!) in order to pick up as much sauce as possible.Then you eat the bread after. This is the first tradition I learned about in Italy and it comes in handy every day!
