The owner of a hotel in Italy shot a video in which he teaches rich Russians how to avoid being rude and rude while relaxing in Tuscan luxury resorts.
The summer tourist season has come, and the Italians seek to convey to rich Russian tourists a simple thought: "Maybe you have money, but no manners". The last few years of the economic crisis, the Russian rich certainly supported the tourism sector in Italy, but at the same time created a reputation for arrogant, rude and ill-bred tourists. Therefore, the owner of a hotel in Tuscany - the region most beloved by Russians - made a television project aimed at teaching wealthy Muscovites and other visitors from Russia the basics of Italian etiquette.
Salvatore Madonna rules luxury hotel "Hotel Byron" in Forte dei Marmi, an elite resort on the Tuscan coast. This place is also called "Moscow at Sea", as many designer outlets are open here specially for Russians, and the restaurants serve a menu in Cyrillic.
A three-minute advertisement offers Russians a "smile more", more often say "thank you" and be more polite with the waiters and hotel staff. Further, Salvatore says that ordering a cappuccino after lunch is an unforgivable mistake, because in Italy coffee with foam is considered to be exclusively a morning drink. After lunch, Italians drink espresso or caffe macchiato, an espresso with a drop of milk. Red wine is not consumed with fish - only white is suitable for seafood. Russian moneybags also warn that choosing just the most expensive wine from the list is bad taste.
In the commercial, which will be shown on Russian television and in Russian social networks, Lyudmila Radchenko, a Russian model permanently residing in Italy, takes part. “The first rule, when we go to the hotel, is to say hello, smile, crossing eyes with the one in front of you! Let us not be used to doing this in Russia,” she says in Italian, but there are Russian subtitles on the screen.
Even spectacular Italians succumb to the passion of Russian women for super-mini swimwear embroidered with sparkles. “Russians who love mini bikinis and stilettos are better off avoiding them,” advises Lyudmila. "When leaving the hotel, it would be nice if you shared your impressions about the service, thanked and smiled goodbye," - so the girl ended her appeal to compatriots.
Senior Madonna, head of the chain of luxury hotels Soft Living Places, hopes that a short video will help Russian tourists "better merge" with Italy. According to him, teaching rude Russian etiquette should not be perceived as an insult from the Italian side. This is just an attempt to unobtrusively direct tourists to a more cultural way of behavior. “A person who has spent a lot of time and effort preparing a dish is offended when he is asked to serve everything at the same time, as the Russians usually do,” commented Madonna. - "But we do not want to give instructions, only advice on some features of the Italian way of life."
What to do and what not to do to a Russian tourist in Italy:
- Smile and give thanks.
- Be polite with the waiters and hotel staff, not just the manager.
- Leave a tip, but not excessive, to be considered a vulgar nouveau riche.
- Look people in the eyes and talk with them in a friendly manner.
- DO NOT order cappuccino after lunch - in Italy it is exclusively a morning drink.
- DO NOT expect all dishes to be served at once, as in Russia - in Italy they are served sequentially.
- DO NOT wear high heels and luxuriously tasteless tiny swimwear in the pool.
- DO NOT try to splurge by ordering the most expensive bottle of wine on the menu list.
