Taboos?

[GoJoel]

I'll be in France and Italy this summer and I was just wondering if there were any good resources that deal with cultural "dos and don'ts" in these countries. I just want to avoid offending people so I thought I'd give it a shot. Websites or books would be great. Thanks!

[MuvverRussia]

Lonely Planet have a good section in their country specific books. Generally there are a few golden rules though - don't be an idiot (e.g. don't do Nazi salutes in Germany), respect local customs (e.g. dress conservatively in Islamic countries) and follow the lead of locals. There are a few other more specific cases such as Churches (no hats - at all, conservative dress and preferably trousers for guys - especially in the Vatican) as well.

Easiest thing to do is to remember that you are a visitor to that country, and in that sense you are probably the lowest level diplomat going.

[me]

something i've seen many Germans do in America which might fall into this category: they often point to things with the middle finger, which is a bit rude around these parts!

- d