Italians, like many Europeans, do not follow the custom of taking off their shoes in the apartment after going out, so familiar to us. The tourist was surprised to learn the reasons for such behavior from her Italian acquaintance and declared that, as in Italy, “we will never have it”.
In her blog, the girl said that the habits and daily life of the inhabitants of Italy, however, like other nations, are determined by mentality. “I’ve always been interested in finding out: what guides people when, returning home from the street, they don’t take off their shoes, but walk in them until they go to bed. Strange behavior, isn’t it? Especially for our mentality,” the blogger drew attention to the peculiarity.
So, let’s go back to the reasons why Italians refuse to walk around the house barefoot or at least in socks. First, because of the cold. In southern Europe, stone and tiles are used as floor coverings. “In Italian families, it is rare to meet a person who walks around the house in socks or barefoot. As a last resort, instead, we wear special shoes, and they are not always slippers… In Italy, for example, there are a lot of mountains, so the floor was made of stone – there was plenty of it. A stone floor is not just cold, it is icy, and not as comfortable as wood. Without warm shoes, you could freeze and die from the cold,” explained the Italian Maurizio. In Europe, underfloor heating is an illegal luxury.
Secondly, because of the desire to follow fashion and style always and everywhere. “Beauty requires sacrifices! In Italy, you always and everywhere have to look stylish. Imagine if we bought a pair of shoes for every home suit? That’s how much money we have to spend on pajamas and matching slippers,” the interlocutor added.
Thirdly, the streets are always clean in Italy. “We don’t have to clean, our streets are clean. I can walk around town all day and my sneakers will be as good as new. This is one of the main reasons why we Europeans don’t take off our shoes. And why? If we have cobblestones and well-kept sidewalks everywhere,” he shared.
According to the tourist, it is always very clean in Italy, as well as in Spain, France, and the Netherlands. Even after the rain, the girl entered the apartment without any drops of dirt on her shoes, which could be left by the European streets.