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Authored by Lauren Owen

Women from all corners of the world flock to Italy to enjoy Italian art, history, and cuisine. But what they don’t tell their husbands and boyfriends is that a little part of them may secretly lust after the scenario where a “Latin lover will conquer them with a smouldering glance and whisk them away on their scooters to woo them in some secluded olive grove!” The rest of us? We do our best to resist! Are Italian men really that charming?

Yes, Italian men are internationally famous for their ability to flirt. They practice it regularly, and their pick up lines are often poetic. They’re smooth and suave and their charm comes seemingly naturally. Italian charm.

“Flirting with every Anna, Maria and Francesca is not just the birthright of every Italian man, it is his way of doing womankind a favour. Flirting, for them remains an honourable pastime, a life enhancer that adds a pleasurable frisson to every encounter.” Why are Italian men charming?

Fall in love with Italian men

The charms and flirtations of Italian men are well rumored throughout the world to be a feminine vice. Though for the unsuspecting female traveler, well, many before me have found themselves caught in disastrous encounters with Italian flirts. And that was without advertising that they were ‘single and ready to mingle’! My bad. Will Italian men flirt with me in Italy?

In retrospect, wearing this slogan emblazoned across a T-shirt to a nightclub full of Italian men meant I only had myself to blame for the advances that followed suit. I cringe every time I hear the saying now, and to this day can’t really believe that I still have the t-shirt scrunched somewhere within my cupboard.

If you’re drinking in nightclubs overseas, always book a taxi to take you back to your hotel. Do not accept a ride from a stranger, and do not attempt to walk back in a strange city while you’re intoxicated. You can easily book Florence taxi’s online, or ask the club to call you one. 

It was my first backpacking adventure across Europe, booked upon breaking up with my high school sweetheart. A right of passage and a change of scenery, traveling, I was told, was the surest way to mend a broken heart. It was something I needed to do to get to know myself. Italian men flirt.

My seven-week tour took in the lovely Italian city of Florence. I was ready to indulge in pasta, pizza, and gelato, and had been cautioned by other female travelers of the charm of Italian men! It wasn’t long before I experienced their chatty and flirty nature first hand. Though granted, the catalyst was likely a certain blue shirt. Why do Italian men flirt so much?

We had traveled from Switzerland to Italy via Leaning Tower of Pisa before arriving in Florence. It was dark when we arrived, so our first port was the hostel bar for a few cheeky beverages. Caving to peer pressure, I was convinced to leave the hostel for my first Italian night out. The hostel was selling those aforementioned shirts, one of which included the words ‘Single and Ready to Mingle’. I purchased the shirt, got changed, and bounded to a taxi with a Kiwi bloke I had known for less than a week. Charming Italian men.

Arriving at the club it it felt as though there was a 10:1 ratio of males to females. Walking to the bar I have never felt so many eyes. There were a constant string of men vying for my attention, offering drinks and following me around quite persistently. For some women, no doubt this is normal, and for others I’m sure this is encouraged.  Are Italian men charming?

For me though, this was something I had never experienced, and the straightforward nature of their approach can be overwhelming for the unsuspecting female traveler without a support network of friends. True to the rumors that Italian men are charming, charming they were. Never did they actually step over the line or act inappropriately, though if unaccustomed to this kind of flirtation, Italian charm can come across rather pushy.

Due to the intense attention and being alone, my Kiwi friend came to the rescue, deciding it was best to take me home. I will forever be grateful that he could sense I was feeling uncomfortable. Flirty Italian men.

To this day, I feel that leaving the club was the best move, and that shirt has never been worn since! If attention from Italian men is the aim of the game, by all means, a shirt stating your intentions will likely do the trick. Though take it from me, buy a backup just in case for when the attention becomes too intense! How to find an Italian man who is charming.

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Lauren Owen is one half of #ljojlo; and Australian couple travel blogging simply because.

This time a year ago it seemed only dream, for both LJO and JLO distant they seemed. As time past they called each other mate, a relationship beckoned it must have been fate. Now the trip of a lifetime is booked, with one read they hope to have you hooked.

Lego figures to symbolise who they are, they will travel with them, here and far. In case you didn’t know they are off overseas, where we will write this blog in order to please.

Follow Lauren on her blog, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest.

Photo credits: Featured photo by cristian. Italian on a bike by José Manuel Ríos Valiente. “Mirrors” by André Benedix.

    31 Comments

  1. Thank you Meg for publishing our guest post!

    Has anyone else experienced the wrath of Italian men ha ha?

  2. Hmmmm…I’ll be traveling to Tuscany to spend a month enjoying the wonderful wine, cuisine, culture, and, well now, something else! :)

    • Ha ha I look forward to hearing all about it ;-)

  3. the Italian men I met during my travels were all very sweet and charming.. good thing my other friends warned me that this is a normal thing for them, so don’t expect too much xD

    • They are indeed sweet and charming hey? lol! How long were you in Italy for?

  4. YIKES! I am definitely passing along these tips. Thanks!

    • JessieV thank you :-)! I am glad I could help!

  5. Love this guest post!!

    • Hannah, thank you so much for your kind words!

  6. I’m glad you were able to get out of that uncomfortable situation. Thanks for sharing your experiences!

    • No worries at all Mary :-)

  7. Oh, man. After living in Italy for almost two years, I’m no stranger to the charms of Italian men.

    I was living in Lucca with a dude. My boyfriend came to visit for two weeks and they met–everything seemed cool.

    Two days after my boyfriend left, Italian Man made his move and started making out with me one night. I told him I wasn’t interested and that I really loved my boyfriend and he was like, “Just cheat. It’s normal.”

    Ah. No thanks.

    • Alex, that is crazy! Sorry you had to go through that! I hope you are ok and it didn’t hurt your relationship with your bf.

  8. Wow!
    I won’t be wearing any “single and ready to mingle” shirts anytime soon, that is for sure.

    • Ha ha Rhonda, I haven’t actually worn it since!

  9. Ha! Well, I can’t quite relate to this because I’ve been happily married for two decades, but everything looks great in Italy. People included. :)

    • Great country for a romantic retreat for married couples … lol and I’m sure you wouldn’t get hit on with a husband at your arm :D

    • Jennifer, firstly congratulations on being happily married for two decades :-)! Everything in Italy certainly is great, people of course but food certainly takes the cake for me.

  10. When I go to Italy, I get so annoyed by the Italian men’s flirtations. They make me so uncomfortable!! Parts of Latin America are the same.

    • It can definitely prove to be confronting for those of us who are not used to that kind of attention or approach. I found parts of the Middle East very uncomfortable as all the men seemed to assume I was sexually deprived and there to be “saved” by them lol!! I actually went as far as to purchase a fake wedding ring while in Dubai!

    • Valen, that is good to know about Latin America as I plan to be there in the near future. Meg, that doesn’t sound like a pleasant experience of the Middle East at all.

  11. Yet another way clothing can make or break a trip!

    • That’s a great idea for a blog post lol!

    • Hey Terry, I certainly learnt my lesson after this outing that is for sure. As Meg said that is a great title for a blog post :-)

  12. Haha! This article cracks me up, but also really hits home! Each country has its own culture of male romance, eh?

    • I think I need to put that concept into a blog post – different styles/cultures of romance around the world :D

    • Hi Lillie,

      It certainly does. Where are you from? What is the culture of male romance like there? Ha Ha

  13. How is this even an article?
    “I wore a dumb tshirt in Italy and got unwanted attention ”
    Think a tweet would have sufficed love… And with a tshirt like that I’m sure you would have gotten attention anywhere.

    • Hi Katy,
      Thanks for your opininon. I think we will have to agree to disagree on this one ha ha.
      Thanks

  14. My husband and I just got from Italy (Rome, Sorrento, Amalfi) a couple of weeks ago. I never visited a club so I probably didn’t get the full Italian charm experience. But they do come across as flirtatious for sure!

    • Sounds like a fabulous trip Melissa! Haha well having flirtatious men around in front of your husband will probably just make him work all that more harder to ensure a romantic trip :D! Lol!

      Happy travels :)

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