Love is serious business in Italy but it’s also full of superstition, symbolism, and a little bit of chaos. From red underwear on New Year’s Eve to tossing coins in fountains, Italians have long believed that amore follows its own mysterious rules.
So, pour yourself a glass of limoncello and let’s explore the charming and sometimes hilarious ways Italians mix love and luck.
Pearls and Tears: Love’s First Warning
In Italy, even beauty comes with a warning. Pearls, for example, have long been thought unlucky to give to a lover. The belief dates back to the Renaissance, when brides wore them to symbolize purity and endurance. Over time, their resemblance to tears turned them into an omen of sorrow.
Today, the rule remains: if you receive pearls, offer a symbolic coin in return to “buy” them and break the curse. It’s both dramatic and oddly romantic, the perfect metaphor for Italian love: emotional, superstitious, and endlessly sincere.
Crossed Cutlery, Crossed Hearts
Italians believe that even a fork and knife can predict the mood of the heart. Crossed cutlery on a plate? Expect conflict. The superstition likely dates back to early Christian symbolism, where the shape of the cross carried both reverence and suffering.
That’s why many Italians instinctively uncross utensils at the table, a quiet act of warding off bad energy. Whether you’re in a family kitchen or a Michelin-starred restaurant, it’s one of those things that happens automatically, the way you might knock on wood without thinking.
Bells Bring Blessings
The sound of church bells across Italian towns has long been more than decoration, it’s protection. Before Christianity, people believed that ringing metal could drive away evil spirits and cleanse the air. When churches later adopted bells, the idea remained: each chime a blessing, each echo a reminder that love and faith are closely intertwined.
Couples still pause when the bells ring, sometimes sharing a glance, a touch, or even a kiss. It’s a rhythm older than words and somehow, it still works.
Red Rules the Heart
No color defines Italy like red fierce, passionate, and full of life. In ancient Rome, red symbolized fertility and courage; soldiers painted their bodies with it, and brides wore red veils to ensure a fruitful marriage. Centuries later, red coral became the charm of choice to protect newborns and lovers alike from the malocchio, or evil eye.
And then there’s the famous New Year’s tradition: wearing red underwear. The custom began in Roman times, when red was believed to attract love, prosperity, and renewal. Today, it’s both superstition and celebration, a playful way to step into the new year wrapped in luck.
The Fountain of Promises
Throwing a coin into the Trevi Fountain might seem like a tourist cliché, but its roots run deep. In ancient times, Romans tossed coins into rivers and wells to thank the gods and ensure a safe return home. The Trevi version revived the ritual in the 18th century, one coin means you’ll return to Rome, two mean you’ll find love, and three mean you’ll marry.
Every year, over a million euros are collected from the fountain and donated to charity — proof that people still believe, even if they don’t say it out loud. Because hope, like water, never really stops flowing.
The Coffee Connection
In Italy, love doesn’t start with a big declaration, it starts with a coffee. The café has always been a meeting point: where glances are exchanged, secrets are whispered, and hearts begin to drift closer.
There’s a ritual to it. The morning espresso, quick, standing at the bar — feels like the pulse of Italian life. A shared cappuccino, however, is slower, softer, an invitation to linger. And of course, never after noon. Italians believe milk after midday is bad for digestion, and frankly, bad taste. Tradition first, romance second.
The Cornicello: Love’s Little Protector
The cornicello, a small red horn-shaped charm, is everywhere in Italy. It’s one of the oldest good-luck symbols in the country, tracing back to pagan fertility rituals that honored Luna, the goddess of the moon. Its horn shape represents strength and virility; its red color, life and passion.
Over time, it evolved into a talisman against jealousy and bad luck, especially in love. In Naples, you’ll see them hanging from rearview mirrors, jewelry stalls, and front doors. Locals say the cornicello doesn’t just protect you, it protects your joy.
How to Experience Italy’s Love and Luck Rituals Yourself
Italy isn’t a country you simply see — it’s one you feel. Every custom here is a small invitation to slow down and believe in something again.
-
Toss a Coin at the Trevi Fountain (Rome)
Right hand over your left shoulder. One coin to return, two for love, three for marriage. Go at night, when the crowd fades and the sound of the water feels like a heartbeat. -
Touch Juliet’s Statue (Verona)
Generations have rubbed the bronze statue’s right breast for good fortune in love. Playful, yes, but also deeply human — a ritual of hope disguised as a superstition. -
Wear Red on New Year’s Eve
A Roman tradition that still unites a country. Red attracts love and luck, and come December, it’s everywhere. -
Buy a Cornicello in Naples
Wander through Spaccanapoli, where artisans handcraft them from coral, gold, or ceramic. Let one choose you. -
Listen to the Bells
They’ve been ringing over weddings, births, and new beginnings for centuries. Stop when you hear them that’s Italy’s heartbeat. -
Touch Iron for Good Luck
Italians say tocca ferro! — “touch iron!” — instead of “knock on wood.” It’s the little things that keep fate on your side.
Similar Blog Posts
Everyone assumes they know what it’s like to be a guide in Rome. Most of what they assume is charmingly, understandably wrong. Here’s what people get mixed up before they’ve even met their guide.
Myth #1: “You must just love talking”
People figure if you enjoy chatting with strangers, you’re basically qualified.
Every year, millions of visitors line up outside the Vatican Museums hoping to see the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica, and centuries of art housed within Vatican City. And every year, we help more of them skip the wait, understand what they’re looking at, and actually enjoy the experience — which is why What a Life Tours has become the go-to name for Vatican tours in Rome.
Here’s what that leadership actually looks like on the ground.
Rome has over 900 churches, and each one is a layered document — part sermon, part propaganda, part family scrapbook of the people who paid for it. Learn to read a facade as a thesis statement, a ceiling as a narrative sequence, and a side chapel as a family’s bid for permanent memory. Then put it all to the test on two churches that were built to trick you: the “identical” twins of Piazza del Popolo, where the illusion of symmetry turns out to be the whole point.