1936 On the Continent

exposing yourself to a great deal of unpleasantness. However, you may be sure that you will not need a revolver in Italy, unless it is your intention to hold up the cashier of a bank.
    If you carry currency or a letter of credit, the amount must be marked in your passport by the customs at the frontier. Foreign currency should only be changed at a first-class bank, or at the branches of one. Such banks are: Banca Commerciale, Credito Italiano, Banco di Roma, Banco di Napoli, Banco di Sicilia, Banco di Sto Spirito, Banca d’Italia, and a few big provincial banks. The paper money in circulation includes banknotes for 1,000, 500, 100 and 50 lire and Treasury Notes for 10 lire. The 500 and 100 lire banknotes may easily be mixed up, and care must therefore be taken in handling them. Thetraveller will have no trouble with gold coins, for the simple reason that there are no gold coins in circulation.
    On the other hand, extreme care is counselled in the matter of silver coins and small change. Silver coins for 20, 10 and 5 lire are in general circulation, and all three are extensively counterfeited. The 20 lire coin is particularly dangerous, and you are advised not to accept it in any circumstances. You may have carefully tested the coin and found its timbre just right; yet if you try to pay with it in a shop it will be weighed on a cunningly constructed little device and may be returned to you as counterfeit. Silver coins which produce a dull or hollow sound when thrown on a hard surface should always be refused. Two lire, 1 lira and half-lira nickels should also be accepted only if they are entirely satisfactory, and the same applies to coppers of 10 and 5 centesimi. These are also counterfeited, though not so extensively as silver coins. As nickel and silver coins may sometimes be mixed up, it is advisable to keep them in separate pockets.
V—A FEW DON’TS
    In deciding to travel to Italy you are probably prompted by a desire to visit a new world. Do not, therefore, be surprised if on crossing the frontier into Italy you encounter people and customs that seem strange to you and may not be pleasant at first. But, then, had you wanted to enjoy your usual environment you would have stayed at home. The general code of behaviour is practically the same all over the civilised world, with a few local variations. In Italy, as everywhere else, there are pleasant and unpleasant, courteous and discourteous people. Generally speaking, the Italian is very courteous and always pleased to assist the foreign visitor. If you encounter the exception to this rule, ask yourself, with your hand on your heart, whether your own country is entirely peopled by angels.
No Politics, Please!
    It may easily happen that as you cross the frontier you will find yourself in a crowd of Italian travellers, and you are therefore advised not to talk politics. If your fellow travellers broach the subject, tell them that you areneither an Ambassador nor a Minister of Foreign Affairs, and that you are more interested in Fra Angelico or Leonardo da Vinci than in politics. Naturally, it is not my intention to influence you to suppress your views, nor does anyone in Italy demand this. But politics are a delicate subject and I am sure you do not wish to get into difficulties on account of a misinterpreted remark. So leave politics alone. If you wish to enjoy your stay in Italy to the full, do not be too critical and bear in mind that every nation is touchy about its past, present and future, and proud of its art, its science, its leaders, footballers and other sportsmen. The Italians are intensely so.
    Once, after enthusing for half an hour about Italy, I began to talk about the latest international football match, remarking that Orsi (one of the most famous Italian footballers) had played somewhat roughly. This remark was received in frigid silence, then one of the company sharply observed that I was
always
criticising the Italians. So, if you wish to be popular in Italy, say nothing about the Italians unless you feel like praising them. Keep your criticisms to yourself, bearing in mind that every nation has its peculiarities.
Subjects to Avoid
    There are a few subjects that should not be mentioned at all in the presence of Italians. These subjects include everything relating to freedom in married life, the emancipation of women, divorce, and child education. Do not attempt to discuss birth control. In Italy a woman who has no children is regarded as a strange