Illustrated guide, 41 pages, with a quick card
Modern Manners: Italy & Switzerland
The manners Italian and Swiss houses expect, set out plainly for families, guests and staff from abroad.
Illustrated guide, PDF, A4, 41 pages · one-page Quick card
Checkout on Payhip. The download link appears straight away and comes by e-mail too.
Every house has its own manners
A villa on Lake Como or a chalet above Gstaad comes with its own manners: who offers a hand first, when the bread is eaten, how quiet a Swiss Sunday is, when the thank-you note goes out. Nobody explains them, and everybody notices.
This guide sets them out for the family, for the guests who come to stay and for the staff who look after them, with the safe default wherever customs vary.
What is inside
Every file you download, with its format and length.
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Modern Manners: Italy & Switzerland
PDF, A4, 41 pages
How to use it and three rules, then six parts: meeting people; at table; in a private house; out and about; occasions; for the staff. Line drawings throughout, common mistakes on one page and the sources chapter by chapter.
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The Quick card
PDF, A4, 1 page
The essentials on one printable page, from greetings and titles to paying, quiet hours, rubbish and a few words in Italian, German and French.
Inside the guide
- Handshakes and kisses, region by region; who goes first; titles and the formal "you"
- The Italian table and the Swiss table, from la scarpetta to fondue, raclette and toasts
- Arriving, what to bring, thank-you notes, the staff and tipping; hosting, from the invitation to the seating plan
- Dress for church, the beach, the town and invitations
- Shops, queues and trains, Sundays and quiet hours, recycling and rubbish
- For the staff: what families and guests expect, the first week in a new house, phrases in three languages
Sample pages
How buying works
One download, one price: €39.
Pay on Payhip
Our checkout is run by Payhip. It takes the payment and works out the VAT for your country.
Download at once
The download link appears as soon as the payment goes through, and Payhip sends it to you by e-mail as well.
Put it to work
Print it, fill it in, adapt it for your house and hand it to your own team.
Who it is for
It is for you if
- Your family has just taken a house in Italy or Switzerland.
- You host friends from abroad and would like them at ease from the first evening.
- You manage staff who trained in another country.
It is not for you if
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You are preparing for a state or VIP visit.
The Protocol Book
Questions before you buy
What language are the materials in?
English.
What if the sources disagree?
The guide says so and gives the safe default. Where a custom varies by region or by family, that is noted too, and every source is listed at the back, chapter by chapter.
Can I share the files with my team?
Yes, within your own household or households: print them, adapt them and hand them to the people who work for you. Please do not resell them, publish them or pass them on to other houses. A family office or an agency that would like to use them across several client houses can write to us about a wider licence.
What if something changes, or needs correcting?
Every guide carries its edition date, and figures that change from year to year, such as minimum pay or public holidays, carry their year and source. If we correct an edition, the people who bought it get the corrected file at no cost: write to us with your receipt if your link has expired.
Who issues the receipt, and what about VAT?
Payhip, our checkout, takes the payment, works out the VAT for your country and e-mails your receipt with the download link. If you need an invoice made out to a company, write to us after you buy.
Can I get a refund?
Files cannot be sent back once they are downloaded, so under EU consumer rules the usual 14-day right of withdrawal does not apply to digital content once the download has started with your consent. If a file does not open, is incomplete or is not what this page describes, write to us and we will put it right or refund you.
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Modern Manners: Italy & Switzerland
Have it on the shelf before you need it.
One download, one price, and the files are yours to print, fill in and adapt for your own house.