One of my favorite places in Cortona must be this coffee bar called “Bar la Posta.” I went here for lunch almost every single day because I greatly enjoyed the sandwiches as seen in one of the photos above and would grab 2 of them for lunch every single day. For most people 1 sandwich was plenty enough, but I got 2 every day and after a while of me trying my best to speak Italian, one of the waitresses realized that I was immersing myself into the culture somewhat more than the other Cortona students. She caught on and would help me learn Italian here and there while ordering and eventually gave me the “local” discount. This is the price that people who live in Cortona would pay. It comes out to around half of what tourists and visitors would pay. This was just an awesome example that I had the chance to experience, where trying to learn and engage in the culture benefitted me! Being friendly to all the staff at any establishment will at the very least provide both you and the staff an enjoyable time at their establishment. A cultural difference that I also noticed at most coffee bars would be the difference in price for sitting down and taking a coffee or espresso shot standing at the bar. This extra cost includes waiting the tables, but I did notice that isn’t something that is very common in the United States. If you grab something at the bar, say a shot of espresso and a cannolo, you will have to eat it quickly or take it outside. Eating food while walking is also something that is uncommon in Italy and to my knowledge most of Europe. I also learned part way through the trip that around noon, people switch from ordering cappuccinos to shots of espresso to drink. I never learned about the cultural significance behind this, but it was something that I thought was very interesting as someone who doesn’t drink coffee often.