All Italian towns and cities have a public square or plaza, called a piazza. In small towns and historic downtowns the piazza is an open place in front of a church and/or other important buildings, built there for civic and religious parades. It is also an arena for political activities. There will often be a memorial statue telling you to whom the square is dedicated. Looking at these statues you could learn some Italian history. The piazza is also a meeting place for both kids and adults. There are benches to sit on, and cafés with tables and chairs.

Five Italian cities have a subway system and otherwise people get around towns and villages by train and bus. Almost every family has at least one car that is used to get to work, and also just to take rides or go shopping. On the weekends, especially during the warm seasons, people drive to the beach, the mountains and the lakes in their cars. They also drive to the outskirts of towns and cities for short excursions and on holidays. Families and groups of friends plan picnics or else go to a restaurant together. There are two days of the year when almost every family in Italy is taking a drive somewhere and having a picnic: il ferragosto is August 15th, the day that the vacation period coincides with a religious feast; the second day is pasquetta, Easter Monday. If you visit Italy and take a drive on one of these two days, remember that you'll probably end up in a long line of traffic

Primary and middle school kids usually walk to school while high school students like to drive their cars. Though Italian people prefer to drive to work in their cars, they like to walk or ride a bike for exercise and relaxation. In Emilia-Romagna, however, lots of people ride their bikes to work.

School excursions are organized in April or May. At primary and middle school these are one-day bus trips to visit a zoo, a museum, an historical site or a place of nature. High school students have five-day or one-week excursions to different European cities. They leave early and arrive at night, and during the travel time everyone sings while a student plays the guitar. The students sleep in a motel or an inn and each morning they leave to visit another town or city.