As an Italian, I feel like the issue on 'not caring about the queue' is not generally accepted even by us Italians. I think it's a matter of good manners, and it's international. Maybe if it's about an ice-cream we can stand it, but if you go and line up at the Postal Office -which here in Italy is notoriously slow- or at the doctor, it may be annoying seeing one of the later guests going in before you, who have been waiting for longer. It's common sense, I guess.

Maybe it's not such well-disciplined as in other places, but we usually care about it. Of course, again, it's a matter of good manners.

Interesting.  I've spent time in Italy & live in Canada and this article is right about many things.  But we Canadians don't "like" to wait in lines.  We do so out of necessity and to allow some fairness to the process, but it's certainly not something we care for.  The bit about the check in the restaurant is spot on.  You could wait a lifetime in Italy to get the check if you weren't aware that you had to ask for it.

I've lived in Italy for twenty-few years, never saw a queue at a bus stop in my life, and when my Italian friend came over to the UK with me she wondered why there was around fifty persons standing in line along the pavement, she couldn't even imagine they were waiting for the bus. 

However, Italy is a more culturally divided country than most other European countries, it might be that although Romans and Apulians can't even conceive of queueing for the bus, maybe Tyroleans can.

One thing I learned in the UK is that if you go to a pub, you pick you own table and go to the bar to order. If you wait at the door thinking someone will assign you a seat, or at a table (mislead by the fact that there was menu on the table) you will wait in vain as there is no waiters. Proper restaurants have waiters, not pub. But pubs can serve nice food, it's not just a place to drink. Another difference is: in pubs they don't expect tip. Called me stingy but I find it a relief, I hate the Canadian custom of having to leave 15% tip. A friend of mine did not believe me and left a 2 pound coin on the counter after paying for his bill. The guy called him to say he forgot is coin! On the other hand, I went to a bar in Canada, with my british husband, and we had a horrific scene. He was slow to find his money so they waitress assumed he was not going to tip her, so she asked me to translate for her. She wanted to explain that she would not leave the table unless he gives her some tip!! My friends were mortified. 

Another thing, in Canada, you can go to a restaurant just for desserts, I've done it few times with friends. Apparently it's not to be done in the UK. You are expected to sit for at least a main course. But then once I ordered 2 starter as a main. I could see they found it odd but they said nothing.

Also about food, here in the UK you are expected to eat dessert or cereals with a big soup spoon. It's so funny considering they make such fuss about using forks the right way up! They have small dessert forks but I've not seen them in restaurants. My mother-in-law doesn't understand my persistence to use a tea spoon for cereals...

There is a great book called "Watching the English: The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour" by Kate Fox. I recommend it.