Dining in Italy

Tips: Dining Etiquette, Dining Establishments, and Meals in Italy

An Italian breakfast is usually very light. Most common is a freshly baked croissant or brioche with a coffee. Cookies and sweet breads are also common for breakfast. Cappuccino’s and caf lattes are only ordered by Italians in the morning. Freshly squeezed orange juice with the pulp (spremuta) is usually always available as well.

Any eating places that you see with names like Ristofit, Ristogrill or Autogrill are gourmet Italian fast food chains. The food is fresh, cooked in front of you and inexpensive. They are all over Italy and are most commonly found on the Altostrati (national highways) or in shopping centres.

When you order gelato in the birthplace of gelato, “gusti” means flavours and you can usually order two flavours on the next to smallest or smallest size and even more flavours the bigger size your order is. “Coppa” is a cup and “Conno” is a cone. You can also ask for a free sample before choosing your flavours.

Tipping is not required unless it says so. Read every menu – Sometimes there is a cover charge per person. In Italy, it is called a coperto. It usually falls between 1-2 per head and is usually charged at a sit down establishment such as a ristorante, trattoria, or osteria rather than a cafe. When paying also verify that the prices are accurate.

Bar/Cafe (sandwiches, light fast meals), Caffetteria, Trattoria, Ristorante, Osteria (fancy) – These are eating places in order of lowest priced to highest priced. Trattorias are the most practical for a great dining experience whereas a bar or cafe is best when you’re on the go and looking for a cheap quick bite. You won’t get a bad meal anywhere you go. Italy is the biggest producer of organic foods in Europe and fourth in the world. One third of the organic farms in Europe are in Italy.

A 1/2 carafe or carafe of the house red or white wines (vini) are the most inexpensive locally produced wines on the menu.

Meal order – Pane (bread), Antipasti (appetizers), Primi (First Courses usually a pasta or rice dish), Secondi (Meat or Fish) with Contorni (Side, vegetable or salad)), Dolce (Dessert), Cafe (espresso), Grappa or Limon cello to “kill” the cafe. Many opt to usually just stick to a Primi unless really hungry.

Italians do a light snack before lunch and before dinner at bars and cafe’s called an apertivo. You order one drink and are entitled to as much as the spread that they have laid out at the bar or cafe. Sometimes there’s just a flat charge for the apertivo and included are the drinks and snacks.

Lunch usually starts 1at 1300 and dinner at 20:30. If you want to beat the crowd than you can arrive a little earlier than those times.

All the coffee here is espresso so do not ask for an espresso, ask for a caf.

At restrooms, you may see a cleaning lady with a bowl of change. That is for tipping and not required. Locals never do it.

Most importantly, remember that In vino veritas (”in wine [there is the] truth”). Buon appetito!