Hello, beautiful wanderlusters! As you may already know, I have recently moved to Italy. One would think that the most plausible explanations for the move were my studies, my unmeasurable love for Rome, the opportunity to learn Italian, the Art (yes, the capital letter was on purpose), the culture, the endless loafers choices…
It was the food. It’s always the food, don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.
It is a well-known fact that Italians have steadfast rules about food and drink, and in all honesty, they make perfect sense. If you make a mistake when eating in Italy, you are very likely to be corrected. This is not to stress you out, your stomach will most certainly have the time of its life here. Italians are very friendly and welcoming people, and their cuisine is part of their national pride, which, if we are smart enough, we will understand and respect. We should all be able to take constructive criticism, right?
To ease your gastronomic Italian tour, I have gathered some tips that I had to learn along the way. Even if you do not find them particularly useful, I promise you, they are good conversation starters at last.
Are you ready to dive in? Here are the 9 things you must know before dining in Italy.
Trattoria, Osteria, and Ristorante
The restaurants in Italy are separated into three different categories: trattoria, osteria and ristorante. I would not be able to explain this better than Avi, so the explanation you see below is borrowed from X Days In Y.
Trattorias are family-owned traditional restaurants, usually pretty small, that serve “classic” dishes. These would likely suit the image of an authentic, rustic restaurant tucked away in a hidden lane.
An osteria is kind of a scaled-down version of a trattoria. The menu usually changes every day according to what the chef finds in the market.
Photo by Fineas Anton on Unsplash
A ristorante is a “proper” restaurant, complete with host/hostess, a selection of wines, desserts and a slightly more sophisticated menu.
Book a table
I would recommend booking a table in advance, as it gets pretty busy at night.
Please keep in mind that most people do not speak English (nor do they have to, after all, we are visiting their country). You could ask the staff at the front desk at your hotel/villa, your Airbnb host or a friend who speaks Italian to book the table for you. You could also use Google Translate if you’re feeling adventurous.
In all cases, Italians are very welcoming and friendly, so as long as you respect the fact that they are not obliged to speak the languages you do, you will have a great time.
Coperto, Servizio, and Tipping
Basically, these are several additional charges that are applied to your bill.
The coperto (I cannot find an English equivalent) **** is normally between 1€ and 4€ per diner PER PERSON, which is added to your bill. Understandably, it costs more in touristy areas. The coperto must be listed in the menu. Normally, there is one outside the restaurant, so make sure to check it out.
You also have a service charge (servizio), which goes to the wait staff. It could be between 10-20% of your total bill.
Mostly because the trattorias’ staff is paid a reasonable wage here, tipping (mancia) is not that common. However, if you’d like to leave a tip, the percentage of your bill rule does not apply here. Leaving 1€-2€ is more than enough.
In Rome, I get asked if I’d like to leave a tip. I did not have this experience in Florence, but it may depend on the place you are eating at.
Cappuccino is only for breakfast
No one has anything against cappuccinos here. In fact, everyone loves them. But do you know that milk is bad for your digestion? Well, Italians believe so. You will never see an Italian having a milk-based drink with or after his meal.
This is why consuming milk after 11 am is frowned upon here. I for sure am guilty of doing that simply because I got the “cappuccino rule” all wrong – I thought that I was not supposed to have it with my meal, but no one told me that after is just as bad.
You would wonder why it’s okay to have it for breakfast then? Because cappuccino is partially the breakfast. Usually, one would have a cappuccino or coffee with some sort of pastry, most likely a croissant. I like to break my croissant into pieces and dip it into the drink. (I am not entirely sure if it’s a French or Italian thing, perhaps unacceptable in both countries, but it’s the small pleasure I am not giving up.) Anyhow, if you’d like to proceed with my small croissant ritual, make sure you do not do this with your espresso. You need to either drink from a bigger cup or a bowl in order to dip your pastry in it.
Anyhow, if you don’t believe in the Italian milk theory, you could of course order your coffee and as much milk as you’d like with it. No one will deny you the right to have a milk-based drink, especially when you are paying for it. Most waiters are used to the tourists’ milk-theory ignorance.
However, on occasion, you could land upon an opinionated waiter who would try to explain that this is a bad idea or at least give you a weird look. In the rare cases one might refuse to serve you, don’t take it personally; they’re coming from a good place.
Bread basket
Let’s admit it, we all feel special when we go to a restaurant, and we are almost immediately served a bread basket and some water. But do you remember what happened the last time you walked down the street and a guy gave you a rose?* Despite that, you also felt special. That’s right, you had to pay for it.
The same applies to the bread basket. It’s not free, and you will be charged about 2€ per person for it, unless you tell the waiter to take it as soon as it’s served. Otherwise, you are left with two options:
- Do not touch the basket and still pay for it;
- Stuff yourself with bread and be full before your tasty dish arrives.
Up to you.
- If this never happened to you, come to Rome, it’s a very common practice.
No Wine With Pizza
I have been to Italy so many times, but it was only a month ago that I had learnt that Italians do not drink wine with their pizza, they drink…beer. Seems obvious once you hear it, doesn’t it?
However, if you are not a fan of beer, you could possibly substitute it for prosecco. Now I’ve got your attention, right? Sparkling wines could be the easiest and most convincing crossover. It’s all about the fizz.
The wine buyer Alessandro Marchesan (@maslamola on Instagram) recommends prosecco col fondo with a white pizza or a dry sparkling wine from Emilia Romagna for prosciutto-topped pizzas.
In addition, Emily O’Hare from the English news magazine The Florentine has a tip for us:
“Be very careful about the serving temperature. Ambient-temperature reds and whites don’t work at all with pizza. With hot melted cheese, the wine must be cold, otherwise no refreshment is guaranteed whatsoever.”
Aperol Spritz
Just try it. Not really a tip, but I cannot shout it to you in any other way.
Look, I didn’t like it before. AT ALL. However, it tastes different here.
I am no Aperol Spritz expert, just a very passionate consumer now, but I was told that the difference comes from the prosecco. Italians just know which ones go with Aperol the best. Plus, prosecco is Italian, duh.
Parmigiano
Repeat after me: We. Do. NOT. Put. Parmigiano. On. Seafood.
In general, you should not put grated cheese on your main course, and you must never add it to risotto or pasta dishes that are made with seafood. The reason behind it is that the strong cheese flavour will overwhelm the taste of the main course, or especially, the delicate taste of the fish.
Bonus tip: Don’t squeeze lemon on fried food either.
Have a dog? You can take it with you.
As someone coming from a country where my dog has been denied access to almost every place I have been with the exception of a few cafes, mostly run by younger and more open-minded owners, it was an extreme relief and a huge surprise to see that Lexi was welcomed everywhere in Italy. Most people will even look at you with disbelief if you ask if it’s okay for your fur baby to get in.
This includes every type of store, all cafes, restaurants and most supermarkets (for now, I have only seen Lidl denying access to pets; there could be more). Keep in mind that in some of the bigger supermarkets, you will need to get a key for a pet-dedicated trolley, usually in exchange for the dog’s passport, so make sure to take it with you. Of course, you will get it back once you return the trolley.
Unfortunately, I am unable to confirm if this will be the case with other pets. I would imagine that there won’t be an issue, but I am unable to make that promise.
There is a separate article cooking, which will be dedicated to my experience with having a dog in Italy. Stay tuned.
I hope you have found these tips useful, and perhaps you might have learnt something new today.
As always, thanks for stopping by.
Almost forgot! If you are on your way to Florence, make sure to check out my Top 10 Places to Eat in Florence: Tips from Locals. You won’t regret it.
Going to Rome instead? Don’t miss my Eat Like a Roman: Hidden Food Gems Locals Swear By — packed with my favorite go-to places for pasta, pizza, pinsa, and everything in between.