Some Eating Etiquette in Italy

Consequently, a dinner ("cena") can last for a few hours. You will always have to ask for your check in an Italian restaurant. A good Italian waiter (or waitress) will never bring the check without you asking for it (unless it is closing time). With that in mind, everything is usually very carefully made with the finest ingredients. They don't rush things. If you are in a hurry, you do not want to eat in an Italian restaurant. But since you are here for vacation, just relax and try to enjoy "la dolce vita", or the good life, that the Italians are experts at doing.

Tipping: Usually the restaurant will include the "servizio" in the bill. However, it is not uncommon to leave some change on the table, (or maybe even 1 Euro per person) if the service was exceptionally good. At a bar, it is customary to leave 10 or 20 Eurocents on the counter after you are done.

For Italian households, lunch ("pranzo") is usually the main meal of the day which starts around 1 or 2PM. However, in the northern industrialized cities such as Rome and Milan, dinner ("cena") is becoming the most important meal of the day for working families.

Italian breakfasts ("la colazione") are usually not much to brag about....they will start their day with an espresso and a croissant-type pastry called a "cornetto". You will have a hard time finding a breakfast consisting of eggs and pancakes in Italy, as you would in the United States or Canada or even Great Britain.