Love Italy? You should check out my book about How to Order an Italian Coffee in Italy! It’s available on Amazon! Get your copy or tell a friend!
Here are some common mistakes and misconceptions tourists have about traveling in Italy. After posting about how my diet has changed since moving to Italy 7 years ago, I’ve also been reflecting on people visiting and enjoying Italy.
Here’s a few words of advice for anyone hoping to visit Italy in the near future – leave your own suggestions in the comments for others!
Tipping in Italy. Though regularly discussed, argued and debated, the truth is you don’t need to tip in Italy. Really. Let me repeat that: you don’t need to tip in Italy. Of course most workers will not scoff or refuse a tip (though a few will), but it’s not necessary, and I think it’s a bad precedence to set for foreigners to tip in Italy for simple things like a coffee, taxi rides, or dinner in a pizzeria. Many Italians I know will only leave a tip for very exceptional service (think: anniversary dinner in a Michelin-starred restaurant) or will leave the change when paying cash because it’s easier not to wait for the waiter to make change (think: leaving a 100-euro banknote on a 99-euro bill), but it’s a choice of convenience rather than rewarding service. In Rome, waiters / taxi drivers are getting spoiled with foreigners leaving tips and are now expecting them. But you don’t need to tip in Italy. You’re probably already paying a supplement through the coperto (cover charge) or servizio (service charge) on your restaurant bill. You probably still want to tip a hotel porter for bringing up your bags, a helpful concierge or a thorough tour guide.- Assuming you can buy tickets for public transportation directly on the bus / tram. Most big cities in Italy (Rome, Milan, Naples, Florence) require you to buy your bus/tram tickets before boarding. And not just that, but most bus stops will not have a ticket machine next to the stop. Rather, you’ll need to find a newspaper stand (edicola) or a tobacco shop (tabaccaio) to purchase your tickets. If you’re planning on using public transportation on a Sunday, buy your tickets the day before – you’ll save a lot of time not looking for an open place to buy tickets. And once on the bus/tram, make sure you validate the ticket – put it into a machine that will print the date/time used on the ticket (so it can’t be re-used). Save yourself a fine!
- Calling the afternoon store closings a “siesta.” It’s not called a “siesta”…the stores are just closed. Some stores have a day of the week that they are closed and they will call it a day of rest (giorno di riposo) or (riposo settimanale), and most stores will also be closed Monday mornings, opening in the afternoons directly. A misconception is that all stores will close in the afternoon, but it really depends on where you are in Italy, and what time of year. Especially in crowded city centers, many stores should remain open through the afternoon, but if they do close, it’s not a siesta. It’s not Spain. It’s just closed. As my friend Max reminded me, store hours are set at the Comune (city) level, so opening times will vary from city to city.
- Not respecting meal times, especially at lunch time. Most restaurants and bars have specific opening times, and they will close in the afternoon – that you can count on. If you have a late breakfast, visit museums through lunch and hope to get a bite to eat at 2pm or 3pm, you’re going to find a very limited selection, and some of which was prepared before the lunch rush, including those sandwiches that have been sitting there since 10am. Try to eat when Italians eat – lunch hour is usually 13-14 (some start as early as 12.30 eating) and most will be done by 14.30. Dinner is a little different – the further south you go, the later they start eating. A good rule of thumb is a reservation for 20/20.30, but some groups will make reservations for 21.30/22 and will stay until the restaurant closes! If you’re hungry earlier, why not have an aperitivo (pre-dinner drink) before dinner?
- Expecting to be waited on very attentively in a restaurant or store. The culture of “il cliente comanda” (the client dictates / is right) is not present in Italy. Furthermore, most restaurants will be “understaffed,” that is, they will have few waiters working many tables because their main job is to order and deliver your food. They probably won’t ask “how are you folks doing?”, if you like the food, if you want a refill (this concept doesn’t exist) or other general “friendly” requests that are in reality superfluous to your main dining experience – they just don’t have the time. So, sit back, be patient, and flag down your waiter when you need something, but be patient in knowing they are probably working very hard. The good news is, you’ll rarely be presented with the check until you ask for it. [Update: someone made a comment to me that I'm wrong here, and the service is fast in Italy. I am not debating the speed of the service but rather the amount of attention that is given to the patron who may be accustomed to a high level of attention throughout the dining experience. I think the quality of service is relatively high, but it's not conveyed in terms of client attentiveness but in other ways.]
- Ordering peperoni on your pizza and expecting hot/spicy salami. Peperoni in Italian are bell peppers, not pepperoni in the US which is hot salami. So if you want hot salami on your pizza, don’t order a pizza with peperoni (note the spelling – just one p) order a pizza diavola or look for a pizza that has salame piccante as one of the ingredients.
- Thinking you have to order an antipasto, primo e secondo at every meal. Most Italians don’t eat an antipasto, primo, secondo and dolce at every meal – you don’t have to, either. If you eat like this at every meal, you will definitely feel full! Feel free just to pick a primo or secondo for your lunch and maybe splurge at dinner with a more robust meal.
- Ordering before paying, paying before ordering in a bar. Many bars require that you get a receipt (scontrino) before ordering, especially if you see the cash register (cassa) sitting apart from where you’ll pick up the food or coffee, and you don’t see immediate table service. When in doubt, observe for a few minutes or just ask at the cash register how to proceed – you might say, “scusi, si paga o si ordina prima?” (Does one pay or order first?)
- Drinking a coffee during a meal (other than breakfast). Coffee is used mainly to help digestion and to finish off a meal, and therefore at lunch or dinner it is ordered after the meal and dessert have been consumed. If you order a cappuccino to go with your spaghetti carbonara, expect a nasty look…from everyone.
- Touching fruit & vegetables with your bare hands in a street market or supermarket. In a supermarket you should see plastic gloves and bags near the scales or throughout the fruit/veg section. Use them. In an open-air market, you won’t see these gloves because you are not expected to handle anything yourself – the people working in the stall will do everything. Don’t touch the goods! Also, it’s considered pretty rude to tell the fruttivendolo exactly which fruit he should put in your bag.
Here’s a few to start….any tips you have for tourists in Italy?
Love Italy? You should check out my book about How to Order an Italian Coffee in Italy! It’s available on Amazon! Get your copy or tell a friend!
Still hungry for more Italy news? Listen to the All-Italy podcast I co-host called Eye on Italy at www.eyeonitaly.com/podcast.
75 responses so far ↓
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Love them, Sara! Great points, especially the tipping, the eating at 2 or 3 and the “siesta” comments. I don’t know why people don’t believe us when we tell them they don’t have to tip!
Awesome explanation, Sara. I should add, though, that I was kicked out of restaurant in Siena for following the #7 tip. The waiter scoffed when we just wanted to order a primo (he didn’t wait to hear that we’d also get wine, salad, and probably dessert, too). Little did he know that I was there on a guidebook fact-finding mission. Obviously, that restaurant found itself left out of the guidebook. I wish I could remember the name so I could call them out…
Excellent advice.
My Italian friends in Rome do tip. Not 20% but will usually round up depending on the service.
I agree foreigners over tip. Waiters here and in France make a living wage and have health insurance while in America, we (I used to waitress) were taxed on assumed tips and made a lower minimum wage.
You are so dead on about service. A friend of a friend was here from L.A. and she complained about how slow the service was. She was tripping. I don’t need a waiter coming over to my table every ten minutes to ask how I’m doing or to tell me about their guest appearance on some TV show (true story).
Spot on! Could not have explained it better! Brava!
It is hard to accept that “no tipping” is really true, but it sure was nice once we got used to it. We like the “just round up” when it makes sense.
It actually went one better for us last month in Italy. A couple of times the WAITERS rounded down! Now THAT we would never see in the USA!
A good waiter or waitress always deserves a tip!
while living in Sorrento it was difficult in the market to know “who was next” . Lines were not always observed.
Except for the “friends” I made selling bread or cheese, small quantities were frowned on! i wanted to buy for the day or 2 at most. The refrigerator was midget! I never did try the butcher. Had no idea what some of the meats were and if you dont like pork or ham you are limited. I found a stall in the Firenze veggie market that sold turkey! stop there every trip and she makes me a sandwich. I am sure the have a chuckle about that.
you are SOOOOO right about touching the furit. One vender slapped the clients hand who tried to pick an apple
i love italy……
I knew a couple of these but these tips were very very helpful. I will be visiting Italy in about a month’s time so will lock these away in memory!
Brilliant! First time I tried to leave a tip up in the Tuscan hills I got a weird look. Learnt from that experience.
Oh and I dont know how many times ive ended up with a pepper pizza rather than a pepperoni one! LOL Its just not the same….
Thanks dear for your thoughts and views……. very helpful.
My number one tip i give tourists is about the lack of public toilets! You will need to use bar or restaurant toilets mostly while out and make sure to always bring your own tissues….
I also like the water fountains everywhere, carry a small bottle with you and fill it for free whenever you see one.
I have been aware of the tipping guidelines and was surprised and taken aback on our last trip to Italy. On 2 occasions in Sorrento, the waiters aggressively asked us to tip!! Unfortunatley both the meal and the service we poor as well. Very unusual for Italy since we are almost always pleased with both.
Great tips. If you’re this far south (I’m in Salento, at the bottom of the heel) then nobody eats much before 9pm, unless they have very small children with them. Aperitivi, however, are great down here, and well worth having to stave off the early evening hunger pangs. Cocktail Sampellegrino e stuzzichini – yum!
thank you Sara for explaining it all so well. I am Italian and I onl tip if I am very happy with a waiters service. certainly if they ask for a tip they dont get one.
It’s the rudest thing to do.
I also wanted to point out that Italians don’t actually like to much attention in a restaurant. We want our food good and at the right time, but then we want to be left in peace to enjoy the food as well as the company.
So even in upscale restaurants where they have plenty personnel they will be frowned upon if they get “sticky”.
As for the closing times, thank you thank you thank you for saying that is not a siesta. Only pensioners and babies have time to sleep in the afternoon!
Most business in Itay are still family run, so during closing times business owners go to shop, take their kids out of school, tank, whatever else they cannot do during the many hours they work
and I have one last tip: travelers please learn traffic signs. I hear of so many people getting parking tickets or worse because they don’t read the signs. Being a foreign is not a justification for not respecting the road rules!
This is just what I needed. Am about to venture to Italy for 5 weeks. First time I’ve travelled to Europe (I live in Australia) and I was actually wondering about tipping. So this has been brilliant. Loved it all. Thank you.
Good tips and accurate. I would add a couple of comments. 5. Wait staff in restaurants are professionals of course some better than others, but mostly it’s their life’s work and they do what is needed without a lot of extra fussing – I like that. If you need something you just have to ask, make a signal, even get out of your chair and find them if desperate. The good news is that they won’t bother you and rush you through your meal so they can seat the next group at your table. Most restaurants I have experience with in the North will not bring the check until you ask for it. Many in fact will wait for you to come to the cashier and tell her/him what you ordered, they do know by the way, but by telling them you are both confirming the accuracy. 8. Many bars don’t expect to be paid until you are done rather than prepaying or even paying when you get your drinks. You finish your coffee go to the cashier and tell her what you had. 5. In many nice clothing stores one might get at minimum a dirty look for digging into the nicely folded and stacked clothing on the shelves. Best to size up the store and maybe ask for help finding your size. They will help if you ask even if they seem to be preoccupied taking about last night at the disco. 9. I’ve been told it’s against the law, unwritten of course, to order a cappuccino after 11am. 10. It might be rude to tell the fruttivendolo what to put it the bag but don’t be afraid to tell them what not to, you don’t have to accept bad fruit. 1. I am very sure that tourists in large tourist cities get treated differently than Italians, the waiter might hassle a tourist for a tip but would not think of doing that to an Italian. Same goes for ordering, first, second, etc. just be firm with them.
Tip, don’t be afraid to ask for a box to take home the left overs in a pizzeria we do it all the time, even in Milan. Why throw good food away – it’s not the green thing to do.
This was great! I linked to it on my own site, hope that’s ok!
Jill
[OFF TOPIC]
I’ve recently come across your blog and I do like it!
I add it to my blogroll if you don’t mind.
Ciao
ah ah..this post is sooo funny! I’m Italian living in the UK and after leaving abroad for a while I can easily spot these Italian “features”! Once I was on a airplane and an Italian ordered a sandwitch with peperoni…I still remember his disappointment when we received a sandwitch with hot salami!!!
Useful tips. Thank you. Here are two things which I’ve learned about dining and drinking coffee in Italy.
If you are in a fancy restaurant you might not get a menu. Instead, the waiter tells you what antipasti, primi and secondi they have. I’m not sure whether it is rude to ask about prices. I assume it is. So the bill could be a bit of surprise (set your expectations “high”). In my case it was about 45 euro per person (including drinks), but it was worth it. It is good idea to go to such restaurants with Italian friends, so that they can translate “waht’s of the menu”.
Italians do not add milk to coffee after breakfast. When I ordered cappuccino in the afternoon, I heard one member of the staff teasing the one who just frothed the milk. The answer was that the cappuccino was for a tourist. I don’t suggest not to drink cappuccino in Italy after the breakfast. However, be prepared that you sometimes “surprise” the waiter.
All arecgreatvtips
It’s the same here in Thailand about tips – not expected.
Some of the more expensive restaurants will add 10% service fee but, as that often is as little as 20 baht, (65 cents) it’s not that big of a deal.
I do tip more to taxi drivers and in restaurants and at food stalls where the food is very cheap. Otherwise, in Thailand if anyone tips it’s just usually the loose change.
Tipping has gotten out of hand in the US with some places expecting 20%. No wonder less and less people are eating out, it’s just too expensive when you factor in the massive tip.
You are so right, tipping in general has got out of hand.
In a restaurant I will always ask whether the tip goes to the staff or to the house and will only tip when there is not a service charge
Thanks for the tips, Sara. It’s really important to know these simple things before setting foot in a foreign country, because the last thing you want to do is irk someone unintentionally.
Great! I did not know that one can point to desired fruit in the market and still be rude. Thanks for that.
And a friend of mine and I did get told that we must buy two beers with our dinner one time. We were regulars and always shared the meal, admitting to being artists on a budget. While the restaurant was rarely even half full, we were told that we did not order enough each week and “this is a restaurant after all.” After two times of this (bc I wanted to confirm the reason for this odd request, especially since I rarely enjoy beer and my friend never does), we decided that we were not wanted there.
Sad, we had enjoyed the place for about 2 months every week.
I absolutely agree with the points about lunch times, tickets for the public transports, and paying before ordering.. if you follow these simple rules, you’ll save time and will behave correctly in those situations.
I would add that coffee is a must for Italians, but if you don’t drink coffee you should order an “amaro” like Averna for example.
All the tips were valid and something I wish we had known before we moved to Italy 6 years ago. I can’t tell you how many times we were hounded for tips even after paying the coperto! But, we do live in Naples and apparently its quite normal practice here to hound customers until they pay more.
The markets I find tend to be a MUCH better deal in terms of produce! I have noticed that if you buy too LITTLE the vendors tend to get annoyed. Great tips all around!!
gosh, I don’t even think about that kind of thing anymore, I guess I’ve fully assimilated! LOL!
You’ve nailed it with these tips. These are the biggest issues I hear from people returning from Italy. I think the biggest mistake travelers make is not respecting the eating times–especially lunch. I have to admit that I tip when service is friendly and there is no coperto or servizio on the bill–(former waitress here).
Good tips! Most of them right on money. I happen to travel a lot to Italy (mostly northern regions).
Regarding tipping, that’s true. You don’t leave anything after lunch. Of course, dinner in a good restaurant is something else.
Bus tickets – another option is just ask your reception in the hotel. Usually, they sell the tickets.
Very true about primo, secondo, etc. Italians are very aware of that division. Where I come from there’s main course (I mean meat, or fish), and there are things on-the-side (could be pasta, potatoes, salad). For Italians pasta is primo, main dish is secondo, and salad is antipasti. So I used to have a few nasty looks here and there, and had to adjust.
I don’t agree about the servicio. It’s actually good, compared to Paris, for example.
These are great!
One other tip (though you’d have to confirm whether this holds true throughout Italy?) The first time I went to a grocery store while living in Bologna I didn’t realize I had to pay for the plastic/paper grocery bags. This came right on the heels of touching fruit sans plastic gloves. It was a traumatic trip, but I learned :)
Top 10 Tips are perfect and all true.
Perfection! Excellent tips (no pun inteded)
I love that you came out and said not to tip in Italy! I hate that their country doesn’t expect that kind of thing and we are the foreigners basically ruining the essence of the country. I love that. Good JOB! Way to speak up… everyone should read this.
-Sylvia
Great post and very useful. One thing though maybe you should have called it ’10 American Tourist Mistakes in Italy” as a lot of it does not apply to non-American tourists ie tipping which is a US thing as far as I know and the kind of obsequious (and very irritating to me!) ‘service’ which you get in US restaurants.
Personally I think it’s fine to break the rules. I drink cappuccini whenever I feel like one (not very often) and if I get hungry at, say, 3pm I just go to a bar and have a sandwich or something.
I’ve never had a waiter hound me for tips. That kind of brings me to my #1 tip which is avoid touristy areas if you can. You get better food and better service in residential areas outside the historical centres of Italian towns.
Great advice. Another…Always bring a few coins — 50c, 1 euro — when going to the supermarket if you want to use a shopping cart. There’s a deposit-and-return system. Nothing more annoying than desperately seeking change, and you won’t be appreciated when you ask.
I love all the added information and tips you’re adding here, everyone! Thanks for the discussion, too :)
These are wonderful tips, Sara. These are often overlooked but very important parts of the everyday culture and life here in Italy. Things are done quite differently from what most tourists are used to and some things people don’t even give much consideration to can actually be offensive.
Perhaps my best tip for travelers to Italy is the PLAN – in advance! There are several things (public transportation being one of them which I believe you mentioned) that require your advance attention. While I’m used to the way things run in Rome, I wouldn’t recommend that anyone visit and “wing it” on their trip. You could end up having a pretty negative experience just because you don’t understand business hours or where the bus drops off. Plan your transportation (to and from everywhere), plan your budget, plan your meal times, get currency exchanged ahead of time and get public transit tickets before you need to travel. It may seem like a lot of work in the beginning, but it will make for a much smoother trip.
We just got back from Rome and I have to tell you these tips did NOT prepare us for the fact that Italians hate Americans. I have never been treated so rudely EVER! It wasn’t just us either everyone we talked to on the way home said the exact same thing. If you don’t speak Italian they treat you like you are bothering them. When you ask a question the first thing they do is give out a big sigh. The funny thing is they love American music, TV and movies. The waiters were fine they did check on us and we did have to ask for the check, which is no big deal. Vanessa is right about the public bathrooms and taking tissues with you. Every restroom we went into didn’t have toilet paper. Don’t eat in the tourist sections because the food was awful! The best place we ate was called Babbos, the food was wonderful every time (we ate their 5 times because every where else we tried the food was plain and tasteless, it was like they were saving the basil and spices) and their servers were the nicest Italian people we meet the whole time we were there. If you take a taxi take it away from the big tourist spots because they start you off at 5.80 euros instead of the 2. euros at other locations. They don’t like to help you even if that is their job. The worst people were the tourist information center at the train station. Twice we tried to get help and they were the rudest people I have ever come across in my life! Rome was covered in graffiti and very dirty. At least half the time we went to an ATM teller it was broken.
For those of you in Italy tipping isn’t that big of a deal. Here in the United States our waiter/waitress only make minimum wage and the tips help them make their ends meet. You also don’t have to pay 20%. It is anywhere from 10 to 20 percent depending on how the service was. It is a way to say you appreciate them taking good care of you. Everyone is so worried about the tipping and offending the Italians. Maybe the Italians should loosen up and not be so up tight and stop worrying about tipping or when people drink coffee as much as they should worry about being kind to other human beings.
The Italians also don’t like choices. I was glad to get back to the states so I could have other food besides Italian food. First night back we had Chinese food and second night back we had Mexican. If you want Mexican food in Rome, I understand there is only one and it is out of the city central somewhere, we couldn’t find it though! It was also nice to have a Dr. Pepper or Pepsi, I’m not a big Coke person and that is all they offer in Rome. It was really nice to get home to a blended Chai drink too!
We loved the history, the monuments were amazing and I am glad we saw them but I would really recommend not going to Italy! Go to a country where they appreciate you coming to their country and spending your hard earned money there. People we met said England and Germany people are very nice. Try Paris even though everyone says the French hate Americans we found that if you made an effort to speak French they were helpful and kind people. Making an effort in Rome didn’t help at all!
I hope this helps American people who have to go to Italy not to be so shocked when an Italian talks about them right in front of them. Even though we don’t speak Italian we can tell by your mannerisms, tone of voice and the way you look at us that you are talking about us! If you have to go to Italy learn to speak Italian first, I think that is the only thing that will help make it a half decent trip.
Sundays: Americans, at least from California, are used to stores being open on Sundays and with longer hours. Sunday is just another day of the week. Not always the case in Europe. Even in the larger cities grocery stores may be closed or have very short hours. Visitors should prepare on Saturdays for food, etc.,
Very, very spot on.
One little thing about the tipping. In Naples I have seen everyone leave 5 to 20 cents on the bar when they have espresso. This is common only in some of the more historic o stressed out places in Rome or elsewhere. So do it in Naples, but only if you feel like it elsewhere.
A couple of other little notes. Only take marked cabs. Avoid when unmarked. With marked taxis you are more or less sure to get where you want safely (and in case of a problem you can always get their id number from the side and complain later).
Right on with the cappucino’s. They make them for americans at restaurants, but they do think its strange.
yo denise,
I have been going to Rome for 30 years every year often multiple times and I can only conclude from your long rant that you must share the blame for your terrible Italian experience because I do not recognize the country you are describing. Sure you can have a few bad experiences in any country, but your consistency is suspect… sorry. I don’t buy it. If you cannot see the good side of Italy, you can only be described as a provincial American tourist.
Bob, I take offense to the “Yo Denise” not all Americans address each other in that manner. Just because she did not share the experiences you had in Italy does not give you the right to say her comments are “suspect”. Instead I would have hoped that you would share your positive thoughts on how those of us looking to visit Italy can have a good time. So, please add to the conversation and let us know what are the good sides of Italy?
BTW, great tips and I look forward to using them on my future trip to Italy. I think the main point is that when you visit any country, it pays to do as much planning and research as possible so you can enjoy without too many hiccups!
I see very well where Denise’s clash with the locals comes from:
Tip: do not address the locals in english. Instead, greet them in italian and make a show of trying to use the handful words you know with a big smile. Chance is, they will answer back with their own little english. Forcing your alien language onto them is a monumental “figura di merda”, instantly identifying yourself as an arrogant ignorant.
Spot on! A few more extensions:
1. Dont’ expect butter with your bread at a restaurant. Nor a bread plate.
2. Anything other than water and/or wine at a meal (unless it’s pizza or a snack) is really uncommon.
3. Salad is considered a “contorno” (side dish), hardly an appetizer.
4. Tips at restaturants are purely symbolic. If you really like the service and food go ahead and leave some change (1 to 2 Eur is good).
5. This a surprises a lot of tourists. Waiters will often recommend (which is normal) or not recommend certain dishes. And assuming you did not end up in a tourist trap, it is a very genuine suggestion. This is especially true with fish. If a fish was particularly nice and fresh that morning, they will not hesitate to recommend it. Likewise, they will not recommend you a fish that they do have but, perhaps was not the freshest that morning. I was in Venice with my wife a few months ago; we were undecided as to the second course, the waiter noticed that and he suggested we have a fritto misto (mixed fried sea fruits) because they had just changed the oil in the frier. My wife and I will never forget that seafood.
6. In Florence it is common to share a table with strangers.
7. Program you day around meal times.
8. There’s hardly a breakfast tradition in Italy. People have a very small breakfast consisting of an espresso, sometimes cappuccino, and a pastry.
9. Regarding the matter of whether you pay before or after at a coffee place: usually the norm is that places with a high traffic make you pay before, especially if it is not habitual customers.
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@ Denise:
“Don’t eat in the tourist sections because the food was awful!”
That’s usually and unfortunately true.
“Rome was covered in graffiti ”
That is also true, but not just Rome. Just about any place in Italy is covered with graffiti.
“It is a way to say you appreciate them taking good care of you.”
No, it’s because waiters make close to no money in the US.
“The waiters were fine they did check on us and we did have to ask for the check, which is no big deal”. Waiters in Italy are not rushing to kick you out to free the table for other customers. You are free to stay until the place closes. They will not bring you the check unless you ask for it. Likewise, they will not remove an empty plate until all parties have finished eating as well. This is considered just basic good manners there.
“Maybe the Italians should loosen up and not be so up tight and stop worrying about tipping ”
The opposite is also true: maybe the Americans should loosen up and not be so up tight and stop worrying about being tipped. You see these are cultural differences. Italians are surprised when they find out that american waiters are not paid a salary (well close to not being salaried) and wonder why are their employer so mean.
“The Italians also don’t like choices. I was glad to get back to the states so I could have other food besides Italian food”.
Italy does not share a border with Mexico. Mexican immigrants in Italy are almost non-existant. Hence why you won’t find Mexican restaurants. Chinese immigration on the other hand is somewhat more consistent, hence why you do find Chinese restaurants in major centres, especially Florence, Rome, Milan. Italy has a very strong and diverse culinary heritage which is one of the reasons you only find italian food in Italy. If you think about how immigration has shaped US history, you understand why such ethnic variety is present on its territory.
“I’m not a big Coke person and that is all they offer in Rome”. Soda is not that popular in Italy. Ask Dr. Pepper why they don’t import their product (maybe they do). Perhaps no demand from the local market?
“Even though we don’t speak Italian”. Unfortunately, most people in Italy don’t speak English, just like you don’t speak Italian. That, and cultural differences you are probably confusing with ‘rudeness’, resulted in your not enjoying the trip. For example, if you expect people in Italy to greet you with “Hi, how are you today?”, you are in for a big surprise. This apparent care for one another is something you will never find in Italy. They will look at you as if you are from Mars. Why? Because, unless it is someone you intimately know, you are not going to ask a stranger how he/she is feeling today. And if you think about it, the same is true in the US: nobody really care to ask you how you are feeling today, it’s just a way to be polite. Same goes for have a nice day and so on.
> “We just got back from Rome and I have to tell
> you these tips did NOT prepare us for the fact
> that Italians hate Americans.”
Hi, Denise!
According to my ID card, I am Italian and I certainly don’t have any hard feelings towards Americans.
Quite the opposite, in fact – I feel right at home in the presence of Americans.
But then I’m a strange kind of Eye-talian, I don’t even like peperonata.
> “If you don’t speak Italian they treat you like you
> are bothering them.”
True.
Guess what?
In some remote villages in the northern countryside and/or in Sicily and Puglia if you don’t speak their damn dialect they treat you like shit.
I don’t really have anything to say in defense of this attitude. It stinks.
> “The funny thing is they love American music,
> TV and movies.”
Well, rest assured that’s SO not true.
I don’t think anyone in my neighborhood knows who on earth David Letterman is or who wrote American Pie (well, some will proudly answer “Madonna!”).
Italians love Italian music, Italian TV and Italian movies.
They really love Italian stuff to (cerebral) death.
The most high-brow, stuffy defenders of Italian pride will readily label anything coming from across the pond as “americanate”, that is “cheap, stereotypical American stuff”.
And I mean ANYTHING, Ray Bradbury and Stephenie Meyer alike.
> “Maybe the Italians should loosen up and not be so > up tight and stop worrying about tipping or when > people drink coffee as much as they should worry > about being kind to other human beings.”
Human beings don’t let other human beings have cappuccino with pasta. It’s… awful. Plain awful.
> The Italians also don’t like choices.
Yes. That’s true.
Centuries of warring tiny states, borders changing and people having to bow and obey a new master overnight – and let’s not forget the influence of the Church – made Italians quite alien to free thinking.
But, paradoxically, not when it comes to eating.
Trust me, Italian cuisine is very, very varied.
Every region developed its very own cuisine shaped by the locally available resources, climate and effect of dominations/trade.
Did you try Fegato alla Veneziana and Sarde in Saor (Veneto), all manners of Risotto (Veneto/Emilia/Lombardia), Canederli (Friuli/Trentino), Arancini (Sicilia), ribollita (Toscana), Gnocchi alla Romana (Roma), Pizza (Naples), just to name a few?
> I would really recommend not going to Italy! Go > to a country where they appreciate you coming
> to their country and spending your hard earned
> money there.
Boycotting Eye-taly?
No way.
You have to try Fegato alla Veneziana first, even if my fellow countrymen really don’t deserve a dime from you.
:)
> I have been going to Rome for 30 years every year
> often multiple times and I can only conclude from
> your long rant that you must share the blame for
> your terrible Italian experience because I do not
> recognize the country you are describing.
I do, Bob. I live in it. :(
Late to commenting but:
Sorry you had a bad experience, Denise. I found the differences in Italy to be refreshing from the US. Were they always what we’d consider “positive” differences? No. But I didn’t go there to experience things as we would in the US. I didn’t find Italians to be rude at all. I find a lot of New Yorkers to be rude, but that’s because I’ve lived in California and the Midwestern US where lifestyle-paces and attitudes are even different. I’ve also met some amazing New Yorkers that didn’t fit the generalized mold. It’s all just relative to what you’ve already experienced. All anyone wants anywhere you visit is that you respect their culture, way of life, country, and language. You’re not there to change it. You’re there to experience it. The graffiti in Milan made me sad when I first stepped off a bus but then when I found it wasn’t an uncommon site, I thought maybe my own image of Milan was just off. I ended up loving that city just as it is.
And I will be returning to Italy- I am moving there this Spring. :)
Ok, I know this was written a few months back, but I am REALLY disappointed to know that you are telling people not to tip in Italy!!!! You forgot to mention the fact that most of those people who are working in the restaurants, bars, etc, are only bring home about 800-1000 euro PER MONTH! I’ve lived in Italy for over 10 years now and I tip everywhere I go, restaurants, my hairstylist, taxi driver, tour guides! No one has ever been offended. Italy has THE lowest wages in Westeren Europe, even lower then Greece. People are forced to live at home until they are in their mid to late 30′s because even professionals barely pull in 1000 euro per month. So I have to say that it is completely WRONG to say that you should not tip in Italy. These people are working very hard and that ‘coperto’ that you are paying at the restaurant is NOT going to the server, trust me its not, its going to the owner. All of your other points are completely valid and well written, but I work in the service industry here in Italy and let me tell you that without tips I would not be able to pay my rent, bills, etc. Please DO NOT tell people this, It doesn’t have to be a large tip even a few extra euro is appreciated and very much needed. Even my ITALIAN husband leaves tips in restaurants. You don’t have to tip for your coffee at an espresso bar but, your concerige who just spent 15 on the phone for you making reservations for museums and dinner, yes you should tip her. Your taxi driver who lifted your heavy suitcase in and out of his car, yes you should tip him too, your waiter who brought you bread, then wine, then olive oil, then water etc, yes you should tip her too. Your tour guide who just spent the last 4 hours talking non-stop explaining every little detail of the paintings in the gallery for you and booking your tickets and answering all of your questions related to the tour and not, yes you should tip her too!!! I’m sorry I don’t want to be rude, but it is incredibly frustrating to me. My colleagues and I are are constantly looking for ways to spread the word about tipping in Italy knowing that it is a common misconception that one should not, and then to read this post is like taking a GIANT step backwards for us! We can barely make it until the end of the month sometimes and that extra bit of cash helps us to buy our groceries. Obviously I’m not saying that you should tip if someone has been rude or not performed their job properly, but I know for example that I am ALWAYS nice and gracious and not getting a tip after is like a slap in the face. Its no wonder that people are not being nice, would you be if you were making 4 euro per hour???? Think about it!!!
@Sara thanks for your comment. I think it’s time I post a country-wide survey about tipping – everyone I talk to has slightly different answers when/where they do/don’t tip, but the overwhelming majority does not tip for a normal dinner in a restaurant, a normal taxi ride, a normal cup of coffee, even a business lunch! A lot of the cases you mentioned are outliers regarding service (notice I didn’t touch on tour guides or concierge – I just added that back in for consideration into the post). I also think in tourist areas, where some tourists tip because they don’t know better has created an expectation tips should be given always, from everyone, in any service-related situation, and I don’t think this is necessary.
And just a note – I know college graduates that are making 800-1000 euro a month, not in the service industry, but in the technology sector here. Wages in Italy are terrible all around.
It really is quite the conundrum isn’t it?! I think the problem is, exactly that, if people think they shouldn’t tip for regular services as you mentioned above, they are going to think they shouldn’t tip for anything. But, it may depend on where in Italy you are too, here in Florence, we (as in my husband who is Italian and I as well as our friends) always leave tips for a normal dinner and taxi ride. Coffee no, but maybe that’s the problem too, its different depending on the city and everyone is stating their opinion and practices based on that. But your right, it really is the wages that are the problem, I myself hold multiple college degrees and have very limited choices around here. But that is getting off topic. I hope I didn’t come off too harsh, its just a conversation I often find myself having with my colleagues around here.
I think that it is outrageous that people might think that one DOES NOT need to tip in Italy! Whom ever gave you that idea, or, what proof do you have to make such a statement!? Specially coming from a country where tipping is obligatory!
In Italy, us Italian tip, and tip everyone who might do us a service, in hotels, restaurants, bar and taxis. Please do not make such claims! A lot of people live off tips!
Just got back from my first trip to Italy. Great experience, and these tips are dead on. We found observing others can avoid a lot of mistakes! Especially the gloves in the stores. Observation saved us! Just one question though, why did they oppose us taking pictures of their fresh fish counter?? We were told “No photo”.
Hello, I am Italian, I live in Italy. Some comments regarding tips.
You DON’T need to tip. Do it only if you are very satisfied by the service/food. Tips are always symbolic (some euros, not more). Let’s say, if you have to pay 18 euro for two pizzas, you can leave 20 euro (if you wish). Never at bars (or just few cents). Usually not more than 10%.
PAY ATTENTION at restaurants/bars/any kind of shop : remember that the fiscal receipt (“scontrino” or “ricevuta”) is mandatory. Ask it. You must request it if they don’t give it.It is illegal to exit without it. Probably you will find many touristic restaurants that do not give it. Ask it! “lo scontrino, per favore” (the receipt please). If they refuse, call the police. It’s mandatory even for an ice cream…
Regarding the “no, photo”. You can take all the photos you want, except inside shopping centers, some museums, or where there is the sign “No, photo” of course….
A couple of important additional information:
Smoking is NOT permitted in any public place (restaurant, bars, shops, offices etc.) except for dedicated (very few) areas.
I am sorry, but I have to admit that there is a terrific difference between north and south Italy. Below Rome things are very different. Northern Italy is very similar to France, Germany, England, ect. South is much more “latin”, where “rules” and “laws” are considered “suggestions”. You will never find people smoking in a restaurant in Milan or Venezia, in Rome or Naples it may happen.
I’m confused. About the open fruit market comment. If it’s rude to tell the fruttivendolo which fruit to put in my bag, how will he know which fruit I want? Like I can’t just point to what I’d like and say how much? Help going in April and I love fresh market fruit. :)
@Christin, I think they mean, don’t point out the particular piece of fruit you want or say, no, not that orange, that one next to it, etc. etc. Yes, I would definitely point to the type of fruit you want and say how much of it you want, and then let him pick them out! :)
@Christin, it is NOT rude to tell the fruttivendolo which fruit you want. It is NOT rude to tell exactly what you want. In any shop. You pay. You decide.
Hi I am an Italian from Como (near the Swiss border) – i would like to add my 2 cents; i am quite an unconventional italian, in that i learned english when i was 6 , am almost vegetarian and am a “xenophile” (i’m attracted to foreign people and cultures) – i do not work in the service industry and have travelled abroad extensively.
* TIPPING – it seems the main issue here. Obviously, if you tip a waiter at a restaurant it is always well accepted, but you DON’T HAVE TO – it’s up to you; it is a good habit to round up a little if you pay directly to the waiter that has served you and the service was fair (a couple of euros will do, but if you ate in an expensive place, i would tip at least 5 euros). If you don’t pay in the hands of the waiter, just tell the cashier that you would like to leave a tip for the waiter; in some places you will notice a piggy bank near the cashier with a label that reads “MANCIA” or “MANCE” (TIPS) where you can drop some coins that will be shared by the waiters at the end of the day.
As a side note, it is usually true that you are free to sit at the table as long as you please and that they will not rush dishes at you, especially in fancy places, but if you notice people waiting to be seated (that often happens in pizzerias) or you are in a crwoded place with a high turnover, it would be considered rude to extend your stay for another 30 minutes once you have finished eating and drinking.
* ALWAYS CHECK PRICES BEFORE ORDERING – especially around tourist destinations, if you want to avoid being scammed. Do not order if the price is not printed on the menu, always ask first. Pay attention when you ask the waiter for a good wine, always ask for the price and the bottle must be opened at your table.
* EAT SMART
If you are looking for a place to eat well and spend little, just follow workers on lunch break (bankers especially – they always wear suits and ties ;)) or while buying something in a shop, ask the sales assistant if she can suggest a place to have a lunch ; it is very likely she will point you to a place where she has eaten before or where she eats regularly.
@ DENISE – I am sorry for you bad experience but either you’ve been extremely unlucky or you came expecting american standards and american culture and traditions and have been disappointed.
If you came to Italy looking for chinese or mexican food, well, it is the same thing as buying a Ferrari and then complaining that it’s not good for driving offroad. Cuisine is one of our hallmarks, there are hundreds of regional and local specialties, from pastas to fish and meat, wines, cakes, you name it…and we do not hate americans, you’re just coming to a wrong, generalized conclusion based on a single bad experience.
Good tips. Here are some of mine:
- don’t order coffee at a bar and then take a seat at a “waiter service” area of the bar (especially true in Venice); the prices are cheaper for a coffee taken while standing at the bar
- Italians in bars and stores often balk at large denomination notes – even in museums and galleries with plenty of paying customers coming through. Therefore try to be careful about what denominations are spent and take care to amass small notes and change. I sometimes ask for change in small notes after a reasonably big purchase
- carry lots of change – it will be needed at public toilets where payment (0.40; 0.50; or 1 euro) is expected, and nearly all toilets require payment
- do not say ‘ciao’ to stangers. Ciao is informal – for people you know and would normally call by their first name. Say ‘Bon giorno’ for hello and ‘ArrivideLa’ for goodbye. (Although, I did notice often in shops and bars the staff would bid me (a male) farewell with a ‘ciao’, but not always.)
- do not go on trip advisor and complain that your hotel (especially in Rome) was noisy and cold due to the tiled floors. Nearly all buildings and Italy have tiled floors. That is the standard, so complaining about them is pretty pointless (after all, if you avoided places with tiled floors, where exactly would you go?) And do not complain that the elevators were small, the streets were narrow (in a small hill top village), or that there were too many steps (in Cinque Terre). That is just the way it is there.
Sorry for my bad typing /spelling – it should be:
‘buon giorno’, ‘arrivederLa’.
Love Italy and love the people – lived in Calabria for 14 years and so long for the life there again- so calm not mad rush – Although some of their ways are so different then ours I loved getting to know their culture and I learned patience and made great friends there. Give Italy a try! Great sight!
I think the topic of tipping needs some clarification, since from reading the comments – even those left from Italians or foreigners of many years in Italy – it appear contrasting suggestions are given.
So let’s be specific: the most common question is “Do I have to tip at a restaurant in Italy?”. Short answer: No.
Long answer. Some Italians posted in the comments that one should tip. I think I understand where the confusion is arising from. To the Italians reading this: in the US and Canada tipping at restaurants is essentially mandatory. Servers are not really paid by their employers and they rely on tips from the customers. Typical/minimal tip is 15%. 20% for exceptional service. To the folks visiting Italy: go ahead and tip your waiter if you think he/she gave you very good service, but keep in mind that (1) they are paid full (although low) salaries (2) they don’t expect to be tipped (3) Italian’s tips are symbolic
nice feature. REgarding tips I have to pint out that odd custom in some places (I noticed it in Rome) of leaving a coin in a plate on the counter, supposedly a ‘tip’ to the barista and supposedly getting you quickerservice!
Are we sure Denise is a real person or is she a personage created by someone spoofing parochial Americans?
Rome is my favorite Italian city — I am a wine importer and go to Italy, all over Italy, up to 10 times a year — and I feel compelled to remind foreigners that Italy is a modern country with all the low spots of a modern country: graffiti, trash, iffy public services, etc., etc. But — and here’s the beauty part — Italy is still Italy, with all its contradictions and beauty and ugliness, it is purely itself.
Evviva!
just returned from Rome. loved it, but…….purchased two gelato at a bar. asked if we wanted to sit at small tables in front. we did. Imagine our surprise when we were charge 23.00 euros for our two gelatos of 3.50 each. When we asked the server, she said there was a table service charge. It only happened that one time, but we were feeling very “duped” afterward. Left a very bad feeling for an otherwise delightful trip.
@r l fine
“…Imagine our surprise when we were charge 23.00 euros for our two gelatos of 3.50 each…”
You had to call the police, they cheated you.
The emergency telephone number in Italy is 112.
You can call 039.039.039 (it is a free institutional multilingual contact center that provides assistance to tourists in Italy) or go to http://www.easy-italia.com/ for any other question. I’m sorry for your bad experience, in big touristic places sometimes happen, just pay attention and call the police if you feel duped, doing this thing you’ll contribute to make Italy better.
@Terence
“…and I feel compelled to remind foreigners that Italy is a modern country with all the low spots of a modern country: graffiti, trash, iffy public services, etc., etc. But — and here’s the beauty part — Italy is still Italy, with all its contradictions and beauty and ugliness, it is purely itself.”
Great words, thank you
Greetings from Italy ;)
My husband and myself are going to florence and Rome in a few months, and just want to thank all of you for such wonderful tips! We are so excited for this holiday and cant wait to learn the italian culture :)
Another useful tip for those visiting cities such as Rome, Florence and Naples: watch out for illegal taxicab operations; licensed taxis almost always have a “TAXI” sign on the rooftop and a taximeter on the dashboard. If you catch an unauthorized taxi you might get to your destination faster and skip a waiting line, but it could cost you three times the regular fare (usually not less than 50 dollars, even for a two mile trip).
Denise mentioned a few things my husband and I experience on our recent trip to Italy. We were in Cinque Terre, Florence, a few obscure Tuscan hilltowns and Rome and we had just come from England and France.
A few things she said was spot on about friendliness (or lack thereof).
We didn’t speak Italian but tried to greet the locals in Italian (good day) as we did in England (they were so helpful, polite and nice!) and France(where we didn’t speak French either).
Most Italian locals were distinctly NOT happy to see us and looked and acted it. There was a definite vibe of unfriendliness to us locals and it really colored our visit. The French on the other hand, with the stereotyped rudeness to Americans(or in general) were much much nicer, warming up usually when we used a few words of french in greeting or thanks and some were just plain friendly!
We don’t know what else we could have done to earn all these friendly, open Italian hospitality people talk about because our experience was rather on our negative side and we were so disappointed with that leg of our trip. We felt that we tried to be sensitive to local customs and tried to treat all the cultures we were in from England to France to Italy with as much respect as we can but the Italian portion was just sadly lacking.
Typo-There was a definite vibe of unfriendliness FROM THE locals and it really colored our visit.
The unfriendly vibe of italians is quite common, here in australia they dont like anyone and what is weird they take on the traditions of australia and claim it as there own. It would appear that whereever they roam to they make up new rules and dont stick to their own cultural traditons.
What a lively post – and right on! I will add it to my CARPE DIEM section on my blog…
While you’ve provided the WHAT, I also provide my point of view there on WHY we shouldn’t tip in Italy as well!
Grazie!
Burnt by the Tuscan Sun
Good tips ! Or good tipping !
- might need a little bit of polishing on some issues, be aware as well of regional differences !
Wonderful discussion. Suggest a few more tips-topics
1: Crossing streets: an adventure that requires meticulous attention to detail and courage.
2: Winning over folks who have “had it” with tourists. I have found that even the most angry or impolite or impatient Italian responds with compassion and humor when treated in the same way.
We’ve travelled around the country a lot; once or twice a year since the mid 90s. Just had a great time while renting an apartment for two weeks in Rome over the holidays. My husband and I don’t agree on tipping, at least how much. He tends to leave more than I consider adequate although not anywhere near as much as in NY. Below-par food or surly waiter = no tip, but we have noticed that more and more ristoranti (there’s a difference between these and trattorie, etc) are including a 15%gratuity, on top of the copperta. So I was interested in this discussion, and my conclusion is that there doesn’t seem to be a hard-and-fast rule. (incidentally, according to friends who live and work in tourist areas like NYC, the east coast of Florida, and Bar Harbor, western Europeans are notoriously poor tippers. Guess ‘when in Rome’ doesn’t apply to them)
As for the coffee-with-milk hysteria, my daughter often orders a cappucchino or macchiato beyond the supposed cut-off time. Maybe they’re all huddled in the back snickering about it, but no one’s ever blinked an eye in our presence. If it’s such an egregious violation then they should simply refuse to serve it.
Finally, a message to non-Americans: it’s just plain dumb to pre-judge and stereotype people from a country of 312 million + citizens. We are not all clones of each other. The ones who blend in are probably never even noticed. Many Italians have asked me if I’m German or British. I speak Italian, which definitely helps. But my husband, who knows only basic phrases, is often complimented for trying. This has been the case in all the countries we’ve ever traveled in. The reason Americans come to Europe and other places is because we’re interested in learning about your culture, history, traditions and in many cases, our own heritage. And in Italy especially, the food and wine!
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