Posted by
April Bargout On September 06 2019
You will want to visit the restaurants in many of the Italian cities and towns that you visit. Any Italian will tell you that their cuisine is the best in the world. (Of course, so will any Frenchman or person of Asian descent, but let’s not quibble.)
We want to help you during your trip to avoid cross-cultural misunderstandings, because Italians do things a bit differently in their restaurants.
Consider the following tips for when you travel in Italy:
1. Request the check when you are done.
If you do not ask for the check, the server is unlikely to bring it over. The staff lets you decide when the meal is over.
2. When you ask for water, expect to be asked if you want still or with gas (carbonated).
Generally, tap water is not served. Italians prefer the taste of bottled water.
3. If you prefer your steak well done, ask for it specifically.
Beef is typically served rare.
4. Tipping is optional.
Italians consider a 10 percent tip generous because servers are paid a full salary, not tips.
5. Service is inconsistent.
Do not be surprised if, after your food arrives, your waiter disappears after his or her shift ends and doesn’t come back.
6. You may have to pay for the toilet.
Yes, it is rare, but pay toilets are still around. Keep some coins handy for when nature calls.
7. Italians eat dinner later.
If you go to a restaurant for a 6 or 7 pm dinner, you may find yourself alone in the restaurant. This is because Italians start dinner later than Americans, and you can often see children out with their parents enjoying a meal at 9 or 10 in the evening.
