It’s easy to feel like Italy is familiar. From movies to fashion and, of course, Italian food, the culture of Italy is embedded deep into our collective psyche. But when it comes to eating in Italy, there are many tips on Italian eating etiquette that most travelers commonly don’t know.
When we provide Italy travel planning to our clients, there are tips we pass on to our guests repeatedly. And, as you can guess, many of those tips are about eating.
More Than 15 Italian Eating Etiquette Tips
We’ve shared tips for Italian dining in the past, but we figured it time to share some general tips covering Italian food culture, from how much to eat at breakfast to eating bread. So here are our more than 15 Italian eating etiqutte tips for eating that you should know before you next travel to Italy from when you should not drink a cappuccino to when to cut your pizz.
Breakfast Is The Smallest Meal Of The Day
Often eaten standing with an espresso and a small pastry, breakfast is not a big thing in Italy. Most Italians—especially those en route to work—will grab a pastry and a coffee before heading into the office.
Or, if you’re in Genoa, you might even see them dunk their focaccia into their morning cappuccino!
Cappuccino Is Only A Breakfast Thing
A common mistake Americans make when it comes to coffee in Italy? Ordering cappuccino all day long. This is a major faux pas when it comes to Italian eating etiquette.
In Italy, cappuccino is considered a breakfast drink (thanks to the dairy), so if you order it after midday, you might get a curious look from your waiter.
If you still want a bit of milk in your coffee and it’s after 12 PM, you can still do so. Order an espresso macchiato (aka a caffè macchiato), not the drink you see at Starbucks but a shot of espresso marked with a tiny dollop of foamed milk. Check out our guide on coffee in Italy for more on this matter.
Drinking Tap Water Isn’t A Thing
Speaking of drinks, tap water is a no-go at most restaurants in Italy. For one reason or another – some say because the water has high calcium content, others say it’s merely a country-wide habit – the majority of Italians order bottled water when they dine out.
Italian eating etiquette dictates that you can ask for tap water (aka acqua di rubinetto), but don’t be surprised if you get a strange look from your waiter (or if they even forget to refill your glasses) because it’s not common.
However, you are starting to see some of the more progressive restaurants in bigger cities offer in-house filtered water with unlimited refills for environmental reasons
Bread Doesn’t Come With Condiments
When I lived in Italy, I most commonly told my American friends who were visiting this: bread is eaten plain. In other words, condiments like butter balsamic vinegar, or olive oil are uncommon and go against traditional Italian eating etiquette.
You can ask for bread if you’d like, but the waiter may be confused because it’s not an Italian thing. As far as we can tell, the concept of having bread with a combination of olive oil and balsamic vinegar is something somebody in the States came up with back in the 90s, so it’s pretty much only Americans who request that.
But You Can Use Your Bread To Fare La Scarpetta
One thing my Nonno (grandfather) would do at the end of any meal involving a saucy dish? Fare la Scarpetta translates to “making a little shoe” but refers to using a bit of bread to soak up the last of a sauce.
Note that this is a particular piece of Italian eating etiquette. Doing it in a trattoria or more casual setting is okay. However, it’s not the same at a white-tablecloth restaurant. You can use your fork to drag the bread across the plate or, if you’re at a fine-dining Michelin-starred establishment, don’t do it.
You Don’t Cut Your Noodles
The last most obvious sign you’re a foreigner eating pasta in Italy is that you use a knife to cut the pasta noodles into bite-sized pieces. Italian eating etiquette says to wind the pasta noodles around a fork (using the plate, not a spoon). In other words, a knife never comes into play.
Pastas With Seafood Don’t Get Cheese
We’ll give it to the Italians: there are specific food rules that they dare not break. One such Italian eating etiquette point is that cheese should never be added to pasta dishes with fish as it’s believed the cheese will compete with the seafood flavors.
Pizza Is Not Always Served Sliced
If you order a whole pizza in Italy, it will usually come unsliced. If you are at a restaurant, Italian eating etiquette would be that you’ll often be given a serrated knife to DIY.
The exception is when you go to a takeaway pizza joint that serves pizza a taglio, aka pizza al trancio, where they serve pizza as a rectangular slice. Because this style of pizza originated in Rome, you’ll see a ton of shops, the most famous of which is arguably the unparalleled Pizzarium.
Pasta Will Be Served Al Dente
Read any self-respecting Italian cookbook, and you’ll hear about the importance of cooking your pasta al dente.
The term translates as “to the tooth” and means that your pasta should be cooked to no longer taste chalky, but there is still a bit of bite. We love our pasta this way because it provides a welcome texture so it’s a piece of Italian eating etiquette we encourage you to follow!
Lately, we’ve noticed that some restaurants have taken it a step further and are cooking their pasta even less (just past chalky and raw but barely) and coining it al chiodo or “to the nail.”
Spaghetti and Meatballs Is Not A Thing
You probably already know this, but we have to cover our bases: spaghetti and meatballs are not a dish in Italy. Yes, the spaghetti shape is used in all sorts of pasta dishes, and meatballs are served independently. Still, the two together are a decidedly Italian-American.
Neither Is Alfredo Sauce
The same thing goes for Alfredo: this creamy cheese sauce is not a thing in Italy. There is a similar dish from Rome, but it’s different from what we have in the United States. There are many cream-based pasta sauces in Italy, but they’re usually more delicate than American-style alfredo sauce and don’t typically add cheese.
Caesar Salad Is Not At All Italian
As we’ve discussed, Caesar salad is not Italian but is from Tijuana, Mexico. Okay, yes, an Italian man came up with the dish, but it is not a traditional Italian recipe, so you will not find it in Italy.
Digestion Is A Big Deal
Aside from being concerned about catching a cold if I left the house with wet hair, digestion was the other thing that majorly preoccupied my Italian ex. And he’s not alone. Italian eating etiquette is very much concerned with digestion.
The concept of having good digestion is so prevalent in the Italian culture that there’s a whole suite of liqueurs known as digestivi and amaro (from grappa to Ramazzotti), which exist to help you digest your meal.
Lunch Is Rare After 2 PM
Since most Italians have a pretty light breakfast, they almost all eat lunch and do so at a pretty regular time. Most Italians will eat lunch between 1 PM and 2 PM, though some restaurants serve as early as noon and as late as 3 PM.
Of course, there are options for getting pizza al taglio (by the slice), and in the bigger cities, there are ever more cafes serving a light bite between meals. However, if you want to sit down to a proper meal and follow Italian eating etiquette, plan to eat before 2 PM.
You Can Do Aperitivo As Early As 6 PM
Around here, we’re huge fans of the chic Italian happy hour tradition known as aperitivo. Starting as early as 6 PM (and usually not running past 9 PM), bars will serve small bites like antipasti and drinks. A whole culture to aperitivo and a series of classic Italian cocktails often sipped on during that time.
Italian eating etiquette indicates that you can treat aperitivo as dinner but that you should not overload your plate if you head to an aperitivo that is an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Italians Eat Dinner Later Than Americans
Generally, in Italy, they eat dinner later than we do as Americans. Many restaurants don’t open until 7 or 7:30 PM, so a standard dinner time is around 8 PM. So, if you get the first reservation of the night and the restaurant is empty, don’t worry, as you may be eating earlier than the locals.
A key to Italian eating etiquette is that dining times change throughout the country. The farther south you go, the later they eat, so you’ll want to adjust accordingly, knowing that you might not eat until, say, 9 PM when you’re in Sicily.
They Don’t Always Eat All The Courses
On a standard Italian restaurant menu, you’ll have a variety of courses listed, like in the States. The antipasto course is the appetizer; the primi are the first course, like pasta and rice courses; the secondo is the main course, and the contorni is a side dish like vegetables or salads.
If you are very hungry, you might find people ordering every course. However, standard Italian eating etiquette is that diners usually order a mix and match of the courses.
Salad Dressing Isn’t A Thing
Speaking of salads, know that a proper salad dressing (like a vinaigrette) isn’t commonplace in traditional Italian eating etiquette. More often than not—especially at more casual spots—you’ll be served olive oil (sometimes with or without vinegar), and then you drizzle on as much as you’d like.
You Can Hang At The Restaurant (Almost) As Long As You Like
When you travel to Italy, you’ll notice that people take their time at dinner. In fact, at most restaurants, the table is yours for the night once you sit down. That’s not to say you must stay for hours, but should you desire to dive deep into a conversation while you sip your digestive, no one will mind!
Are there any other Italian eating etiquette tips you’ve learned while traveling in Italy? Please leave them below!
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Photo Credit: Christine Davis
