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The food and wine are major attractions for most travelers to Italy, from the white truffles and Barolo wines of Piedmont to the prosciutto crudo, Parmigiano Reggiano, and Lambrusco of Emilia-Romagna to the artichokes, oranges, superb seafood, and the Nero d'Avola wines of Sicily. Whether you are staying in a major city such as Florence, Venice, Rome, Naples, Turin, Milan, or Palermo or a wonderful seaside village such as Positano, Amalfi, or Tropea, or a charming hill town such as Panzano, Pienza, or Noto, you can be assured of finding excellent local restaurants at reasonable prices. Within a city, such as Rome and Florence, you'll find the specialities of that region as well as restaurants that specialize in the food of a different region. In this section, you will find information about:
In our Shop, you will find "Where to Eat in Florence," which is available for a nominal fee. You will also find restaurant recommendations in our Excursion packages. Types of Restaurants and BakeriesBars - Forget everything you know about bars. A bar in Italy is what you might consider a cafe here. An Italian bar usually opens by 8 am and remains open throughout the day until 8 pm or later. In the morning, it serves coffee, pastries, and juices, often freshly squeezed (spremuta). At lunch time, bars often serve sandwiches made with rolls (panini) or foccacia (a round, thin roll usually brushed with olive oil) with various fillings, and wine and beer, as well as coffee, juices, and soft drinks. The ham might be prosciutto cotto (baked ham) or prosciutto crudo (the form of prosciutto most familiar to us). Many vegetarian panini are available, including eggplant, tomato, and mozzarella cheese, and other combinations. Some bars offer soups, salads, and a few hot dishes, including pasta, usually at lunchtime and sometimes in the early evening. Bars often sell gelato, too. Service is usually prompt, and you are not expected to order multiple courses. Bars are a good place for coffee and a pastry in the morning, a quick lunch, or an afternoon or evening snack or drink. Eating and drinking at the counter is almost always cheaper than service at a table. In fact, table service often doubles the price of coffee and a pastry. A cappuccino might cost 1.5 euros at the counter and 3 euros at a table. According to an Italian friend, to avoid the table service costs, you can order and pay for your coffee and pastry at the counter and carry it to the table, and that is perfectly acceptable. When you are finished, the protocol is to return your dishes to the counter. Pizzerias - Most pizzerias sell pizza (but usually not at lunchtime) in addition to the courses available in Italian restaurants, including antipasti, primi (usually a choice of pasta dishes, risotto, and soups), secondi (meat or fish courses), contorni (vegetable sides dishes) and dolci (literally sweets, the dessert course). In fact, many pizzerias have ristorante or trattoria as part of their name, such as Pizzeria Ristorante Ciao Bella in Florence or Enoteca Trattoria Pizzeria Gallo Nero in Greve, Tuscany. Pizzerias are typically informal and moderately priced. If you would like a pizza at a pizzeria at lunchtime, make sure to phone ahead to confirm that it is available. Typically, it isn't. Alternatively, you can buy pizza by the square, from most bakeries (forno or panificio). At lunch time, trays of pizza with many different toppings, usually vegetarian, are for sale. The pizza is cut in squares and sold by weight.) Enotecas - An enoteca is a wine shop, which sometimes sells food. Many enotecas sell wine by the glass and some sell food to accompany the wine, from appetizers such as a meat and cheese plate or crostini, to simple meals, including pastas and salads. Because enotecas specialize in wine, you can often buy special wines by the glass at reasonable prices. Also, you can often order a simple meal at a reasonable price, which can be a nice change of pace from a multi-course meal that might take an hour or more. Rosticcerias/Gastronomias - These are the equivalent of gourmet takeout food stores. A rosticceria specializes in roasted poultry and meats. You can buy one serving or an entire roasted chicken. Rosticcerias also sell cooked vegetables, such as spinach formed in the shape of baseballs, grilled eggplant, string beans, grilled sweet and sour onions, roasted potatoes, and main dishes such as meatballs, cannelloni, and lasagna. Frequently, these shops have a few tables. If you eat at a rosticceria, the price is slightly higher than the takeout prices. Often, these food shops also sell a limited selection of wine. Shop hours vary from place to place but they are generally open from about 8am to 2pm and then reopen late in the afternoon, about 5 pm, and remain open until 8 pm or so. Bakeries - Bread bakeries, sometimes known as a Forno, usually sell pizza by the slice, or by weight, and often sell sandwiches and meat pastries in addition to regular bakery fare. Bakeries can be a good place for a quick, inexpensive, and delicious lunch. Pasticerias - They specialize in sweet pastries but sometimes also sell bread and savory pastries, such as servings of spinach torte. They often also sell gelato, coffee, tea, wine, and aperitifs. Osterias/Trattorias - The distinction between these two types of restaurants has blurred, although an osteria is often a simpler restaurant that a trattoria. The distinction between a trattoria and a ristorante has also blurred, but a trattoria is usually less formal and less expensive with simpler food preparations. Service at a trattoria is often faster than at a ristorante. Ristorantes - A ristorante is the most formal type of restaurant in Italy. Within this category, the atmosphere may range from casual to formal. In a ristorante, a customer is expected to order multiple courses, although many, if not most, customers do not order all courses (antipasto, primo, secondo, contorno, and dolce) and often order only two or three, such as an antipasto and a secondo, or a primo, a secondo, and a contorno.
Italian MenusIn trattorias and ristorantes, a menu typically has five categories of food:
Primi and secondi portions are generally smaller than what you might expect. However, in Italy, both are considered part of a meal rather than two separate main courses. Contorni portions are generally large.
Ordering Multiple Courses and Splitting CoursesYou may read conflicting advice about ordering multiple courses at a trattoria or ristorante. While you are expected to order more than one course, you are not obliged to order every course. In fact, many customers do not order all courses (antipasto, primo, secondo, contorno, and dolce) and often order only two or three, such as an antipasto and a secondo, or a primo, a secondo, and a contorno. You may share a course, such as a primo or a secondo. You can request, "Uno per due," which means splitting one course in two. Coperto e PaneThe coperto is the cover charge which is added by almost every restaurant for each person. The charge sometimes appears on the menu as Coperto and sometimes as Coperto e Pane, meaning a cover charge and a bread charge. This charge can range from 1.5 euros to 5 euros or more. TippingTipping is optional. A service charge is built into the price of each item on the menu. Service in food establishments in Italy is usually of a very high quality. A tip for fine service is appreciated. A rule of thumb is 5-10% of the entire bill.
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