Italian habits

Italian Habits: What to Expect in Restaurants

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Italian Habits: Should I Make Reservations?
Italian habits at a restaurant or a pizzeria require a little foresight if you wnat to get the most out of the experience. On Sunday or Saturday night you should definitely  make reservations if  you don't want to wind up having to accept whatever tourist trap comes along. Food will be a vital element of your stay in Rome, so it is important to prepare. Make sure to book how many people are going to dine with you, and oany other preferences you may have. You can even ask questions about the menu.
Traditional Italian meals consist of abundant dishes: a variety of starters, first courses, second courses (fish or meat), fruit and desserts…Naturally you are not compelled to follow this order.

Italian Habits: What is the Food Going to Be Like?
If you prefer a pizza consider that in Italy it has a size of a 12-14 inch plate, and they are usually eaten by a single person, though if  you  want to cut them up and share , that is perfectly acceptable. Don't expect the waiter to do this for you. Pizzas are thinner in Rome and thicker in Naples and the rest of Southern Italy, with a layer of tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese, the traditional margherita pizza, or other ingredients (vegetables, salami, and anchovies) which you can decide to add or eliminate according to your taste.

In summertime you can find a lot of open-air restaurants and pizzerias. The waiter might ask you where you prefer to seat - indoors or outdoors. Trattorias are usually a more casual atmosphere, that focuses on the food, while ristoranti generally pay more attention to furnishings, ambience, and may be open to experimenting more with the menu. These terms however are often interchangable, and are employed at the owners' whim.

Italian Habits: What about the Wine?
For gourmets who want to taste Italian wines, restaurants are provided with a wine list of all sorts. A cheaper house wine served in carafes or bottled is generally  a staple  of anyplace where food is served in Rome, and is generally of a good quality. Nonetheless, restaurants usually take great care of their wine offer and it is possible to find an incredible variety of wines from just about every italian region.

Italian Habits: What About Tipping?
As regards the bill, Italian restaurants include a cover charge, usually 1-3 euros for the table setting , and tips are often included in the price. Anyway if you want to leave a tip consider that a 10% of the entire price is considered a very generous deed. In Rome you could pay “alla romana”  which means that at the restaurant Romans share the bill per person. But if you are going to invite a woman for a romantic occasion at a restaurant or for a pizza a gentleman should always pick up the bill and pay.

More and different things to come in Italian Habits.

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