Is asking for more cheese in Italy rude?
When you're in Italy, it's normal to want to put parmesan cheese on everything, but don't. Many chefs will serve up your food exactly how they believe it should be eaten, and will likely take offence if you think it needs something extra.
And please, do not burp or fart in public, it is considered extremely rude. Also, loud swearing and drinking alcohol from a bottle while walking the street, is frowned upon. Most Italians like some alcohol, but usually avoid to get drunk. Public scenes of drunkenness are much less tolerated than in other countries.
It is not rude or offensive to the host to say that you are full and leave a small amount on your plate, or refuse to have second servings. Likewise, if you decide that you do want some more, or wipe your plate clean, your host will be pleased because this is an indication that you really enjoyed the food.
Even in the fanciest pizza restaurant, you never feel weird if you ask for a box to take your leftovers home. In Italy, that will soon apply everywhere, with a new law that encourages restaurants to give people doggy bags, although in Italy it's called a “family bag.”
Yes, you do also have to pay for bread. This is the “pane e coperto” charge — more on what that is in a moment. Yes, you do have to pay for that antipasto or foccacia, even if the waiter offered it rather than you ordering it outright.
Avoid making generalised comments about Italian crime, corruption, the Mafia or Italy's involvement in World War II.
A light eater does not order an antipasto, a primo, a secondo, and a dolce – one or two courses is enough. Third, Italians look at food left on the plate as scraps, not leftovers. There's a difference. It's not good manners to ask to take home kitchen scraps.
Italian waiters are professionals respected for their knowledge of food and wine. If you speak Italian, use the formal (“lei”) form of address, not the familiar “tu.” You may hear Italians calling out “Senta!” to attract attention, but it can sound rude.
Asking for for the check
You will have to speak up and ask directly for it! Indeed, in Italy it is consider rude “rushing” the guests with the payment.
- Keep Your Shoes On. ...
- Shoulders And Knees Must Be Covered In Church. ...
- Don't Call During Pisolino. ...
- Punctuality Is Not A Priority. ...
- Italians Don't Wait In Line. ...
- Fare La Bella Figura. ...
- Familiarize Yourself With Campanilismo. ...
- Do Your Shopping Before Sunday.
Should you tip at restaurants in Italy?
At Restaurants
If you want to tip more than that, you still don't need to leave more than 10 percent of the total check. Tips of 15 percent to 20 percent, while standard in U.S. restaurants, are just unheard of in Italy. And remember, for really lousy or indifferent service, you should leave niente (nothing).
The water is perfectly safe to drink all over Italy, and you can ask for tap water if you want – it's just that no one usually does, and your waiter might not want to bring it to you.
Despite the language hurdle most travelers face in Italy, it's still an easy country to visit – even if you've never been outside your home country before.
Some important values and aspects of Italian lifestyle are family and spending time with them, religion and maintaining Catholic traditions, and the pleasure of eating good meals prepared with love and dedication. Gestures and body language are important in the Italian language to emphasize certain ideas.
In Italian, grazia means “grace”, and grazie is the plural of grazia, but it doesn't have much else in common with its hom*onym grazie, which is used to say “thank you” in Italy. What does that mean? Simply that you cannot use grazia to express your gratitude. Even if you're being grateful for a single thing.
