Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner - Prices - Budget Dining - Pane e Coperto - House Wine - Traditions - Pizza - Salads - Lo Fat - Coffee - Caffe Culture - Digestivo - Smoking - Food Markets - Street Vendors - Pets - Maps - Explore - Touristy Areas - Doggie Bags - Gelati

 

Breakfast - Most hotels in Italy include breakfast with your room rates. Hotel breakfast are usually ample to get you started and hold you until lunch. Don't expect an American style breakfast of bacon and eggs, most hotels serve a small buffet of croissants, rolls, yogurt, cheese, watery juice and a decent cup of coffee. If you have a few extra lire, have breakfast with the locals at a caffe or pasticceria.

Lunch - Many Italians eat lunch as the main meal of the day. Most restaurants are open from around noon to 3:00. The menu offered at lunch will usually be the same as offered during the dinner hour with the exception of the 'Piatto del giorno' (plate of the day). Having a long lunch in the middle of the day is a good way to take a break and regroup for a long afternoon of sightseeing or shopping. Warning! If you hunger for a relaxing 'sit down' lunch be sure you are in a restaurant before 3:00. It is near impossible to find a place which is open between 3:00 and 7:00, unless it is fast food.

Dinner - The dinner hour in most Italian restaurants begins around 7:30 and can run as late as 10 or 11. To be assured a seat in the most popular places, it is always best to reserve in advance. If you have no reservation, arrive early to secure a table. In Rome, dinner can be a social event or an art form. Depending on how many courses you wish to order you can have a quick bite or prolong dinner for hours!

Prices - Major cities, like Rome, has a variety of places to eat which will suit any budget. The selections range from fast food and cafeteria style establishments to an elegant ristorante. In the median price range two people can eat a substantial meal in a neighborhood trattoria for under Lit.100.000. That is about US$25 a person. This includes bottled water, a small carafe of house wine, antipasta mista (mixed antipasta plate), primi piatti (first course pasta), secondi piatti (second course, usually meat) and an insalada verde (green salad) or other contorni (side dish). At some places you can also squeeze in a dessert, espresso and perhaps and after dinner digestivo and still keep the bill relatively low.

Budget Dining - To eat well and maintain a good budget you can be creative and share and item or two, such as the dessert or pasta. Don't feel obligated to order every course. A simple salad with a pizza or a pasta, a jug of house wine and some bottled water would be an ideal lunch or dinner and keep the price under Lit.25.000 a person. (around US$13.00). There are many other alternatives in central Rome, such as Pizzerias, that offer inexpensive food such as salads, pizza and pannini.

Pane e Coperto - Translated this means 'Bread and Cover'. Bread is not offered in an 'all you can eat' bottomless basket in Italy. If you don't plan to eat it, reject it to lower your total bill. Most places add Lit.1000-4000 (.50-$2.00), per person to your bill for this luxury. Butter is rarely served with bread. Try dipping the bread in some olive oil instead. My advise, don't worry about the extra cost, even if you didnŐt pay extra they would probably squeeze it into the price. Besides, what else would use use to mop up all the extra sauce left in the bottom of your pasta bowl?

House Wine - Drinking the house wine is always a chance. Sometimes its good and sometimes it sucks! Bottles of good wine in restaurants are usually inexpensive and cost around US$10-15. This is in sharp contrast to the cheap 'house wine'. Look around and see what others are drinking before you order. If you are just looking for a buzz, get the house wine. Portions - Don't expect huge overflowing 'super sized' portions when you get your order. Italian restaurants give you a 'normal' portioned size. Remember pasta isn't the only thing you are eating you will want to order a salad, some antipasti or a meat dish too!

Traditions - Different days offer different specialties at Italian restaurants - Eat gnocchi at lunch on Thursday and fish on Friday. Its a tradition.

Pizza - Forget what you know about American pizza. Italian pizza is not like your local Dominos. There are very imaginative with the simple combinations and toppings. Pizza was always different and a treat in every restaurant. Look around and see if others are having pizza. If they are GET IT and you will never eat that stuff from your corner pizzeria again.

Salads - Salads in Italy are simply dressed with olive oil and vinegar or lemon. No Thousand Island or Ranch dressing here. Salads are served with the meal as a vegetable unless otherwise requested.

Lo Fat - HA! Nessuna tale cosa in Italia!

Coffee - Italy has a certain amount of coffee tradition. Don't get caught having a cappuccino after your dinner! See the Caffe Culture page for more information.

After Dinner - Try an after dinner digestivo amaro like Amaro Montenegro (from Bologna), or Ramozotti (from Milano) or Averno (from Sicily). You will quickly become addicted (and a little tipsy too).

Smoking - Try to sit outside if smoking bothers you. Italians smoke like fiends and obviously nobody told them it was unhealthy. As as a non smoker you are the minority. Don't be surprised if your waiter is smoking or if you see the cook smoking in the kitchen. RELAX, FORGET IT, this is not California.

Food Markets - Stop by the local markets, salsamenteria, il forno and latteria to get salami, breads and cheese to eat at a picnic, in your hotel or on the plane ride home. Make everyone on your jet jealous!!

Street Vendors - What's with all the Chinese street vendors that come in restaurants and try to sell you stuff? It annoying. Usually two or three will approach you while you are eating to sell you roses and all sorts of nasty Chinese junque. If you want a lighter where the penis of a little statue shoots a flame to light your ciggy, by all means call them over to your table! Otherwise reply to them with a firm "NO, GRAZI!!" or they will not go away!

Pets - Sometime people bring their dogs to restaurants with them. Even worse, sometime a pigeon or two will wander in for some crumbs from the floor.

Maps - Get a good map. Rome is a maze of twisting streets, alleys and piazzas. The 'Streetwise' brand of maps are a good choice. They are clearly written and laminated to prevent damage and great for touring during the day. At night, when I would venture out into the streets, I would get a paper map from the hotel and mark my destination and keep it folded in my pocket. Then I could toss it when I returned.

Explore - Wander through the narrow streets and alleys looking for quaint little places off the beaten tourist path, the service will be friendly and grandma is probably cooking in the kitchen.

Touristy Areas - Restaurants in tourist areas are either lousy or overpriced. Especially near the Spanish Steps (pricey) and the Vatican (pricey and lousy). If you are hungry near the Vatican get a snack and avoid any restaurant which is empty or has a guy planted outside to coax you in. Save your money for a great meal when you get back into central Rome.

Sorry - Doggie bags are not customary. Italian food is simply too delicious to bring home to the pets.

Gelati - Simple, eat a lot of gelati.

 

SINCE MAY 2000