Tips for Italy

Italy: food etiquette
- In Italy, drink a cappuccino only before noon.
  Some Italians say that a late-day cappuccino upsets your stomach, others that it's a replacement for a meal (it's common to have just a cappuccino, or a cappuccino and a croissant, for breakfast). Either way, you won't see Italians ordering one in a café at 3 p.m. — and certainly not after a big dinner. Do so, and you'll be instantly branded a tourist. If you need that coffee fix, though, an espresso is fine.
  
  Also, don't ask for parmesan for your pizza — or any other time it's not explicitly offered.
  Putting parmigiano on pizza is seen as a sin, like putting Jell-O on a fine chocolate mousse. And many pasta dishes in Italy aren't meant for parmesan: In Rome, for example, the traditional cheese is pecorino, and that's what goes on many classic pastas like bucatini all'amatriciana, not parmesan. A rule of thumb: If they don't offer it to you, don't ask for it.
- By: travelkit.msnbc.msn.com
- 112 of 116 people found this tip helpful. Did you?
  Yes No
Tickets to the Vatican
- I recommend to purchase tickets online in advance, so you can skip the line. Otherwise you will have to wait for nearly an hour!
- By: Johnny
- 25 of 27 people found this tip helpful. Did you?
  Yes No

Italy: food etiquette