The customs worth knowing
Four of these will cost you money or an evening. The rest are the small courtesies that make a place friendlier — worth knowing, and nobody minds if you do not.
These ones actually matter
Historic centres are zone a traffico limitato — camera-enforced, and the signs are easy to miss at the moment you need to read them. The fine reaches you months later through the hire company, with their admin fee on top, and one wrong turn can produce several. If your hotel is inside a zone, ask them to register your plate before you arrive; otherwise park outside and walk.
Standing at the bar costs less than sitting at a table, sometimes half. This is posted, legal and completely normal — it is not a tourist trick. Order and drink at the counter like everyone else, or take the table knowingly.
Lunch runs roughly one to half past two, dinner opens around eight and fills by nine. Arriving at half past six finds bar snacks and not much else. Plan the day around it rather than against it — the long lunch is one of the better things about being there.
A per-person cover charge of one to three euros appears on most restaurant bills, and it is legitimate — bread, linen, the table. Service is usually included too, so tipping is rounding up or leaving a couple of euros, not a percentage. Anyone pressing you for twenty per cent has noticed you are not from here.
And these ones are just nice
None of them is a rule. All of them make the day go a little more smoothly.
Buongiorno entering a shop or a bar, buonasera from late afternoon, and grazie on the way out. It is closer to obligatory than optional, and it changes how the next two minutes go.
Genuinely enforced at St Peter's, the Duomo in Florence and most of the larger basilicas — they will turn you away at the door in August. A light scarf in the bag solves it.
Ordering one after lunch marks you out and absolutely nobody will stop you. Espresso, or a macchiato if you want the milk.
Much of the coast is stabilimenti — private clubs renting loungers by the day, with a strip of free public beach somewhere alongside. Both are fine; they are just not the same thing.
It arrives with the food rather than ahead of it, and it is there to finish the sauce. No oil and balsamic — that is an export.
Not formal, just considered. The evening walk is a small public occasion in most towns, and people dress for it.
Common questions
How much should I tip?
Round up, or leave a couple of euros for a meal you enjoyed. Service is generally included and the coperto covers the table. Ten to twenty per cent is an American habit, and leaving it will be accepted graciously and quietly noted.
Will the ZTL fines really find me?
Yes. The cameras read the plate, the fine goes to the hire company, and the hire company charges your card and forwards it — often six months later. It is the single most common avoidable expense on an Italian trip.
Do I need to speak Italian?
No, and a little goes a long way. Buongiorno, per favore, grazie and il conto per favore will carry you through most days, and attempting them is received far better than it deserves.
Is it rude to ask for changes to a dish?
Not rude, but it may be declined, and dietary requirements are better said plainly than negotiated. Kitchens are often small and cook a set thing well. Allergies are taken seriously.
What about queueing?
In shops, at counters and at bakeries you will often take a numbered ticket. Where there is no ticket there is frequently no queue either — pay attention to who arrived before you and say so when it is your turn.
The planner keeps the meal times in mind when it lays out your days.
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The rest of the guides, and the catalogue behind them.