An understanding and respect for Italian culture is dear to my heart and a subject that I have covered in numerous newsletters over the years. As I’m finalising 101 small details for the tours coming up in April, May and June, it seems an opportune time to reiterate a few of the daily rituals of Italian life that are intrinsic to feeling more like a local than a tourist.
If you haven’t planned an amazing Italian adventure for 2026, there is still time to join a Ciao Italy Tour for a holiday that is completely authentic, intimate and full of unexpected surprises that show you Italy in a way that most travellers don’t experience.
Coffee Etiquette
To understand Italy, one must first understand that there are coffee rules. For something so simple, it can be difficult for a foreigner to navigate the rules. Italians have been consuming coffee since the 16th century when Venetians started importing the beans from abroad. It was in the 20th century that coffee really took off in Italy, with the introduction of the espresso machine in 1901 and Alfonso Bialetti’s invention of the iconic stovetop moka coffee pot in 1933.
Since then, Italy has become famous for its coffee culture, but this rich tradition comes with a set of rules that can trip up the uninitiated. If you want to avoid being the ignorant tourist receiving a disdainful look from the barista, here are the five golden rules:
Drink your coffee the Italian way standing at the bar - al banco. Expect to pay around 1.50 euro rather than 4-6 euros, especially if the cafe is in a popular street or piazza. You must first order and pay at the cash register (cassa) and then take your receipt (scontrino) to the counter and place it where the barista can see it.
Italians simply say ‘un caffe’, which is an espresso.
Of course you can order a cappuccino or caffe latte, but NOT after 11:00am. Italians believe that the milk messes with your digestion system. If you simply say latte, you will receive a glass of milk - latte means milk.
Please don’t ask for a half strength caramel drizzle latte or anything ridiculously complicated, OR an extra hot coffee! Coffee is coffee.
Never order coffee with a meal and no cappuccino after lunch or dinner. You may have an espresso.
Table Etiquette
Just as there are hardcore coffee rules, there are rules for dining out in Italy.
Please don’t cut your pasta with a knife and don’t ask for a spoon. Learn to twirl with your fork.
Bread is almost always brought to the table and is included in the coperto - cover charge. It is not meant to be devoured before your meal, but to accompany your pasta, perfect for those delicious pasta sauces. In fact, there is an Italian phrase for this, ‘fare la scarpetta’, which means soaking up the leftover sauce on your plate with a piece of bread.
It’s not a thing to ask for tap water in Italy. Restaurants only serve bottled water with a choice of naturale or frizzante.
Leaving food on your plate is considered disrespectful.
Asking for a steak well done is really going to upset the chef. Consider cottura media (medium), or even better, al sangue (rare).
There is never an excuse for asking for ice in your wine. Never.
No cheese with seafood. Why? The strong cheese flavour will overwhelm the delicate taste of the fish.
A good rule of thumb is if cheese is not offered, don’t ask. Not every pasta dish requires grated cheese.
Never buy water in Rome
Rome has 2,500 water fountains called “nasoni” (which means big noses) throughout the city. There are no taps because the water circulates constantly. With taps, water pressure builds up in the system when closed. Too much pressure can result in pipe damage and potential leaks. Stagnant water in closed systems breeds bacteria.
Beneath the streets of Rome, a small underground river has been quietly flowing for over 2,000 years. In 19 BC, Roman engineers found a pristine spring about twenty kilometres outside Rome and transported the water via the Aqua Virgo aqueduct to the city centre. It is the only aqueduct in ancient Rome that has remained in continuous use to this day. The aqueduct feeds the Trevi Fountain, Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona, Barcaccia Fountain at the bottom of the Spanish Steps and many drinking fountains around Rome.
The pure fresh spring water is safe to drink, cold and delicious. All you need is one water bottle that you keep refilling.
Aperitivo
Aperitivo is a deeply ingrained ritual that we are happy to adopt when in Italy. This is not the end of the working week celebratory drink, but a quintessentially daily Italian custom centred around connection and conversation that occurs traditionally between 6:00-8:00pm.
When you consider that the meaning originates from the Latin word ‘to open’, which translates to ‘opening your stomach’ to the delights of a later meal, it makes perfect sense. Italians say “L’appetito vien mangiando”, appetite comes when you eat - surely justification for delicious pre-dinner salty snacks.
Aperitivo originated in the north of Italy with Milan developing a reputation as ‘King of Aperitivo’. The famous red bitter liquor we know as Campari was invented by Gaspare Campari who opened a bar in the 1860s in Milan. He served his drink straight, eventually mixing it with vermouth and soda. Milan is also where the famous Martini family is from and where they invented their Martini bianco and Martini dry. This Italian tradition spread throughout Italy with Rome, Florence and Naples also doing it very well.
Unlike Happy Hour as we know it in Australia, drinks are not cheaper. However, the value is in the snacks that can very immensely from cheese, olives and chips, to bruschetta, vegetables and pizza. Sometimes food will be buffet style, but it is polite to adhere to one plate of food per drink and not see it as a replacement for dinner!
While wine is common, this is a perfect time to try a classic Italian drink like the bitter Campari or slightly less bitter Aperol, both mixed with prosecco and soda. Italy’s famous cocktail, if you’re brave, is the Negroni, which is a dark martini with gin, campari and red vermouth. In the 1920s Count Camillo Negroni asked for an Americano with gin instead of soda and so the cocktail was born. If that sounds a little strong, ask for a broken Negroni, which replaces the gin with prosecco.
Ci vediamo la prossima settimana.
Deb