Italian dining etiquette — the unwritten rules of eating in Italy

The rules

Cappuccino: only before 11am. After lunch = tourist signal. No cheese on fish pasta: never, ever put Parmigiano on spaghetti alle vongole. The waiter will cry. Bread: for mopping sauce (fare la scarpetta), not for eating with pasta. No butter on bread (olive oil is acceptable in Tuscany/Umbria). Pasta is a primo: it comes before the main course (secondo). Ordering only a primo is fine — most Italians don’t order every course. Pizza: eat with hands (Neapolitan) or knife and fork (Roman). Both are acceptable. Espresso: after the meal, not during. Never with the meal. Doggy bags: increasingly accepted but not traditional. Phrase: "Posso portare via il resto?" (Can I take the rest?)

Meal timing

Lunch: 12:30—2:30pm. Dinner: 8—10pm (south) or 7:30—9:30pm (north). Arriving at a restaurant at 6pm for dinner marks you as a tourist. The kitchen is probably not open yet.

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