When traveling to another country, one of the most intimidating aspects is navigating day to day interactions in another language. While it is true that in Italy many people speak a minimum of English, it would be wise to note that many menus are not translated from Italian which is why we wanted to write this blog post to help Italy travelers order delicious food without any stress of wondering what it is they are ordering.

Unless you are in the historical center of a major Italian city, you should also note that in Tuscany restaurants are normally closed in between lunch & dinner (from around 3pm – 7:30pm). Italians tend to have lunch around 1pm and dinner no sooner than 8pm, though 8:30-9pm are the norm. Some places have two dinner services, which means that you can choose to have dinner on the early side, around 7:30pm or 8, or a little later around 9:30 – 10pm.

The first step is to recognizing the ‘type’ of place you want to dine in. While ‘bar’ might mean your local watering home in the USA or Canada, in Italy a ‘bar’ is a place to get your morning coffee and perhaps a yummy pastry while you’re at it. For a casual dining option you want to look for a local ‘trattoria’ or ‘pizzeria’ while an ‘osteria’ or ‘ristorante’ (at least in 2014)  typically are a more fancy dining experience.

When reading a menu, always ask for the ‘piatti del giorno’ or ‘dishes of the day’ that are in season. Any good local place will have them and they are usually the best ones to order if you are feeling adventurous and want to be like a local.

On first glance at a menu in Italian, you will likely see the word ‘antipasto’ which will be your appetizer options. In Tuscany you will often see an ‘antipasto misto’ which is a general appetizer plates with specialties from the restaurant, often including chicken liver crostini.

Your ‘primo’ are pasta or rice-based dishes. If you see a lot of words you don’t recognize, often it could be the type of pasta, Pappardelle and tagliatelle are larger, broader pasta, often with a ragu while tortelli and ravioli are stuffed with meat or cheese and normally covered with a ragu sauce. ‘Pici’ look like spaghetti and are thicker, its origins from the city of Siena. A ‘risotto’ is a rice-based dish, one of the most famous ones coming from Milan and containing saffron. A great dish to get in the fall months is risotto with porcini mushrooms or ‘zucca’ pumpkin. 

See the word ‘secondi’ and these are your main courses, often meat & fish. Some important words to know are ‘pollo’ (chicken), ‘manzo’ beef, ‘pesce’ (fish), maiale (pork), anatra (duck) is less common. Normally the side dishes come seperately and are called ‘corntorni’. Typical tuscan sides include ‘patate arrosto’ (roasted potatoes), ‘fagioli’ (beans), ‘insalata mista’ (mixed salad.

You can order cheese plate either during dessert or really, any time you want. Look for the word ‘formaggio’. Often you will find a mix of cheese with local honey and nuts.

When ordering drinks, ‘acqua’ is water and most of the time they will ask if you want sparkling or still (gassata/frizzante or naturale). Wine is ‘vino’ and you can ask to see the wine list or order the house version ‘vino della casa’ which is often very good.

Coffee after dinner is an absolute must if you’ve even too much to mutter a word, and if you don’t normally go for the typical ‘espresso’ try a ‘macchiato’ which is like an espresso with a dollop of warm milk.

To end your meal you might be asked if you want to try one of their ‘digestivi’ which are after-dinner liquors, often meant to help ‘speed up digestion’. The options normally include ‘limoncell’ made with lemons or ‘grappa’ made with grapes. They are very strong but very good.

To ask for your check, the word you want is ‘conto’. Don’t be bewildered if you have to look for the waiter for your check, dining is a national pastime here and they often don’t rush diners. If you are in a hurry, just get up and go to the desk in front of the restaurant and pay directly there. Tips and not mandatory and often in Italy are not accepted. If you would like to leave one, be very modest and go for around 5%. Also be aware of the ‘servizio’ and ‘coperto’ (service charge & cover charge) which various from restaurant to restaurant, an honest restaurant only have ‘coperto’ which is normally from 1 – 3 euros a person.

We hope this helps make your dining experience in Italy a little easier and please visit our restaurant, L’Olivaia at Villa Campestri where our Chef Andrea mixes traditional favorites with innovative twists!