1. Primi - A pasta dish

2. Secondo - The main course: meat or fish. This course may also include the contorno, or side dishes, which are usually vegetables.

3. Fromaggio - Cheeses

4. Frutta - Fruit

5. Dolce - A sweet

6. Café - After-dinner drinks, including coffee, wines, liqueurs, and digestives.

Note also that, depending on the restaurant in question, courses 3, 4, and 5 may be condensed or eliminated (for example, only cheese may be offered).

There aren't any hard and fast rules in Italian dining, but there are a couple of things you should keep in mind. Upon receiving a menu with five or six courses, many Americans feel like they are expected to order one item from each course. Not so! It's perfectly acceptable to order a first, third, and fifth course if that's all you want.

When you order, do so all at once, at the beginning. Don't order the first course, eat, and then tell them you want the second! The exceptions are desserts and coffee; at the end of the meal, your waiter should offer you the restaurant's choices.

Eating in Italy
Whether you're dining out or cooking your own Italian meals, have fun! If you accidentally touch that piece of forbidden fruit, remember to say "Mi dispiace!" And when the second course seems to be taking hours to arrive, sit back, relax, and have a good chat with your companions. This is la vita bella-- enjoy it while it lasts.