Tipping: Usually the restaurant will include the "servizio" in the bill. However, it is not uncommon to leave some change on the table, (or maybe even 1 Euro per person) if the service was exceptionally good. At a bar, it is customary to leave 10 or 20 Eurocents on the counter after you are done.

For Italian households, lunch ("pranzo") is usually the main meal of the day which starts around 1 or 2PM. However, in the northern industrialized cities such as Rome and Milan, dinner ("cena") is becoming the most important meal of the day for working families.

Italian breakfasts ("la colazione") are usually not much to brag about....they will start their day with an espresso and a croissant-type pastry called a "cornetto". You will have a hard time finding a breakfast consisting of eggs and pancakes in Italy, as you would in the United States or Canada or even Great Britain.

Let us, of course, not forget about the famous Italian wine. Italy is the world's leading producer of wine. Not only does it produce and export more than any other country, it also offers the greatest variety types, colors and flavors. Some of the vines around Rome have been producing wine for many centuries. But the art of wine-making itself goes back thousands of years in Italy. However, it was not until the 1960's that a nation-wide program regulating the industry was enacted by the Italian government. An indication of DOCG (Denonominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) will ensure that the wine has passed the strictest standards by the government. However, wine tastes are very subjective, and that label will not always ensure the best tasting wine. Many of the table or house wines ("vino di casa") served by restaurants will also be very good. I suggest that you experiment with as many wines as possible. And of course, don't drink and drive in Italy. They have tough laws as well.