Things are different in Italy...

Sydney, Australia
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Things are different in Italy...
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or in the USA, or in Greece.

Following this thread

www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187780-i567-k4690164-o20-Amalfi_Disappointing_Be_Aware-Amalfi_Amalfi_Coast_Campania.html

I thought it might be interesting to list a few things that are common in Italy, but different from elsewhere.

May I begin with a few.

# You can't buy takeaway then sit down at the table

# You are unlikely to be asked to leave at the end of a meal

#They will not bring the bill at the end of your meal. You have to ask for it.

#They will bring you bread at the beginning of the meal and in all but the Lazio area, you will be charged "Pane et coperto" bread and cover charge, per person, whether or not you eat the bread.

# The menu is arranged differently and you don't have to order every course

# The menu is always displayed outside

#You don't have to tip

#You have to have a ticket to board most buses. You can usually buy a ticket at the local bar, news stand or tabacconist

# That red circle with a white centre means car access is restricted. Do not enter unless you have a document that allows it or it is outside the restricted hours.

Now lets have some more.

Lynn

Norwich, United...
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1. Re: Things are different in Italy...
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Anyone stopping in the area for a few nights would do well to invest in a decent guidebook - and for over a decade (despite contributing to others, and translating an Italian one into English) we've relied on successive editions of the best we've found:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Time-Out-Naples-5th-Guides/dp/1846701023/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

For nine quid or so you get the lowdown on just about everything you'll need!

Australians may prefer this - authored by one of their own...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Naples-Amalfi-Lonely-Country-Regional/dp/1741045096/ref=pd_sim_b_3

.... however no review would be complete without noting that Cristian's good work is marred by several factual inaccuracies in the parts bolted on from LP's standard "Italy" blurb...

http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/image/137002754

For the actual situation with those blessed receipts, see....

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Travel-g187768-s606/Italy:Tipping.And.Etiquette.html

With either of those you'd probably not need much more, but the often-requested specifics include:

- travel tickets, the Unicocostiera for most of the AC buses...

http://www.unicocampania.it/index.php?lang=en¢er=inside&colonna=turisti&action=costiera&banner=costiera

... and the wider-ranging Tourist 3T:

http://www.unicocampania.it/index.php?lang=en¢er=inside&colonna=turisti&action=3T

- for those more interested in the regional cuisine than how and when their bill may be presented:

http://www.incampania.com/en/enogastronomia.cfm?s=4&eg=1

...and:

http://www.bb-napoli.com/english/specialities-guide.pdf

- a whole load of stuff, from the Campania region's tourism people...

http://www.incampania.com/en/ioturista.cfm

- for up to date "what's on" information, by far the best local resource we've found is the bimonthly magazine put out by the Naples tourist office...

http://www.inaples.it/eng/quinapoli.htm

- ferries, boats and daycruises... whilst one timetable or another will change almost every week, try starting with posts such as:

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g187782-i162-k4360137-Daytrips_by_sea_along_the_Amalfi_Coast-Sorrento_Campania.html

And lastly, if you'd prefer your holiday to go smoothly, try adopting some of the advice offered here...

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Travel-g187768-c2815/Italy:How.To.Avoid.Upsetting.The.Locals.html

Peter

Canberra
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2. Re: Things are different in Italy...
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Hmmm - Sydney must be different - in the rest of Australia:

Usually you can't buy take-away and sit at a table in a cafe or restaurant (some take-aways do have tables you can use without extra charge, and so do MacDonalds);

You are not asked to leave at the end of a meal.

Menus are arranged in all kinds of ways - you do not have to order any set amount (unless you are ordering a set meal) or any set number of courses.

You don't have to tip.

Canberra restaurants have to display menus outside and I have seen them very often in Melbourne (and Sydney)

And in Italy: No cover charge in any restaurant that I have eaten in in Sorrento (Italy) or Sicily. And no charge in nice bars in Sorrento for olives, chips etc when you order a drink .

Peter has given a good link for advice.

In any country enjoy finding differences and remember that there will be differences. If you want things to be the same stay home (don't even go to the next town/suburb where things might be different.)

Edited: 9 years ago
Norwich, United...
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With any luck you'll never need to call on their services, but the arrangement of the police forces here is decidedly "different"...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_enforcement_in_Italy

Whatever you do, don't confuse the Guardia di Finanza - mentioned in those items about receipts, bills etc - with the guys at your local tax office.... for a start their toys are a lot more impressive:

http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/image/137003263

Peter

Sydney, Australia
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judb Point taken. Many of my references are to previous comments or questions by posters about these items, which seem to be different in their home towns. The first point in particular, refers back to the thread in my first post. But first time in Rome we bought lunch from a takeaway bar and sat at one of their own outside tables to eat it, and got shooed away. We are not really used to that in Australia in a very casual eating place. Nor would we expect it in a gelato bar.

And yes, I love the free nibblies with a beer or wine.

Peter, love the police force thing. And the Italians adore a good uniform. I am sure that is why they have so many. Still I saw a Guardia di Finanza car at the entrance to Ponte del Angelo with the police happily helping people with directions and touristy things, especially the young women. I have no idea why they were there.

I guess what I was hoping for in this thread was people's personal observations, what struck them as "different" and worthy of comment.

Another one from me

# When sitting at a pavement cafe, the waiter will often trust you to call for the bill when you want to leave, not charge for each drink at the time. And you can leave the money on the table as you go. (there are exceptions)

Norwich, United...
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5. Re: Things are different in Italy...
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Bars, bar prices, and drinking habits.....

Certainly different - although, depending on exactly where you're from, they're perhaps differently different?

I'll make my comparisons with England, and start - as it were - from the shop floor....

There Excise Duty (with the 20% VAT levied on it) on ordinary wine - for example - works out to £2.17 - or €2.50 - per 750ml bottle. When handing over £10 for a triple pack of Sainsbury's rosé, the Government gets the first £8.33 - which leaves just 97 pence for each one..... for the retailer, the botttle, the wine and transport from wherever.

Last time I checked Italy had no Duty system, and in shops etc only a final sales tax (IVA, Italy's VAT) of 20% is imposed on the nett price... which is one of the reasons why you'll see wine prices starting as low as maybe a Euro - and upwards!

The effect of that relatively low tax element often carries through to bar prices, with those for simple beers and wines being very similar to soft drinks, and even water... which does tend to make those accustomed to seeing a big difference assume that they're being ripped off for colas, sodas etc - when really it's everything that's expensive, or perhaps nothing?

.................................................................

Typically, Italians don't drink a lot away from home (some would have you believe they hardly drink at all, but try counting the vineyards, distilleries, breweries etc!) and, if out with a few of them, you may well be gasping for a refill long before they've even started.

Bars' prices tend to reflect Italian behaviour - so, for the only 4 or 5 Euro they'll be spending, an Italian will get a glass of something or another in which they've little interest, nibbles of some sort to have with it (since drinking alcohol without eating is a no-no) and the use of a seat somewhere nice until such time as they decide to move on.....

The difference for the more enthusiatic toper is that - with a tariff based on the expectation of making only a single sale per customer - ordering a second round can be a relatively expensive business.... so it could make sense to seek out places more accustomed to foreign ways, where they've set their prices accordingly!

But - generally - the better or more attractive the view is, the dearer the bar will be.... rather like the way seat prices vary at a rounders' stadium?

Outside of a few places where more restrictive byelaws raise the age for consumption and/or purchase in public places (such as Milan, where since last July it's been 16 for both), there are few age restrictions on consumption and it's 16 and upwards for purchases..... although some also have further rules on strong spirits, as I recollect?

Another difference that may come as a surprise is that even quite young kids will visit cafes and bars without an accompanying adult, however the 'bar' - in the sense of a place aimed mainly or exclusively at serious drinking - isn't as common as in many other countries.

I'm sure there's more to be said on this one, but a late siesta is calling!

Peter

Norwich, United...
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Bump - in the hope that knowing what to expect.... and what to watch out for... may make even just a few vacations run more smoothly!

Peter

Norwich, United...
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With the season - if not the weather - beginning to pick up now, time for this thread to get its annual bump...

One or two things that may be of interest:

- regrettably, "Qui Napoli" is no more, although their site still has a PDF of the one for Xmas/NY 2012/13

- as yet no update of the 2009 "Time Out" guide, however "Lonely Planet" published a new edition of theirs in January 2013; it's available from Amazon etc or...

http://shop.lonelyplanet.com/italy/naples-pompeii-and-the-amalfi-coast-travel-guide-4/

- with increasingly tough pursuit of tax evasion, we've been seeing official receipts rather more frequently than before. But similarly, the penalties for fare evasion on buses, trains etc are being applied more vigorously, so getting away with "just a warning" may be less likely!

Peter

http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde

Norwich, United...
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One thing I see we'd missed - the way some particular delicacies are priced in restaurants?

Fresh fishes...

Whilst many endeavour to buy in "1 person" fish, and price them on the menu as such, those that offer larger specimens will usually sell them as they're purchased..... by landed weight - charging maybe €40-45/kilo, and upwards for rarer varieties.

If tempted, ask for one suitable in size for however many will be sharing it - and have the waiter weigh and cost it before deciding. The monster scorpion fish a visiting friend INSISTED we shared came to c.€110.... a unique experience and, thankfully, we were already over the shock before it was served!

Steaks and the like....

Similarly, at places offering a good range of meat, you'll often be invited to choose how much to have, with the piece that's carved off for you charged at the "per kilo" price shown on the menu... from maybe €30 upwards.

(Can't tell you how often we've heard people read out the menu, followed by "Thirty Euro for a steak, I could get a cow for that at home!")

Not easy to estimate what it all means - especially with unfamiliar language, currency and weights system.... but, for instance, at €32/kg, a 10 ounce steak would cost some €9 - roughly £8 or US $12.

Peter

http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde

Maryland
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I find this thread very interesting and helpful. I am happy you bumped it up.

Brussels, Belgium
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10. Re: Things are different in Italy...
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I don't, because these things say as much, if not more, about other people's countries/customs as they do about Italy. It would mean nothing to someone not living in Belgium to point out that in Italy "they don't give you a free chocolate or biscuit (cookie) with your coffee"! Unfortunately some tourists (/nationalities) are less aware than others that what they take to be natural ways of doing things are in fact specific to their own country.

For a start, "# You can't buy takeaway then sit down at the table" is hardly specific to Italy, in fact why would it be called TAKEAWAY if you were allowed to eat it at tables belonging to the place you bought it from? Quite apart from anything else, food which is not for consumption on the premises (which includes terraces) is charged at a lower rate of VAT (0% in the UK) than café/restaurant meals, so the café would be committing fraud if it sold food at the takeaway rate and then permitted people to eat it on the terrace.

"#You have to have a ticket to board most buses." is equally obvious in most European cities. If everyone getting on had to pay the driver, buses and trams couldn't keep to their timetable, so purchase on board is either more expensive (cf. Cagliari airport bus) or (more often the case in Italy) not possible. I might also say in wonderment that in Italy "it isn't possible to pay for bus or tram tickets by SMS"! (except that it is, in Savona and Florence was trialling this last year).

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned that you will pay a different price in Italy for consumption standing at the bar, sitting at a table inside, or sitting on the terrace (and in Germany, I've been to places where different prices apply when the orchestra is playing and when it isn't).

Also, that in many if not most cafés in Italy, you have to pay the cashier for what you intend to consume, get the "scontrino" and give this to the barstaff to get your coffee or whatever. Perhaps it's because wherever they come from, this system exists there too, so they don't see it as one of those quaint "foreigner" things.

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