As in many European countries, tipping in Italy may be quite different from what you’re used to in North American. While it is not uncommon to tip your waiter at a restaurant, you are not expected to tip the person who serves you coffee while you ride the train. As a base rule, you don’t have to do much tipping in Italy but there are a few places where a tip is appreciated.
Florence is a city famous for its culture and Renaissance art and architecture. While visiting the city you might also want to consider some Florence day trips so that you can enjoy the majestic Tuscan countryside. We’ll provide you with a short Tuscany travel guide so you can discover some of the region’s lesser-known medieval villages. These hidden gems work as day trips from Florence or final destinations in their own right.
Castelfalfi
There is no more quintessential part of Italian food culture than pasta. Pasta can be at once extremely familiar and very foreign. You may have grown up eating lasagna and macaroni & cheese, but there’s a cornucopia of different types of pasta.
Traditional Italian food has so many pasta names it might be hard to know where to start. Instead of providing you with a lengthy list, we’ll break pasta into a few different categories to help you get a better grasp on this cornerstone of Italian cuisine.
Shape
Though you’ll never run out of things to do in Rome, many travelers never get to experience the ancient splendour of the Roman countryside. The city’s influence was immense, with many of the most spectacular Roman gardens located just outside the metropolis.
A visit to one of these gardens is quite possible most remarkable Rome day trips you could add to your itinerary.
Villa D’Este
Whether you're taking a train from Rome to Florence, exploring the streets of Naples or doing a tour of Tuscany you will be exposed to delicious bread. Bread is a cornerstone of the Italian dining experience.
Venice has long been a city centered around art, culture, trade, and yes, even romance. After you finish a visit to Casanova’s jail in the Doge’s Palace you’ll want to find a spot to have a nice dinner that won’t cost a king’s ransom.
Since the mainstay of the city is tourism, a whole restaurant culture has sprung up to cater to its visitors, sometimes crowding out traditional Venetian cuisine with pricier less delicious options. With a few insider tips you’ll be able to affordably enjoy Venetian food just as much as the architecture.
Standing Room Only
Almost touching the southwestern tip of Italy (the toe of the boot), Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean. About the size of the state of Massachusetts, it is world-renowned for its arts, cuisine, and a rich history dating back thousands of years.
With so much to see and enjoy, travellers need to consider how to travel in and around Sicily while balancing speed, comfort and cost.
Train
Where Wine Reigns, Talk Does Too
There’s an old saying in Italy: friends and wine improve with age. Talking to an old friend is easy, and you’d like to be able to talk about wine with the same ease while you’re on your trip. Let’s set you up with some of the basics, so that you’ll be able to chat about wine as easily as drinking it.
Before you start at the un’enoteca (a wine bar) you should know that Italy is the largest wine producer in the world. The top three wine producing regions are Piedmont, Alto Adige, and perhaps most famously — Tuscany.
It hits your nose first. The server is coming your way with a plate in hand, a warm steaming pizza that was freshly made and just pulled from the oven. You lean back in your chair and soak up the sights, feeling a bit more in Italy with every bite you take.
How do you best guarantee sliding your way into pizza bliss? It starts from knowing how to order.
Bike tourism is on the rise across Europe, as a growing number of tourists opt for active, eco-friendly ways to explore the countryside. Italy, with its picturesque landscapes, charming villages, and deep reservoir of history and culture, is ideally suited for two-wheeled sightseeing.
