I will be visiting Italy in a few short months and am wondering about the rules of etiquette in a restaurant. For example, I heard that a man and woman should enter a restaurant in a certain way. What is the etiquette I should follow in this regard and what are other etiquette rules should I remember?
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When a man and woman enter a restaurant in Italy, it is common practice for the man to always enter first, ahead of the lady, as a way to protect her. Also, when sitting down, the man, not the lady, should be facing the exit sign in the restaurant. Women should always order first before men.
If several women are sitting at a table, the waiter will usually start the order by asking the oldest woman first and going from there.
While you can drink an espresso just about any time of the day, you cannot drink a cappuccino in the afternoon, or after the noon hour. That simply is not done in Italy.
However, you can have your cappuccino for breakfast, along with a cornetto, a crescent-shaped pastry that is made of flour, eggs, milk, salt, sugar, butter, and yeast.
Don’t expect to have any more than that if you eat breakfast in Italy. If you are expecting ham and eggs or pancakes, you can’t have that for breakfast unless you stay at an American-based hotel.
Also, don’t ask for parmesan with your pizza. That is not done either. Unless a cheese is offered, you will offend your host.
