You might think that truly bad restaurants would be few and far between in a country like Italy. And you’d be right, at least outside of the centres of big cities and major tourist destinations. But it is still fairly easy to end up at a mediocre spot if you don’t do your research.

You could be lucky, but, especially if you’re only visiting a place for a couple of days, it is always worth checking that the place you’re going to eat has good reviews and booking ahead.

Restaurants accredited by the Slow Food Association are a safe bet: they use only local, seasonal ingredients – which may be what you’d expect from any self–respecting Italian restaurant, but unfortunately not every place in Italy meets this standard.

There are also some more or less obvious giveaways when it comes to spotting the places to avoid altogether, not just because of lacklustre cooking but there can be a risk of being overcharged or treated poorly. Some of these warning signs are universal, some more uniquely Italian, but we’ve listed them in the article below as a reminder.

How to spot the Italian restaurants to avoid

And there is often confusion about tipping at Italian restaurants as the culture is so different to that in the US and many other countries.

No one wants to cause offence. So what should you leave – ten percent? Twenty? Nothing at all?

Here’s the insider knowledge about what – if anything – you should add on to your bill to avoid any embarrassment.

What are the rules on tipping in Italy?

Whether making restaurant reservations or dealing with bureaucracy, if you spend extended periods of time in Italy you will likely find yourself needing to make, or at least answer, phone calls in Italian.

But there are a few different ways to answer depending on the purpose of the call and the person you’re talking to.

Here we looked at how to know if you’re getting it right and some of the common phrases you’ll need to know for phone conversations.

How to answer the phone in Italian

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Is there an aspect of the Italian way of life you’d like to see us write more about? Please email me at [email protected].