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LA BELLA VITA

La Bella Vita: Tipping rules, Italian habits and the most useful verb tenses

From the habits people pick up after moving to Italy to the Italian grammar you really need, weekly newsletter La Bella Vita offers you an essential starting point for eating, talking, drinking and living like an Italian.

La Bella Vita: Tipping rules, Italian habits and the most useful verb tenses
Shopping at the weekly market has probably become essential if you've lived in Italy for any length of time. Photo by Matteo Badini on Unsplash

La Bella Vita is our regular look at the real culture of Italy – from language to cuisine, manners to art. This new newsletter will be published weekly and you can receive it directly to your inbox, by going to newsletter preferences in ‘My Account’ or follow the instructions in the newsletter box below.

Italian grammar can be a lot to get to grips with, particularly the number of verb tenses: Italian has a total of 21 tenses, divided into two forms, plus a total of seven moods, also split into two categories.

This can be a bit much if you’re still perfecting your coffee order.

All of these tenses are still used in Italy (while in English, some of our 12 tenses are rarely used). But how many of these forms do you really need to know, at least at first? How many will you actually use in everyday life?

While your Italian language teacher will no doubt say “all of them” – piano piano, you’ll get there eventually – some tenses are going to come in far more immediately useful than others.

So if you want to start speaking Italian right away, we’ve narrowed the list down to the five most useful tenses that you can’t get by without.

Which Italian verb tenses are the most useful?

Moving to any new country is guaranteed to bring changes to your lifestyle. But what are the most common new habits people pick up after moving to Italy?

As well as healthier eating, finding more time to relax, and getting more fresh air and exercise, readers admitted that after adapting to the Italian lifestyle they now find themselves “eating an entire pizza guilt-free” and “not taking traffic lights too literally”. Here’s what else you told us:

Eating well, driving badly, and daily naps: The habits you pick up in Italy

Speaking of stereotypically Italian habits, you’ve no doubt heard all about the reputation Italians have for being habitually late. But is this always true? How late are we talking? And what should you do when an Italian friend leaves you hanging?

We looked at why, when and how you’ll probably need to switch to ‘Italian time’ yourself if you want to keep your cool.

EXPLAINED: How late is it usual to be in Italy?

Tipping etiquette in Italy: what are the rules?

Tipping etiquette in Italy: what are the rules? Photo by FABIO MUZZI / AFP

And there’s a lot of confusion and contradictory advice out there about tipping in Italy, whether at a restaurant or in a taxi. Of course, you can tip whatever you like and it will always be appreciated – but what is actually expected? Ten percent? Twenty? Nothing at all? 

We’ve got a quick overview of what you need to know about Italian tipping etiquette.

What are the rules on tipping in Italy?

Finally, if you’re not in Italy right now or can’t visit as often as you’d like to, reading books that transport you here might be the next best thing.

Here’s an article from the archives with some inspiration for lovers of literature, travel and history, featuring five of the best old Italian travel books – from classics that are still easily found to rarer volumes worth hunting down.

Travelling back in time: Five of the best old Italian travel books

Remember if you’d like to have this weekly newsletter sent straight to your inbox you can sign up for it via Newsletter preferences in “My Account”.

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

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LA BELLA VITA

La Bella Vita: Italy’s city tourist taxes and key Italian vocabulary for dining out

From knowing how much ‘tourist tax’ you’ll need to pay when visiting Italian destinations this summer to mastering essential Italian words and phrases for dining out, our weekly newsletter La Bella Vita offers you an essential starting point for eating, talking, drinking and living like an Italian.

La Bella Vita: Italy’s city tourist taxes and key Italian vocabulary for dining out

La Bella Vita is our regular look at the real culture of Italy – from language to cuisine, manners to art. This newsletter is published weekly and you can receive it directly to your inbox, by going to newsletter preferences in ‘My Account’ or following the instructions in the newsletter box below.

The summer months are by far the busiest time of year in Italy as millions of visitors travel to the peninsula from all over the world to explore its so-called citta’ d’arte (‘art cities’, including Rome, Florence and Venice), beach resorts or natural parks. 

But whether you’re staying in a big city, a seaside holiday spot, or a mountain resort, if you’re one of the 216 million tourists expected in the country this summer, there’s a good chance you’ll have to pay a local ‘tourist tax’ on top of your accommodation bill. 

The fee, which is used by local authorities to offset the costs of public services, is a frequent source of confusion for tourists as not all cities apply it, and those that do tend to vary their rates by type and star rating of accommodation, time of year or location.

As some cities plan to raise their tourist taxes this summer, we’ve looked at the rates (and exemptions) you can expect in Italy’s most popular destinations.

Tourist tax: How much is it increasing in Italy’s cities this year?

Besides an Italian nonna’s homemade cooking and the sagre food festivals cropping up in the warm months, dining out is arguably the best way to explore Italy’s famous cuisine. 

Generally speaking, waiting staff at most restaurants in big cities and holiday hotspots tend to have at least some basic knowledge of English, meaning you should be able to order your meal in inglese without a hitch.

But that’s not the case everywhere in the country.

Whether you’re dealing with staff with a cosi’ cosi’ command of English, or are simply eager to test out your Italian speaking skills, there is some essential vocabulary that’s well worth getting familiar with.

From prenotare un tavolo (booking a table) to pagare il conto (paying the bill), here are some key words and phrases to memorise before your next restaurant meal in Italy.

The essential vocabulary you’ll need to dine out in Italy

People eat in a restaurant in the Murazzi by the Po River, on May 8, 2024 in Turin.

Diners at a restaurant along the Po River in Turin. Photo by MARCO BERTORELLO / AFP

Speaking of paying the bill, Italian restaurants have some peculiar norms around squaring the books which can occasionally catch foreign visitors off guard – or even cause them offence in some cases. 

From where and how to pay to the controversial coperto charge and the tip/no tip dilemma, here’s an overview of what to do (and what not to do) for a stress-free experience next time you’re paying the bill in Italy.

What to do (and avoid) when paying a restaurant bill in Italy

If you’d like to have this weekly newsletter sent straight to your inbox you can sign up for it via Newsletter preferences in “My Account”.

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

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