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Food & Drink
Table service is most common in restaurants and bars. There are no licensing laws.
Pasta plays a substantial part in Italian recipes, but nearly all regions have developed their own special dishes. Examples of dishes from each region are listed below. Italy has over 20 major wine regions, from Valle d’Aosta on the French border to Sardinia and Sicily in the south.
Wines are named after grape varieties or after their village or area of origin. The most widespread is the Chianti group of vineyards, governed by the Chianti Classico quality controls (denoted by a black cockerel on the neck of each bottle). The Chianti area is the only area in Italy with such quality controls. Denominazione di origine controllata wines come from officially recognised wine-growing areas (similar to Appellation Contrle in France), while wines designated Denominazione controllata e garantita are wines of fine quality. Vermouths from Piemonte vary from dry and light pink to dark-coloured and sweet. Aperitifs such as Campari and Punt e Mes are excellent appetisers, while Italian liqueurs include Amaretto, Galliano, Sambuca and Strega. Examples of wine from each region are listed below.
Rome: Food: Abbacchio (suckling lamb in white wine flavoured with rosemary), cannelloni (pasta stuffed with meat, calves’ brains, spinach, egg and cheese), broccoli romani (broccoli in white wine), salsa romana (sweet-sour brown sauce with raisins, chestnut and lentil pure served with game) and gnocchi alla romana (semolina dumplings). Of Rome’s cheeses the best include mozzarella, caciotta romana (semi-hard, sweet sheep cheese), pecorino (hard, sharp sheep’s milk cheese) and gorgonzola. Wines: Albano, Frascati, Grottaferrata, Marino, Montefiascone and Velletri (whites); Cesanese, Marino and Piglio (reds).
Piemonte: Food: Bagna caoda (a traditional anchovy soup, served with vegetables), fritto misto piemontese (fried meat, vegetables and fruit), bonet (a chocolate cake made with coffee and local biscuits).
Valle d’Aosta: Food: Fonduta (a hot dip with Fontina cheese, milk and egg yolks sprinkled with truffles and white pepper), lepre piemontese (hare cooked in Barbera wine and sprinkled with herbs and bitter chocolate), zabaglione (hot dessert with beaten egg and Marsala wine). Wines: Barolo, Barbera, Barbaresco, Gattinara and Grignolino.
Lombardy: Food: Risotto alla milanese (rice with saffron and white wine), zuppa pavese (tasty clear soup with poached eggs), minestrone (thick soup with chopped vegetables), osso buco (shin of veal cooked in tomato sauce served with rice), panettone (Christmas cake with sultanas and candied fruit). Wines: Grumello, Inferno, Sassella and Valtellina.
Trentino and Alto Adige: Food: Some excellent sausages and hams come from these regions. Wines: Lago di Caldaro and Santa Maddalena.
Veneto: Food: fegato alla veneziana (calves’ liver thinly sliced and cooked in butter with onions), baccal alla vicentina (salt cod simmered in milk), radicchio rosso di treviso (wild red chicory with a bitter taste). Wines: Bardolino, Soave and Valpolicella.
Friuli-Venezia Giulia: Food: Pasta e fagioli (pasta and beans), prosciutto di San Daniele (raw ham). Wines: Malvasia, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio and Tokai (whites); Cabernet, Merlot and Pinot Nero (reds).
Liguria: Food: Pesto (sauce made of basil, garlic, pine nuts and pecorino cheese with pasta), cima genovese (cold veal stuffed with calves’ brains, onions and herbs), pandolce (sweet cake with orange flavour). Wine: Sciacchettra.
Emilia-Romagna: Food: Parmigiano (parmesan cheese), prosciutto di Parma (Parma ham), pasta con salsa bolognese (sauce of meat, cheese and tomato served with pasta), vitello alla bolognese (veal cutlet cooked with Parma ham and cheese), cotechino e zampone (pigs’ trotters stuffed with pork and sausages). Wines: Albana, Lambrusco, Sangiovese and Trebbiano.
Tuscany: Food: Bistecca alla fiorentina (thick T-bone steak grilled over charcoal, sprinkled with freshly ground black pepper and olive oil), minestrone alla fiorentina (tasty vegetable soup with slices of country bread), pappardelle alla lepre (pasta with hare sauce), tortina di carciofi (baked artichoke pie), cinghiale di maremma (wild boar from Maremma region near Grosseto) and dishes of ham, sausages and steaks. Sweets include panforte di Siena (confection of honey, candied fruits, almonds and cloves), castagnaccio (chestnut cake with nuts and sultanas) and ricciarelli (delicate biscuit of honey and almonds from Siena). Wines: Aleatico, Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti and Vernaccia.
Marche: Food: Brodetto (a thick soup made from many varieties of fish, similar to chowder), pasticciata (pasta baked in oven, a method preferred by Marches). Wine: Verdicchio.
Abruzzo-Molise: Food: The favourite pasta in this region is known as maccheroni alla chitarra because it is cut in thin strips. Lamb is a favourite ingredient in many dishes. Desserts include parrozzo (rich chocolate cake) and zeppole (sweetened pasta). Wines: Cerasolo di Abruzzo, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (red), Trebbiano d’Abruzzo (dry white). The district is also home of a strong liqueur known as Centerbe.
Umbria: Food: Extra virgin olive oil, black and white truffles, spaghetti, porchetta alla perugina (suckling pig), carne ai capperi e acciughe (veal with caper and herb sauce) and good-quality local sausages, salami and prosciutto famous throughout Italy. Local ingredients used in Umbrian cooking include pork and beef, cheeses, lentils from the Valerina, fish from Lake Trasimeno and the River Nera, mushrooms and potatoes from Colfiorito. Wine: Orvieto (white, sweet or dry) and numerous red and white wines (including Rubesco from Torgiano and wines from Montefalco and Sagrantino).
Campania: Food: Pizza (the culinary pride of Campania) served in a great variety of recipes, bistecca alla pizzaiola (steak with sauce made from tomatoes, garlic and oregano), sfogliatelle (sweet ricotta cheese turnovers) and mozzarella cheese (originally made with buffalo milk). Wines: These come from the islands of Capri and Ischia.
Puglia: Food: Coniglio ai capperi (rabbit cooked with capers) and ostriche (fresh oysters baked with bread crumbs). Wines: Aleatico di Puglia, Sansevero, Santo Stefano.
Calabria and Basilicata: Food: Sagne chine (lasagne with artichoke and meat balls), zuppa di cipolle (onion soup with Italian brandy), sarde (fresh sardines with olive oil and oregano), alici al limone (fresh anchovies baked with lemon juice), melanzane Sott’Olio (pickled aubergines), mostaccioli (chocolate biscuits) or cannariculi (fried honey biscuits). Wines: Agliatico and Cir.
Sicily: Food: Pesce spada (swordfish stuffed with brandy, mozzarella and herbs, grilled on charcoal), pasta con le sarde (pasta with fresh sardines), caponata (rich dish of olives, anchovies and aubergines), pizza siciliana (pizza with olives and capers) and triglie alla siciliana (grilled mullet with orange peel and white wine). Excellent sweets are cassata (ice cream of various flavours with candied fruit and bitter chocolate) and frutti di marturana (marzipan fruits). Wines: Corvo di Salaparuta (both red and white, a highly aromatic wine ideal for fish), Marsala and Regaleali.
Sardinia: Food: The coastline offers a wide selection of fish, including lobster which is served in soup, stews and grills. Main dishes include burrida (fish stew with dogfish and skate) and calamaretti alla sarda (stuffed baby squid). Wines: Cannonau, Malvasia, Oliena, Piani and Vernaccia.

Nightlife
Nightclubs, discos, restaurants and bars with dancing can be found in most major towns and tourist resorts. In the capital, English-language films can be found at the Pasquine Cinema, Vicolo della Paglia, just off Santa Maria in Trastevere. Restaurants and cafes throughout Italy will invariably have tables outside: in Rome, the Massimo D’Azeglio is a hotel restaurant famous for its classic food. Open-air concerts in summer are organised by the Academy of St Cecilia and the Opera House, while there is open-air theatre at the Baths of Caracalla. Jazz, rock, folk and country music can all be heard at various venues.

Shopping
Many Italian products are world-famous for their style and quality. Care should be taken when buying antiques since Italy is renowned for skilled imitators. Prices are generally fixed and bargaining is not general practice, although a discount may be given on a large purchase. Florence, Milan and Rome are famous as important fashion centres, but smaller towns also offer good scope for shopping. It is advisable to avoid hawkers or sellers on the beaches. Some places are known for particular products, eg Carrara (Tuscany) for marble, Como (Lombardy) for silk, Deruta (Umbria) and Faenza (Emilia-Romagna) for pottery, Empoli (Tuscany) for the production of bottles and glasses in green glass and Prato (Tuscany) for textiles. Alghero (Sardinia) and Torre Annunziata (Campania) are centres for handicraft products in coral, and in several parts of Sardinia business cards and writing paper made of cork are produced. Cremona (Lombardy) is famous for its handmade violins. Castelfidardo (Marche) is famous for its accordion factories, and for its production of guitars and organs. Two small towns concentrate on producing their speciality: Valenza (Piedmont), which has a large number of goldsmith artisans, and Sulmona (Abruzzo), which produces ‘confetti’, sugar-coated almonds used all over Italy for wedding celebrations. Vietri sul Mare (Campania) is one of the most important centres of ceramic paving-tiles, and Ravenna (Emilia-Romagna) is famous for mosaics. Main shopping areas are listed below.
ROME: Offers a wide choice of shops and markets. Every shop in the fashionable Via Condotti–Via Sistina area offers a choice of styles, colours and designs rarely matched, but at very high prices. Equally expensive are shops along Via Vittorio Veneto, a street famous for its outdoor cafes. Old books and prints can be bought from bookstalls of Piazza Borghese. Rome’s flea market is at Porta Portese in Trastevere on Sunday mornings, selling everything from second-hand shoes to ‘genuine antiques’.
MILAN: The city’s industrial wealth is reflected in the chic, elegant shops of Via Montenapoleone. Prices tend to be higher than in other major cities.
VENICE: Is still famous for its glassware and there is a great deal of both good and bad glass; that made on the island of Murano, where there are also art dealers and skilful goldsmiths, has a reputation for quality. Venetian lace is also exquisite and expensive; however, most of the lace sold is no longer made locally (only lace made on the island of Burano may properly be called Venetian lace).
FLORENCE: Boasts some of the finest goldsmiths, selling from shops largely concentrated along both sides of the Ponte Vecchio bridge. Florentine jewellery has a particular quality of satin finish called satinato. Much filigree jewellery can also be found. Cameos are another speciality of Florence, carved from exotic shells.
SOUTHERN ITALY: In the south, there are still families handmaking the same local products as their ancestors: pottery and carpets in each region; filigree jewellery and products of wrought iron and brass in Abruzzo; products in wood in Calabria; corals and cameos in Campania; a variety of textiles, including tablecloths, in Sicily and Sardinia. In Cagliari, it is possible to find artistic copies of bronze statuettes from the Nuraghe period of the Sardinian Bronze Age. In the larger towns, such as Bari, Cagliari, Calabria, Naples, Palermo and Reggio, there are elegant shops with a whole range of Italian products. Many smaller towns have outdoor markets, but souvenirs sold there are sometimes of very low quality, probably mass-produced elsewhere.
SHOPPING HOURS: Mon-Sat 0830-1230 and 1530-1930, with some variations in northern Italy where the lunch break is shorter and the shops close earlier. Food shops are often closed on Wednesday afternoons.

Special Events
Traditional festivals are celebrated in most towns and villages in commemoration of local historical or religious events. For further details, contact ENIT, the Italian State Tourist Board (see Contact Addresses). The following is a selection of special events occurring in Italy in 2005:
Jan-Mar Ivrea Carnival. Jan 6 Epiphany Celebrations, nationwide (particularly Piana degli Albanesi and Bordonaro). Jan 23 Viareggio Carnival (famous for its puppets); Ravel Evening, Milan. Jan 28-Feb 8 Venice Carnival (traditional masked balls and elaborate costumes). Feb 15-24 Carnival in Acireale. Feb Baroque Carnival, Palermo; Mandorlo in Fiore (spring festival), Agrigento. Mar 13 Rome Marathon. Mar 20-26 Holy Week, Rome. Apr 20 Birth of Rome Celebrations. May 15 Vogalonga (boat race), Venice. Jun Heineken Jamin Festival (rock festival), Imola. Jul Festino di Santa Rosalia (parades, processions and fireworks), Palermo. Aug-Sep San Rocco Music Festival (Baroque music), Venice. Sep International Urban Theatre Festival, Rome. Oct Autumn Festival, Abbadia San Salvatore. Dec Christmas Markets, nationwide; Feast of St Nicholas, nationwide. Dec 26-Feb 24 Putignano Carnival.

Social Conventions
The social structure is heavily influenced by the Roman Catholic church and, generally speaking, family ties are stronger than in most other countries in Western Europe. Normal social courtesies should be observed. Dress is casual in most places, though beachwear should be confined to the beach. Conservative clothes are expected when visiting religious buildings and smaller, traditional communities. Formal wear is usually indicated on invitations. Smoking is prohibited in some public buildings, transport and cinemas. Visitors are warned to take precautions against theft, particularly in the cities. Tipping: Service charges and state taxes are included in all hotel bills. It is customary to give up to 10 per cent in addition if service has been particularly good.