Italy is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful countries in the world, and a bucket-list destination for most people. And it’s easy to see why. With the Eternal City of Rome, the unique charm of Venice, the elegance of Milan, the highest peaks of the Alps and the stunning beaches of the Amalfi Coast, Italy has a truly stunning heritage. This post will provide the best tips that you need to know before visiting Italy to help make your trip smooth and memorable.
Disclaimer: posts may contain affiliate links. If you purchase a product after clicking on these links, I make a commission at no extra cost to you. Visit my privacy policy for further information.
Local food differs between regions and towns
Pizza is originally from Naples, pasta alla bolognese and Lasagne are from Emilia-Romagna. While you can find these dishes anywhere in Italy, many other dishes will be harder to find outside their region, or sometimes even the town, of origin.
As an Italian who has travelled to most of the country, I too find local dishes unknown to me almost every time I visit a new place.
I would recommend reading up on what local cuisines are like in the places you’re planning to visit, and try out as many local dishes as possible. This is a great way to experience Italy to its fullest, as food is such an important part of Italian culture!
You can travel between the main cities with high speed trains
Italy’s high speed rail network now serves most large cities around the country and it has significantly reduced journey times. You can travel from Milan to Rome in as little as three hours, or all the way down to Naples in five hours or less.
High speed trains are run by both the national rail company Trenitalia and the private company Italo. Both have similar journey options at broadly similar prices, and are a great way to get around the country.
Museums and historical monuments are best visited with a guided tour
Guided tours are widely available in many languages. While they are a more expensive option than getting a simple entry ticket, they come with many advantages.
First, you need to book them in advance and they will usually book entry tickets for you as well. You can then escape the long queues and simply turn up and meet your guide, who will take care of the rest.
Second, guides will explain the history and values of the monuments and artwork thoroughly and passionately. This means that you will learn so much more about the vast heritage and you will appreciate the experience more profoundly in the end.
If you’re looking to book guided tours online, check out this link for the best rated tour of the Uffizi Gallery. For more inspiration, check out this link for a great guided tour of the Vatican.
Temperatures in the summer get very hot
The local climate will have a strong impact on your trip, especially in the summer. Therefore, it is vital to know what to expect before visiting Italy.
Summer in Italy starts in June and ends in early September. While June and September still enjoy pleasant temperatures, July and August can reach very high temperatures. The whole country gets very hot, although the north will be more humid and the south will be drier. In any case, if visiting Italy in the summertime, make sure to dress lightly, wear sunscreen and carry water with you at all times.
July and August are the busiest months
This is another invaluable thing to know before visiting Italy. July and August are not just the most popular with international tourists, but with most Italians as well. During this time, you will run into huge crowds at tourist hot spots.
If you’d rather avoid the crowds and the worst heat, you may consider avoiding the busiest months. If possible, try to visit in June or September: you would enjoy quieter places and lower prices, and the weather won’t be as hot.
It’s best to learn some Italian
Most Italians don’t speak any second language, so most people will try to communicate with you in Italian. It is, therefore, advised to learn some Italian before visiting to get through common situations, especially asking for directions and ordering food!
Duolingo has a free plan and is very useful to learn the basics of languages with short and engaging lessons. Netflix has a great selection of Italian movies and series that you can watch with English subtitles to practice your listening. Watching content can also be useful to observe cultural differences and pick up on different accents.
YouTube is also rich in resources to learn Italian. I particularly recommend the channel Easy Italian: their videos are in Italian with English subtitles, and deal with both Italian language and culture.
Coffee culture is very different from English-speaking countries
The first time you walk into a cafe (known as bars in Italy), you will definitely notice many differences. For starters, the portion sizes are much smaller, and the beverages are not served piping hot. You will also notice many locals having a simple espresso and drinking it standing at the counter. Italians see coffee as quick and efficient: you just drink it and go on with your day. That’s also why you will rarely see Italians lingering at cafes working on their laptops, although young people are slowly embracing this custom.
Another thing you will never see in cafes or restaurants is Italians drinking a cappuccino after lunch. In Italy, coffee drinks that contain a lot of milk are considered too heavy to consume after a full meal and are usually only had after breakfast or during the morning. Most people will instead have an espresso or a macchiato after lunch.
In Italian cafes you consume first and pay later
At cafes, you are probaby used to queuing up at the till, ordering, paying, and waiting for your coffee on the side. In Italy, however, it’s customary to do this the other way around. You order your food and coffee, consume it and pay before leaving.
This is very common in cafes in cities and towns, but not in airports and at roadside service stations. Cafes in these locations are usually too busy to remember what everyone ordered, so they prefer to have customers pay at the till first. They will give you a paper receipt that you can show at the counter to claim your coffee.
The usual dinner time for Italians is quite late
In English-speaking countries, most people have dinner in the early evening. It’s also common to see restaurants open and busy at 6pm. In contrast, Italians usually have dinner between 7 30 and 8 30pm, but some people don’t dine until past 9pm!
Therefore, it’s normal to see restaurants closed or otherwise empty early in the evening in Italy. Many international visitors often assume that a restaurant is mediocre or not popular if it’s empty before 7pm, but it only means that locals go out for dinner later in the evening.
Shops and restaurants also close in the afternoon
Many visitors from English-speaking countries don’t know this before visiting Italy, but the way the working day is organised is quite different. Italians have longer lunch breaks, usually from 1 to 3pm, and go back home or to a restaurant for lunch. This has an impact on the opening times of businesses.
Restaurants open for lunch, usually around midday, and close again for the afternoon, generally around 3pm. Shops on the other hand, close for lunch and reopen for the afternoon, between 3 and 4pm. In the evening, shops generally stay open until 7 or 7 30pm.
Restaurants will reopen for dinner service at about 6 30pm, but as mentioned previously they are usually quiet until 7pm.
While these are the normal opening times in towns, they no longer apply to shopping centres and retail parks. There, shops usually stay open through lunch and close at 8pm, with some shopping centres staying open as late as 9pm. Restaurants and cafes in shopping centres are also open throughout the day.
Restaurant menus divide mains into first and second courses
In English-speaking countries, main course dishes all fall into one category. But in Italy, they are split into two categories. First courses (‘primi’) are usually pasta-based, whereas second courses (‘secondi’) are based on meat, fish or vegetables.
Despite what the names may suggest, people usually only have one main course when dining out at restaurants. But at meals with family and friends, people usually consume multiple courses, and the first course always comes after the appetisers, followed by the second course (or courses!), dessert and of course, coffee!
Restaurants don’t usually serve tap water
This is another useful thing to know before visiting Italy. You will rarely see tap water in Italian restaurants and cafes. Instead, you can purchase bottled water, either still or sparkling. This is usually a culture shock for people coming from English-speaking countries, where tap water is more common.
Tap water is perfectly safe to drink in Italy, but its taste is not always pleasant. Consequently, restaurants still prefer the better taste of spring bottled water.
