Comments on: How to Order at a Restaurant in Italy

on 10/16/2007 Fairly good article. As a former Italy resident, I do know that you should be wary when ordering 'water', or 'agua/aqua'. In many tourist traps/cities, ordering water will result in a hefty charge for expensive bottled water. Also, if you expect plain water, order 'agua/aqua naturale', as this will prevent you from getting sparkling water.

Also:

Pizzas are intended for one person. While it's okay to share around a bit, if you order a pizza plan on eating most of it yourself.

on 6/13/2007 It's simply not true that Italian restaurants add a gratuity. There's always a "coperto" (cover charge) but there is no gratuity added or expected. There might be exceptions in high-end restaurants and/or for large parties, but not in 90% of the cases. You can absolutely order coffee with dessert if you want it; it may be an "american custom," but no one's going to deny you coffee if you want it. Same goes for soda: Ask for what you want.