Meals in Italy are always an occasion for joy: people like the food and also the social aspect of chatting about daily events and just plain old gossip. Italians do not put their hands on the table and people wait for everyone at the table to be served before beginning to eat. However, there might be one exception to this rule: since Italians feel strongly that pasta must be eaten immediately, as soon as it is put on your plate, if your host asks you not to wait, he or she really means it!

If you drive for just one hour in any direction, chances are that already the cuisine will have changed. There are so many different ways of preparing food, depending on the region. There are also a huge variety of wines produced in Italy. Wine is considered a healthful beverage and served before, during and after meals. A glass of wine, sometimes homemade, is served from a large flask or pitcher and is a way of welcoming friends and guests into the home. Children are also served small amount of wine with a large meal if they like.

When you eat at a restaurant, just like anywhere else, waiters are treated with courtesy and respect. In Italy, the waiter will be a food expert and able to make suggestions and offer explanations. Water and condiments are not automatically put on the table. You can ask for a mineral water and either let the waiter season your food or ask for salt and pepper.

The café (il bar) has many functions in Italy. Although it may be named a "bar," don't let the name fool you. It is not the same as an American bar; it simply indicates a casual gathering place where all types of food and drink are served. Children even often stop in these locales to buy candy from jars on the counters. Both local people and passersby mingle there from early in the morning until late at night. You may order a cornetti (croissant) for breakfast, a panino (sandwich) for lunch and un gelato (ice cream) anytime of the day. Sometimes families will stop by there to share a soda or coffee with a pastry after the evening stroll. You will feel the liveliness of the Italian people centered in the bar-café no matter what time of day you stop by there. When the weather is nice people sit outside at a table with an umbrella while sipping a coffee drink and taking in the colorful sounds and sights of that particular town or village.