Entree share

I am guessing you mean a main dish ( known as the secundo in Italian and the plat principal in French ), the strange American usage of the word 'entree'. In the civilized world, an entree is a starter or appetizer.

I've seen tourist couples do this and it always feels/looks iffy to me. Maybe if you are getting a full meal including antipasto, pasta/primo, secundo/main , and a dessert, and a coffee, you could share each others picks, but if you really want to eat lightly, maybe choose an osteria or trattoria. A bar or enoteca, even.

Note that the coffee is separate from the dessert in a full service restaurant, and there might be a digestivo in there too.

The food is so good in Italy that my husband and I usually share courses so we can try more dishes. I guess that makes me part of an iffy "tourist couple". With that said, I do think it's tacky to tie up a table in a busy restaurant while sharing just one course, especially if you don't order any wine.

I've found portion size at restaurants in Italy to be smaller than what is normally served in the US. I have also requested a half portion or mezza of the primo or pasta course followed by the main dish.

Rick’s Rome guide (and I imagine his other Italian guides) has a good guide to eating. It explains the Italian courses, offers ideas for light eaters, describes various popular dishes. In Italy I usually order a salad and something from the primi piatti (pasta course) or secondi (meat or fish) course. Dessert is often a gelato consumed when walking back to hotel! Another option is to get an assortment of antipasti (appetizers) to share. Note that vegetables, potatoes etc are not usually included, you have to order them.

The portions aren’t the large US portions, so you will probably each want to order your own. The only exception is a pizza will serve two people. My husband & I would each order a pasta and split the salad afterwards. Sometimes we would finish with a dessert.

good observations regarding portion size. -- maybe that accounts for some of the confusion regarding the word 'entree' because 'merican starters are the size of southern European main courses!

(these jokes can't all be winners)

At very high end places, sharing may be discouraged.
Otherwise, I take the view that if it's on the menu, I'm eating it, I'm paying for it and I'll have what I want!

Looks like I hit a hot button.........thanks for the feedback

I like to put it this way, if you go into a restaurant sit at a table, and all you order for a couple is one plate of pasta, then you will get at the least a look of disbelief, to a request that you must order more food.

On the other hand, no one is expecting that each of you will order an antipasti, a Primi, and a Secondi, with dessert to boot.

My wife and I always order water and wine, an antipasti to share (usually) then each order either a primi or secondi, sharing, unless I get meat. Neither of us are huge eaters, the amounts are filling, but not over so. Do not expect tiny portions (except at higher end restaurants). The best way to share is to just have them bring the plates to the table, you handle the sharing. Having them "split" the entree on separate plates is really not done, more common would be ordering a Mezza Porzione, or half portion, but that usually only applies to pastas, and many might order that if they are having a Secondi of meat or fish as well.

The only things we've ever split in Italy at sit-down restaurants have been pizzas, appetizers - like arancini or bruschetta - or a dessert before/after an additional course for each of us. As some posters mentioned above, I wouldn't personally order nothing at all but a single pasta (primi) or protein (secondi) course and expect to split it amongst two. You might be able to get away with that at a tavola calda, bar or osteria though (as also suggested above).

We are not big eaters so we manage our intake by filling up at breakfast (usually been included in the tariff at our hotels), skipping lunch or having a power bar or similar from a market, and then eating an early dinner. We're usually pretty hungry by that point; a typical evening meal is usually a shared appetizer and a pasta dish apiece. Sometimes we'll trade the appetizer for a salad each. Some travelers do it the other way: good breakfast, sit-down lunch, and very light dinner, such as maybe a shared sandwich in a bar - which usually provide coffee and alcoholic/non alcoholic drinks - or a paninoteca.

I know that skipping lunch isn't everyone's cuppa tea but in addition to saving the calories, it saves sightseeing time during hours the hours most attractions are open. Shoot, some of the larger attractions have cafes or cafeterias for grabbing quick bites in smaller portions, too.

All of that said, this girl has been known to call 2 scoops of gelato "dinner" without an ounce of shame. :O)

Ask if you can order "mezza" porzione (spelling??) of any dish, especially pasta.

That will get you a half portion and this is not only done by tourists. It's very common in all Italian restaurants. Sometimes they will allow this and sometimes not; it depends in ifs the chef can make a small serving.

We eat in many restaurants that are not patronized by many tourists..everyone does this, not only clueless tourists.
A good restaurant will not care how much you order, within reason.

We often have 2 antipasti, 2 half-orders of pasta, and 2 half orders of second course. Sometimes even less than that.

The courses on Italian menus usually appear like this:

Antipasti. (sometimes a selection of antipasti misti are offered..)

Primi (pasta,, rice, etc)

Secondi (meat or fish--often priced per kilo, or per 100 grams)

Dolci (dessert)

Jean - Italian pizza is so wonderful, my husband and I always ate one each!

Kate, two scoops of gelato is only a snack-you need more scoops if you want it to be a complete meal LOL