Eating Alone in Italy

Answering only your last question: You don't have to speak Italian well to order a meal (it's not like Paris in that regard). However, it's nice to try, and in restaurants and elsewhere knowing the basic "politeness" or "survival" phrases is good. Many guidebooks, including Rick's, have these phrases.

I had no problem eating at any kind of Italian restaurant in all three of those cities alone. No one denied me a table of shoved me to the back or hatever. Everyone was nice to me and I was almost always able to chat with people at surrounding tables. English menus are not common, so I suggest you carry a small phrasebook or learn some key terms in Italian. Same for the waitstaff. by the time I'd been in Italy a few days I was able to communicate with a restaurant host in a restaurant in Florence completely in Italian and i'd never spoken Italian in my life before i set foot in Italy. You'll be fine. :)

I've been served by many waiters/waitresses (and shopkeepers) who did not speak any English at all, but I sought those places out. That may not happen to you depending on your trip.

I agree that you should bring a menu guide that's small enough to slip in your pocket and casually use in the restaurant.

I have found that one advantage of "looking like an American" is that servers will often present you with an English menu without being asked. Just speaking a word or two of English will be enough to tip them off but I had one memorable experience of walking into a restaurant, holding up a thumb to indicate that I was alone and having the server give me the English menu without my having said a word. I tried to get her to tell me how I spoke English but she did not understand enough English to answer.

Kent mentions "knowing the basic "politeness" or "survival" phrases is good. Many guidebooks, including Rick's, have these phrases."

In addition to these phrases, as Linda mentions, a menu guide may be really useful to you. Rather than just presenting basic phrases for politeness and survival, the menu guides are specifically written to help you decipher the Italian menu and place your order.

I carry Rick Steves' little Italian Phrase Book & Dictionary, which has all the survival and politeness phrases plus a healthy Menu Decoder section.

As Rick often mentions, avoid the places where they have photos of their meals so tourists can just point at the one they one. Places that cater to tourists often offer disappointing meals at high prices.

Mark,

I've never had any problem "eating alone" in restaurants in Italy. In most cases, the Servers are able to function to some extent in English and I can function to some extent in Italian, so I get by nicely.

In addition to a "Menu Decoder" you should also be aware of the structure of meals in Italy with Antipasti, Primi and Secondi. If you order a complete meal along with of course the "required" Vino, it gets expensive very quickly. Also, if you order a Salad, don't expect to be offered any of the usual dressings. From what I've seen (so far), your only choice will be oil & vinegar.

So, to answer your questions:

I've never felt that restaurant staff "responded" to me differently, or were "put off" because I was eating alone. Therefore, avoiding this shouldn't be a problem.

I can't recall any instances where I found English Menus at a "non tourist-trap" restaurant (it wouldn't make much sense to have an English Menu at a restaurant only patronized by Italians). Some restaurants cater to both tourists and locals, but I don't think there's any "universal rule".

As the others have suggested, using one of Rick's Italian Phrase Books and learning a few of the basic words and phrases would be a good idea. The Servers will probably respond to you in English though (depending on their ability of course). Many of the Servers I've encountered seem to want to practise their English.

Happy travels!

Hi Mark,
It is no problem to eat alone in Italy. I've done it many times. May is a great time to be in Italy as you will find many opportunities to eat outside. Italy is a fabulous place to eat, even when you are alone.

A couple of tips:

-I like carrying a pocket Italian dictionary to look up words that I don't recognize.

-Learn a few of the basic Italian "food" words for foods that you like and this will go a long way (e.g. pomodoro = tomato, insalata = salad, etc.) Most Italy tour guide books will have the common food words.

-Now the important stuff ... wine. House wine is usually sold by the 1/4 litre (quarto), 1/2 litre (mezzo), or litre (litro). Un quarto is about 2 glasses. The house wine is usually quite good and very cheap. Vino rosso is red and vino bianco is white.

-When you want the bill, you have to ask. The waiters will leave you alone until you ask. To get the bill ask "il conto, per favore".

Have a great trip!

You'll be fine dining yourself in Italy. I traveled solo a year ago in Italy without problems. A simple phrase book will do you a lot of good, and since the menu in many places is determined by what is in season, you'll see the same phrases over and over (I traveled in the fall, so I say - and enjoyed - many items with mushrooms - funghi in Italian). Smaller places may seat you with another single traveler at a table, a great way to meet people from all over the world. And I was very proud of my "Italian learned over the headphones," but invariably when I start to try to order in Italian, I'd get a reply in English - in even some very humble places. So much for me fooling anyone!

Thanks all for the great advice! I have Rick Steves' Italy guide which I will be taking with me on my trip. I'll have to do some research on basic communication before I leave.

Mark, My husband & I quickly learned some of the key phrases that are important to us on menus. For me it was, vitello (veal) scaloppine (thin veal slices) carciofi (artichoke) spinaci(spinach), for him it was bistecca (beef steak) pollo (chicken). etc.
Take the RS Italian phrase book & dictionary and don't be afraid to pull it out and use it in a restaurant. The waiter will actually then help you with words & pronunciations because they know that you want to say it right. Also, Rick has inserted a few phrases that if you learn & use, will turn them into an instant friend! My husband told a restaurant owners wife that "It was better than my Mama's kitchen" when she asked how the dinner was. He got hugs & kisses from her and he will NEVER forget how to say that in Italian! We have marked phrases that we want to know & might forget & I have also marked some pages with paper clips. I agree with the poster who said avoid eating in a restaurant that has pictures of the food on the menu. Have a great time!

Thomas is right about sitting with another person while you eat. It is a great way to meet nationals and learn about their families and their country.

And about half the restaurants we have visited around the world will bring a menu in English if you ask. Don't assume because the natives eat there that there is no English menu.

Try also using the "Marling Menu Master" guide for Italy available in bookstores. It will help decipher the menus.