FOOD BUDGET

Rule of thumb: the farther you eat from tourist areas, the more reasonable the prices become. For example, we always seem to eat dinner in the Tastevere(sp?)area and especially for gelato(important part of the food budget if going to Italy). Lunch is light, and dinner for two with wine runs about 35 Euros. DK's top 10 Rome has lists of restaurants by price level. what can sneak up on you is the bread, olives, the bottled water that the staff rush to bring when you sit down--it's not free, and always over-priced. Bottom line is we snack during the day, and have a nice dinner, and we run about 50Euros for two a day in the cities, and about 40 in the country.

Thank you--I was thinking about 100E a day for four would be a rough estimate.

I think you can do well on 100 Euro a day for four. It is better to overestimate, and to be honest, the food in Italy is as much a part of the experience as the art and the ruins. Figure on one large meal a day (it can be the main meal eaten at 13:00 to 15:00 or in the evening) and then do pizza or sandwiches for the other. With 100 Euro, you will have plenty left over for gelato.

Thank you, Paul! I think we will order some of Rick Steve's picnic utensils, go to markets for food, and save on lunches to help spread the budget a little further!

Just be careful where you decide to have that picnic. Read an article recently that Italy was starting to crack down some on picnics at tourist sites.

My husband and I generally eat our main meal of the day at a restaurant at lunch time, and then have dinner picnic-style in the room in the evening. Bear in mind, though, that everything is sold separately. A pasta dish, for example, might be 8 Euro. but if you want salad, that would be an extra 5. I like to eat a lot of veggies, and found it to be pricey because of the separate costs.

On the other hand, if you are in Rome, look up Insalata Ricca. I believe I first read of this in Rick Steve's book on Rome, about 5 years ago. This place is great--there is something like 27 big salads to choose from and each one is a meal, trust me. I think we had bread, too, and it might have been a bit extra. But the salads were quite reasonable, and the place is a chain, so there are several locations. We ate at the one in Trastevere.

Cheryl

Great advice so far.

As in the states, even moreso in Rome, the cost of beverages with your meal are a potentially costly dark horse.

Soft drinks can be very expensive, often more expensive than the house wine.

Likewise, if you order water, be spefic. If you want free tapwater you will need to be specific. If you simply order "acqua" for water you will likely get bottled water at 2-3 Euro each. (For pronunciation help, or more phrases, get Rick's Italy Phrasebook -- it's invaluable.)

I’d like… Vorrei… .

…tap water …acqua del rubinetto.

…sparkling water …acqua minerale gassata.

…bottled water, no gas …acqua minerale non gassata.

100 Euro a day for 4 with me involved would be cutting it close -- but I like to have my big meal in the evening which does, as another poster said, really drive up the cost.

I approach it as provided/cheap breakfast, picnic/sandwiches/pizza/e.g. "cheap" for lunch, nice sit-down for dinner -- and if I were doing it today, with my family of five (kids 9, 6, 5) I'd budget 110 to 115 Euro a day, so 100 a day in your situation is workable.

One further way to trim, maybe. Is breakfast really free, or is it an option in total room price? We find that when it's an option, it's not a good deal, and opt out. There's a bakery or place to buy coffe around every corner.