Interesting article about travel in Italy......

Eur 13-US$12 for a pasta dish is a common price, but it looks lunar to an Italian. A package of pasta and a can of ready sauce at the supermarket will feed 4 persons for eur 5, and frankly cooking a pasta is not rocket science; all it takes is a couple of tries. That is why I prefer, when possible, renting an apartment with a kitchen to going twice a day to restaurants; it is also lighter on your stomach. But most Italians are taught how to cook since we are teens....

We noticed on our visit this spring that the price spread in restaurants in Liguria/Lunigiana/Versilia area had increased significantly compared to previous visits, and it wasn't especially related to quality or location. We enjoyed pasta at the best restaurant of the trip at 8 Euro in a rural town, and saw prices of 18 Euro for similar firsts at a few places closer to the coast. It seemed also that wine prices had increased, but it's hard to sustain the analysis once the bottle is opened.

From the article:

While Europeans, particularly French and Germans, make up the largest
group of foreign visitors, Americans do something their European
brethren don’t: They tip really well.

“We love Americans,” one waiter in Modena said to me after I left him
a 10% tip for exceptional service.

I wonder if waiters get disappointed when someone other than an American is assigned to their section?

The average salary in Italy is over €30.000 (gross) a year. The figure of €20.000 given in the article refers to the net after taxes and benefit contributions. They are low still, by American standards, but it is hard to compare since the cost of living is vastly different. The average two bedroom apartment rent in Florence is about €1100-1200 (outside the historical center which costs more). You need 2 or 3 times that amount in major cities of the West Coast. When my mother was alive the 24hr caregiver cost us under €1300 a month including payroll taxes (plus food). The nursing home was €56 a day, therefore under €1700 a month. I work in healthcare and a Skilled Nursing Facility in the Bay Area costs over $11,000 a month in the Bay Area. University costs at least $10,000 a year in a State institution in the US, in Italy it’s based on family income, but even the richest don’t pay more than €3500 a year. Child day care costs on average €500 per child (Milan at over €600 is the most expensive). In San Francisco you need over $1,800 a month. So one has to consider all living costs, not just a plate of pasta at the restaurant.