Solo dining in Milan, Verona, Venice

I should have specified, especially considering the time in Venice... I don't eat seafood. I'm one of those weirdos who can't even smell it without dry heaving. Sorry to have left that out, but I will pass the Rome info on to my fish loving friend! :)

Stacy, although I am not a woman, I have dined alone a lot when traveling solo in Italy. I can't imagine you would have problems eating alone in any of those cities, at least if being welcomed, treated well or safe is what you are concerned about. I have found it can sometimes feel lonely sitting down to eat alone, you can't share dishes and thus try more foods, and lighting does not always allow reading if you want to do that during your meal. At busy places and times, you might find it difficult to make a reservation for one, or get a table for one. I think in any of those cities, you would find plenty of non-seafood or fish dishes. Avoiding even the smell of fresh fish or fish cooking might be more of a challenge in Venice. There are so many restaurants in all those many cities, so I'll leave the must-visit recs to others.

Thank you, Larry. You tap into my general concern, which is the feeling of loneliness one can have while dining out alone in an unfamiliar place. I can definitely get beyond that and just enjoy the meal (and the fact that I'm in Europe to being with), but I'm hoping that a few people can come through with restaurant recommendations that are less 'family style,' I guess. It definitely wouldn't bother me for just a night or two, but I'd like to arrive prepared since it'll be a bit longer. Either way, it's definitely a champagne problem. :)

I don't know any restaurants but I have spent 3 weeks in Rome ( a year ago) and 3 weeks in Florence this past summer by myself. I was wondering how I would handle this since I am usually with my husband or our daughters. I found that I felt comfortable in all the restaurants. For me it was my perception that was the problem.

Another thought Stacy, based on my experience with meals on my own (or not on my own) in Italy. Seems to me you have two basic choices: (1) have a restaurant rec you are excited about, and then plan around that, meaning make a reservation in advance, plan how you will get there by walking, public transit, or taxi, etc. (2) just choose a place near where you are located before lunch or dinner, be that a site you have just visited, a neighborhood you are strolling around, or your lodging; at that place, find an attractive restaurant to stop by and see if there is a table available. To choose, you might depend on someone nearby (your inn or a museum staff person, tour guide, local merchant or vendor -- more likely an Italian vendor than a Bangladeshi or Senegalese!), or the look and menu of a place you pass by, maybe informed by TripAdvisor or other reviews if you have access to the web at that spot. My experience is that when you are out and about in Rome, Venice, Milano, even Verona, being in one area and having a restaurant recommendation in another area or sometimes with just a street address in some unknown area, can lead to a frustrating search to find it and then learn that it is fully reserved or even closed. That scenario is somewhat more viable in a small town where everything is closer, but even then I have sometimes wasted time and energy trying to find a place that was, when found, not available for dinner at that time.

I always ask for recommendations at the hotel desk - whether I'm dining solo, or with travel companions. I have rec'd excellent recommendations in all of these places.
Unfortunately I don't have specific info and names of places for you at this point.

I travel alone for months at a time. Breakfast is easy, either at a hotel or B&B where you'll have a chance to meet others, or alone at your apartment. If you get breakfast out at a cafe. it will likely be quick.

Just follow your nose or get a recommendation from your hotel or apartment owner.

Laurel in Rome has lots of recommendations, PM her if she doesn't show up here.

I just got back from Venice and Lake Como. I am a solo traveler and have never felt uncomfortable eating alone. There are so many tourists in Venice that if you don't want to eat alone, I am sure you can find other travelers to eat with.
My recommendation for Venice dinner would be Restaurant Antica Sacrestia. This is a RS recommendation and I fully endorse his pick. A bit pricey but worth it. I did find Venice food to be over-salted wherever I ate. Otherwise, I just wandered until I found a place I liked for either location or food selection. I stayed in the San Marco area so concentrated my time there. I also did not want to be wandering the streets alone after 10PM so I ate in the general area of San Marco. I avoided the places on the lagoon. Don't worry about the not eating seafood issue. Most of the places I visited had a good selection of meat and pasta. Expect to pay more than you think you will, everything and every place was pricey.

Not a meal but in Milan go for drinks in the canal district one night. Some nice places there on the canal.

Florence lunch - Il Frantellini

Rome Dinner - Taverna Trilussa

Not certain about the cities you mentioned, but I have enjoyed having a nice lunch at the museums in cities I visited as a good option . You could also find a dinner tour or wine tour for one evening - that's a nice way to be with other people.

Oh yes, one evening in Venice I took Alessandro Schezzini's Cicchetti walking tour. Nice time learning about Venice, 3 or 4 great stops for plenty of food and wine. Many people on this forum have given it great reviews. He is recommended in the RS books, or you can just Google his name.

Museums are a great suggestion (do not eat the so-called pizza at the Vatican Museums cafeteria). Triluzzo requires a reservation, I think you can do that online.

Here is a second for Alessandro Schezzini's Cicchetti walking tour. I took that with him last September and loved it. It started at 6 and we also took his Venice Back Lanes tour at 4pm. That was good too, we got to see parts of venice i might not have found. I'd recomend both with Alessandro.

Yes, that's a great attitude to have, Larry - and since this is my first time in Venice, I anticipate getting lost over and over. So heading out with an open attitude may be the best way to go, most days.

I do think I'll make a point to try and find Restaurant Antica Sacrestia. Thanks, cbrochu. The prices in Venice are a bit high, but I'd rather splurge on one or two great meals, and cook the rest in the apartment, then get mediocre tourist food 3x a day.

Wow, Robert - Il Frantellini looks great! I wish I had that goat cheese sandwich in front of me right now. Thanks for the recommendations - they are on our list.

Yes, museums are a good idea. One of the best lunches I had in Dublin was at the history museum. And the walking tours look great - I love those. Thanks, everyone!

Here are my tips for finding a good restaurant in Italy:
1. Avoid the ones that have someone outside trying to lure customers in. The good restaurants don’t have to do that.
2. We’ve found that restaurant recommendations from a hotel are NOT to be trusted, esp. the larger hotels. Too often, there seems to be an arrangement with the restaurant to get a kickback for any customers sent to them by the hotel.
3. The places that aren’t right on the tourist thoroughfares tend to be better than the ones right on the popular piazzas, but that’s not a guarantee. A few restaurants are tourist traps and make money off scamming their customers. Those are almost all right in the busiest spots since they don’t have to worry about establishing repeat customers. Eat there at your own risk. In general, it’s much more profitable to go down one of the side streets away from the crowds.
4. Always try to order one of the daily specials, if they have one. The specials are made from whatever was fresh at the market that day.
5. The shorter the menu, the better the food. Avoid restaurants that have page after page of items. There’s no way that they know how to prepare that much food well.

As for reading a book in a dimly lit restaurant, that's why I have a Kindle Paperwhite - an ebook reader that has its own lit up screen that can be adjusted as to brightness.

I've never dined solo in Italia, in the US yes, where the demarcation is clear and upheld, but Not in Italia, where we are all thrown in together.

Couples are in the same situation I'm in. Tonight I was at the great Za' Za' near the San Lorenzo Market when a waiter informed a young couple they would be seated at a big table that would fill up with other customers. This time I was seated at a small table by the door.

But when I was at Mario next door, I got seated with a young husband and wife from Texas and a gal from China, studying in Firenze. It's understood that the table belongs to everybody.

Yesterday at del Fagioli near Piazza Santa Croce, I got seated at the end of a large table that filled up with other customers. A couple from Florida kept me company.

The day before at Giglio Rosso I sat at a small table, now there I was more alone but it was understood that another single customer would take the other chair as needed.

At I' Brincello on Via Nazionale, they seat their single customers at small tables on a small raised platform on the left side. If they need the space, all seats are taken.

It's just understood that way, so much easier to dine solo in Italia. I just blend in, so no one knows I'm solo. I love it here.

Good point about the likelihood of communal dining, Sandra. And thanks for the specific restaurant names - I've added them to our list for Florence.

I used to spend time reading on Chowhound.com and reading travel books--anticipating meals at great, great restaurants. But when I get to great cities, I find the great restaurants to have unappetizing menus--or ridiculous prices. We're happy asking our hotel's desk clerk where to eat, or just winging it.

My wife and I are happy eating at Leonardo's cafeteria in Florence, breakfast in McDonalds and eating Chinese across from our hotel. In Rome, we had our B&B host cooking for us. At an agriturismo in Tuscany, we cooked our own meals for breakfast and dinner. We were eating street pizza at lunch.

Food's just not that important to us any longer.

Avoid Trattoria Mario. People go there 'cause it's like Cheers where everybody knows your name but crazier. Food is lousy, chicken overdone and dry, steak chewy, and the lamb feels like eating straw. So the Customers order tripe. The gal from China gave me a taste and it felt like chewing fat globules. But the young couple from Texas liked their pork chop. That's the only good report I heard. The Fettucine has an awful sauce. I heard that on Friday Mario has fresh seafood.

Add IL Giove to my list, on corner of Borgo La Croce and Via Mattonaia, Firenze.

Yes, yes, yes to Leonardo's self-service in Florence -- we ate there several times for the good food and prices plus the friendly owner.

On our first trip to Italy we found Tre Arches restaurant on the Cannareggio Canal. We each ate a pizza that was prepared exactly to our wants. We have eaten there on each subsequent trip to Venice and have enjoyed it. On the first trip (November) we sat inside and after that in warmer seasons we have sat by the canal. They do serve pastas and meats and fish, but since we liked the pizzas so much we have always stuck with that. A white pizza with chicken, artichoke hearts and capers makes me happy! As a single person I think you would feel totally comfortable in this setting, at least I would.
Have a great trip,
Mimi

Thanks again Sandra, Laura, and Mimi.

Mimi - I will definitely add Tre Arches to my list for Venice! It looks wonderful. I assume (but perhaps I shouldn't) that there will be no outside seating while I'm there ( I'm also from CO, and my tolerance for cold is very high). Even inside I'm sure it'll be a great option.

I was inspired last summer in Tropea. A restaurant sith great views from its terrace dining room had a "Reserved" sign on the central table. My friends and I were wondering who would occupy the prime spot, and congratulating them in absentia on having the foresight to reserve the table. About 9pm our curiosity was satisfied: a single woman was seated at the table and had a lovely multi-course meal, with attentive but not rushed service.

Go for it!