tipping

One word - don't

Read RS travel tips about tipping in Europe. Or you can do a search on here about tipping in particular places as there have been lots of threads on the subject.

Tipping is not common or encouraged for most things in the places you are visiting. This includes restaurants, where waiters earn a living wage and benefits and do not depend on tips for wages the way it's done in North America.

A tip for a tour guide is fine, probably about 10%.

Some people, even locals, will round up to the nearest euro just to avoid junk change in their pockets.

What Chris said.
Brad

You will already have a “coperto” (service charge) added to your bill- and they make good wages (unlike servers in the USA), so do not tip it is not expected or necessary!

Happy Travels✨💫

Everywhere I have been in Italy- Milan, Rome, Stresa, Verona, Venice, Sicily, Mottorone, had coperto or a service charge listed on the bill

You will already have a “coperto” (service charge) added to your bill-

Demi, "coperto" isn't added everywhere in Italy, such as in the Lazio region. It's also different than a servizio (service charge) fee. If either will be part of the bill, both are supposed to be listed on the menu, although it may be noted in very small type. Otherwise, no, extra $ above the food bill is expected in Italy, although rounding up to the nearest couple of euros is OK.

And here we go again. (^_^)

do what you like,otherwise you will be so overwhelmed with guilt if you don't tip that you won't enjoy your holiday.
generally tipping is not a huge thing in Europe, round things up or maybe a max of 10% in a restaurant, round up in taxis and really there is no need to tip all and sundry. Please Please Please don't leave tips on tables or bars ,it is just not done if you want to tip hand the money to the person you are tipping.

Think of it this way. It's how I got over feeling wrong when not leaving a tip in Italy. Giving some one a tip is sort of like saying that he or she might not have done as good of a job without a bit extra money from you. It's like saying the person is not a professional or doesn't get paid well enough.

So, when you are not in America, this well-meant and habitual gesture is likely to have the opposite effect to what you intend. Like as if you'd tried to tip your doctor.

(Tourist restaurant servers have come to expect tips, however.)

We tipped the entire time in Italy and no one said no thank you... We just tipped a little less than we normally would in the states. I felt too weird not tipping and so it made me feel better.

My experience was that in Florence, Venice, and Rome, servers figured out that we were American. Even though the menus said a service charge was already added - or we knew that tipping wasn't necessary, EVERY server asked how much he (they were all "he") should add to the bill for a tip. Unless the service was phenomenal, and usually it was - ahem - serviceable, we just signed and left.

Don't do it in Italy, as a general rule. I don't know about the other locations.
It feels weird at first but you get used to it after a while. Then you might get home and resent having to do it.

In order to avoid having tons of change pile up, we often left the small change (under 1 Euro) for meals and bar stops.
If someone goes out of their way, above and beyond normal good service, I would tip, especially for handling luggage and such.

The problem is so many North American tourists don't follow the Don't Tip advise and have messed things up.
Many places that are servicing only tourists expect to be tipped now.
Most servers would gladly take home some extra money and not sure they will be offended just think you are a dumb American who doesn't know better.

If for no other reason, don't tip cause you screw things up for the next tourist when you do.
If someone goes way beyond expectations and does something for you, then giving them some cash in exchange I think is different than the automatic tipping we are used to.

Isn't the coperto a cover charge, that goes to the establishment, not a tip for the waitress who served you?

Yes nick, you are right and jaimeelsabio is wrong.
There is no reason, in a system based on monthly wages, to think that the cover charge goes to waiters. It would be like thinking that the "administrative costs" on your lawyer's bill go to his/her secretary. Strange in both cases.

If you want to give money to an Italian waiter you must put them in his/her hands.

Do like the Italians do, and you will never feel guilty about not tipping.

When you are done eating, just get up from your table, walk to the cash register, ask for the bill of your table, and pay the person at the register (usually the restaurant owner). If you pay with a credit card, the credit card slip won’t even have a line for the tip. Once you have paid, walk away. You won’t even see the server who served you at your table.

That’s how Italians pay. I never wait for the server to bring me the bill to the table. I get up and pay at the register. All my friends and relatives in Italy do the same.

As Roberto stated in his post, "Do what the Italians do."

Don't ruin a good thing and tip when the locals don't and the servers don't expect it. Rounding up the bill is OK.

Feel bad about not tipping?

Please read this article on the WaPo:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/02/18/i-dare-you-to-read-this-and-still-feel-ok-about-tipping-in-the-united-states/?utm_term=.ae58110292a1