Tips?

Tipping is generally expected but at a much lower level - perhaps 10%. And, of course, it depends on the situation and if the tip is earned.

Italy is not a tipping culture; most workers in restaurants are paid a living wage not dependent on tips. You can search the topic above for other threads, here's one:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/tipping-in-italy-e8b40908-d1b3-40eb-acf4-ff1617d449d0

In Europe, waiters and waitresses are paid well and don't rely so much on receiving tips, which is why it's not that big of a deal to tip to Europe. I have personally always tipped while traveling to Italy because I have always received excellent service! In general, I would try and tip between 5-10% or 1-2 euros per person.

Refer to these article about tipping in Europe.
http://europeupclose.com/article/tipping-in-europe/

http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2014/08/23/what-to-tip-in-europe/14447597/

Wait staff don't really earn a living wage unless you think that 1000-1200 euro net a month is a living wage in places like Venice where rent is very high. I tip in cash about 10% unless the service is bad, then I don't tip at all.

Helpful links:
https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/money/tipping-in-europe
http://katieparla.com/tips-for-tipping-in-italy/

Sorry, I don't understand any of this "tipping" thing. If I go into a restaurant for a meal, or anywhere else for that matter, I am used to seeing a fixed price quote. If it says xxx in the window, that is what I expect to pay as a total price; raw materials, cooking, preparation of the table, serving, rent for the room, heating, tax, cleaning, everything. If it says xxx on the menu in the window, or on a hotel website, or on a price label in a shop, or on a written quote a plumber gives me this is what I pay. Any attempt to get me to pay more after the event is extortion. If any of the many employees are not receiving an adequate wage, that is between them and their employer, not me.

Ahhh Chris - yes, it should be so. But in the USA we have a barbaric system where employers are only required to pay waitstaff an impoverished wage and the burden of the remaining "livable wage" is placed on the consumer. It's known as tipping and is generally a really really bad way to try to make a living. It's the total opposite of Switzerland, unfortunately!

Exactly, Tim. It's not "extortion" but simply the way it is. Tax is also not added into the displayed cost of many good and services in the U.S. - so it's extra - and varies by state/city.

It's sort of like paying extra to have your coffee sitting at a table in Italy versus standing up at the bar: a cultural difference.

You do not need to tip for anything in Italy whether they "expect" it or not. Italy does not have a tipping culture. You can round up your bill to the nearest euro but you don't need to tip a percentage or at all for that matter. Just pay what the food costs and be on your way.

Donna

Tipping isn't expected at all, 10% is ridiculous and Italians do not tip.
If wages are low, they are low for everybody not only waiters. You should tip the hostess on your flight, the taxi driver, the one that sells train tickets at the counter and so on.

Tipping in a non tipping culture makes things easier for tax cheaters and those who prefer to get paid/to pay waiters under the table.

I'm Italian and to me the idea of adding a 10% to the bill is simply ridiculous.

Katieparla's blog is so full of mistakes about everything she writes about, that I wouldn't trust her even if she wrote that Rome is south of Milan. The "tipping for coffee" habit, for instance, is a Roman thing that in other cities would be considered odd if not blatantly rude in a queue at the counter. Nevertheless Parla writes about it as if it was normal all over the country. Those who tip leave one or two euro per table and not per person! They just round up the bill, that's all.

A professional waiter in Italy earns 1300€ to 1500€ net a month on average. Italian workers also receive 13 months' pay by law (not 12), and some categories, also 14 months'.

That may seem little to JustTravel, however one has to compare it with the prevailing wages in Italy, not with the prevailing wages in London.

1300€-1500€ a month (net) is approximately the same salary as a city bus driver in Rome or Florence, and considerably more than a sales assistant or cashier in a supermarket or store (who earn on average 1000 to 1200 a month net).

So if earning a waiter's salary of 1500€ is reason enough for you to leave a 10% tip, I think you should also do the same when you buy something at a store or before you get off the bus on the way to the museum. By the way the Director of the Uffizi gallery in Florence gets paid only 1,890€ net a month (and he's the director) so make sure you leave a fat tip to the museum workers who punches your ticket before you get in.

Taxi drivers in Italy are all entrepreneurs and owners of the taxi and in major cities they earn close to 8,000-10.000 euro a month (maybe half that net after they repay the expenses, such as the bank loan to acquire the taxi license). They are also shielded from Uber, which is illegal in Italy except for the Uber Black (Limo) service. Therefore maybe you shouldn't leave a tip to them (I certainly don't).

In the opening sequence of Michael Moore's new film (which is largely about benefits provided to citizens in European countries) he talks with an Italian couple, he a cop and she a clothing designer or related to that industry. They go on and on about their vacation time allotment each year-substantial-and other great aspects of life in Italy. He then talks to the chief of Ducati, and a clothing mfgr, who are all pleased to offer lots of vacation time and happy to explain why it's good for everyone involved. I'm not suggesting it's that way for everyone, or that I know much more about it than just that, but I think it is safe to say that as in many European countries, lots of things are taken care of, such as a large part of medical expenses, probably through high income taxes. The "net" income numbers cited by Roberto make more sense in this context.

Chris F, you are right but you have hit one of the many "third rail" topics in travel. The US service sector runs largely (almost entirely) on tips. Waiters are paid almost nothing because it's assumed (by their employers and also the tax authorities) that they will be "tipped up" to about $7/hour. You see tip jars everywhere. People figure hey why not ask, someone will put something in there.

So when you're in the states, just assume you should tip everyone. Including hotel staff, people!

Dave is correct. The cost of living is lower in Italy than, for example, in California.
The average rent for an apartment in Tuscany for example is under 10€/sq.mt per month. Since there are approx. 10.5 sq.ft. in a sq.mt. that means that a 2 bdrm - 900 sqmt apt will rent for under 850 €/a month (maybe about 1,000€ in Florence). For the same apartment in Silicon Valley you need way more than $3000.
Food is less than the US as well (especially wine).
Child care, which is heavily subsidized, costs €50 to €500 a month max (depending on income).
Medical care is virtually free compared to what we pay in the US for insurance premiums and copays, even for the highest income brackets which pay higher copays for medicines.
University tuition is not free and varies with income, but is not over 4000€ even for the top income bracket, and can be as low as zero.
Elderly care will cost you about 1000€/month+living expenses for a 24hr live in care giver or under €3000 for a staffed senior living facility. Government contributes about 50% on average. That is a fraction of what the same costs on this side of the pond.
But yes. Gasoline will cost you more (that's why Italians rarely live farther than 10 miles from their jobs and drive smaller cars.

If you'll pardon a little off-topic chatter, here's about twenty New York City restaurants which no longer accept tips, including the well known Momofuku, it is catching on a bit here in the states:

http://www.grubstreet.com/2015/12/all-nyc-restaurants-no-tipping.html