This Is the Most Outdated Piece of Italy Travel Advice, According to an Longtime Resident

I’ve lived in Italy for 16 years, and I’ve been writing about Italy for almost that long. I’ve watched as the numbers of travelers have surged, sunk to pandemic lows, and rebounded to nearly unsustainable levels. Through it all, I’ve seen a certain once-rare practice evolve to the point that it’s more the norm than not—even for Italians. And that’s tipping in restaurants.

Tipping, especially in sit-down restaurants, is now very much practiced in Italy. And travel guidebooks, influencers, and Italy “experts” who say otherwise are giving outdated advice, and, in my book, being kind of ignorant and mean-spirited.

But tipping a server in Italy doesn’t mean adding a hefty 20 percent or more to your tab, as you might do in the U.S. Here are some basics that will help you leave a decent tip, make a bella figura (a good impression), and forge a little international diplomacy. 

Here are a few pointers on how much to tip at restaurants:

• A per-person service charge, often listed as coperta or pane e coperta is almost always part of your final bill. Any tip you leave is in addition to this, which is part of the reason tips can be smaller in Italy.
• For all but the most expensive meals, leaving a tip of just a few euros is sufficient. You may just round up, say by leaving €20 for an €18 lunch tab.
• For larger parties and longer meals where you’ve occupied a table the entire night, a €10 or €20 tip will be greatly appreciated by your server.
• If you pay by credit card, you probably won’t have the option to add the tip to the card charge. Just leave cash, and make sure it gets into the hands of your server.
• If you’ve had bad, rushed or indifferent service, don’t feel obligated to tip.

In Italy, as elsewhere, tipping your server is an act of kindness, generosity, and appreciation. And because we tip less here, leaving a few extra euro in thanks for good service won’t make or break your vacation budget, and it’s an easy and fairly painless way to be a better guest when you visit the Il Bel Paese—and we can always use more of those.