I’ve lived in Italy Since 16 years ago, I have been writing about Italy. I’ve observed the surge in travelers, their descent to pandemic-like lows and their rebound to 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. It’s the tipping at restaurants.
Italy is a country that practices tipping, especially at sit-down restaurants. It is outdated to say that Italy experts, travel guides, and influencers are ignorant.
In Italy, tipping is not as generous as it might be in the U.S. Here are some tips that will help ensure you leave a generous tip. bella figura (a good first impression) and a little diplomacy on the international level.
Here are a couple of tips for how much you should tip in a restaurant:
- Service charge per person, also known as Coperta You can also find out more about pane e coperta The final bill almost always includes a tip. This is why tips in Italy can be lower.
- You can leave a small tip for most meals. 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.
- You won’t be able to add the tip if you use a credit card. You can leave cash and ensure it reaches your server.
- Do not tip for poor service.
Tipping your server in Italy is an act that shows kindness, generosity and appreciation. Because we tip less in Italy, a few extra euros to thank your server for good service will not break your budget. Il Bel Paese—and we can always use more of those.
