Italy from the Inside

Ordering food at Italian restaurants

Italian restaurant- Italy from The Inside

A restaurant on the streets of Lucca in Tuscany

In Italian restaurants, usually the order is made in two phases: the first one includes the choice of the antipasto, primo, and secondo (with a side dish). Then, once you are done eating, the waiter will come back and ask if you wish to have a dessert, coffee or liquor.

{This is an excerpt from chapter 3 “Italian cuisine and food establishments” of the eBook “Italy from the Inside. A native Italian reveals the secrets of traveling in Italy”. Buy our eBook on Amazon and leave us a review! If it’s good, you’ll make us happy, if it’s bad, you’ll make us improve. Thank you either way!}

Why Italians don’t like to put ice cubes in their drinks


No ice in Italy- Italy from the Inside

Chilled cokes (and water) with no ice

If you order a soda or water (acqua) don’t expect the drink to be served with ice (ghiaccio), unless you are in highly touristic areas such as downtown Florence. Although drinks (bibite) are served cold (fredde), ice is not common at all, you’ll need to specify it at the time of the order. Italians think that ice corrupts the original taste of the drink. So, if you order a coke, for example, you’ll get in one of the two versions above.

{This is an excerpt from chapter 3 “Italian cuisine and food establishments” of the eBook “Italy from the Inside. A native Italian reveals the secrets of traveling in Italy”. Buy our eBook on Amazon and leave us a review! If it’s good, you’ll make us happy, if it’s bad, you’ll make us improve. Thank you either way!}

This is what makes Italian gelato even more delicious

Whipping cream machine- Italy from the Inside

In Italy, every gelateria has either a machine to make whipping cream (panna) or cream already whipped and displayed like regular gelato in the big containers. You can order a cup or a cone of your favorite ice cream and then add some whipping cream on top. You can also ask for some syrup (chocolate, cherry, crème caramel, etc.) to be added on top of your amazing “gelato con panna” (ice cream with whipping cream).

Gelato with whipping cream- Italy from the Inside

In my hometown, Trieste, this is called berlina and it has whipping cream on the bottom, gelato in the middle, more whipping cream, and finally syrup on top.

{This is an excerpt from chapter 4 “Gelaterie and coffeehouses” of the eBook “Italy from the Inside. A native Italian reveals the secrets of traveling in Italy”. Buy our eBook on Amazon and leave us a review! If it’s good, you’ll make us happy, if it’s bad, you’ll make us improve. Thank you either way!}