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You’ve been on holiday in Italy the wrong way!
You’ve been drinking cappuccinos at the wrong time of day, eating “fake” Italian cuisine, and dining at tourist trap restaurants that the locals wouldn’t touch with a stick on the Venetian canal.
However, help is at hand, thanks to Ettore Bocchia, executive chef of Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni On Lake Como, Lorenzo Nigro, head chef of Bow restaurant in Battersea, and the ‘mammas’ of London La Mia Mamma Restaurantsa small chain where Italian mothers cook their regional dishes for diners.
Here they reveal what to do, what not to do and definitely what not to do when eating out in Italy.
The worst tourist mistake
Italian chefs spoke to MailOnline about the rules of eating out in Italy, from social faux pas to how to spot tourist trap trattorias. The ‘Mammas’ of La Mia Mamma restaurants in London, above, even pointed out that one dish on the menu should send you ‘running out of the door’
Lorenzo Nigro (left), head chef at Archway restaurant in Battersea, says that “tourists don’t always choose the right place to eat”, while Ettore Bocchia (right), executive chef at Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni, says that ordering a cappuccino at the wrong time is one of the biggest “faux pas”.
“Italians typically only drink cappuccino as a breakfast drink,” says Ettore, who notes that it’s a social mistake to expect the foamy beverage at other times of the day.
Drinking cappuccino at the wrong time
Invented in Italy in 1901, this frothy coffee is a classic around the world. But there is a right way to drink it. Ettore says: “One of the biggest mistakes is ordering a cappuccino after a meal or in the afternoon. Italians usually only drink cappuccino as a breakfast drink.”
Order spaghetti bolognese
It’s one of the most popular dishes in the world, but ordering it won’t get you many fans in Italy.
Ettore comments: ‘Tourists sometimes expect certain dishes, such as spaghetti bolognese or spaghetti with meatballs (on a menu) that are not usually found in authentic Italian cuisine. We simply do not eat this combination of foods. For bolognese sauce, we use other types of pasta, mainly egg-based dough, such as tortellini, ravioli, cannelloni, lasagne and pastas from the tagliatelle family.’
Lorenzo adds: ‘In Italy we eat spaghetti as a first course and then meatballs as a main course, but not together; it’s more of an Italian-American tradition.’
Eating spaghetti with the wrong cutlery and putting the wrong cheese on the carbonara
Italians “just don’t eat” spaghetti bolognese (above), says Ettore, instead eating bolognese with other types of pasta
It’s another favorite dish, but Italian moms warn that it’s easy for restaurants to get carbonara wrong. They say an authentic restaurant would serve carbonara with pecorino cheese instead of parmesan, and with guanciale (pork cheek) instead of pancetta (pork belly).
Moms add: “It goes without saying: no cream, chicken, mushrooms, etc.” And if you do order spaghetti, never eat it with a spoon, says Ettore.
Overdoing it with spices and dressings
Adventurous diners may proudly choose the most complex-sounding dish on the menu while on vacation, but it’s unlikely to be the most authentic choice.
Ettore says Italian chefs would never “add a lot of spices or seasonings to pasta or pizza.” He adds: “We value the natural flavour of the ingredients. So the simpler, the better.”
Moms say: ‘We love salads, but an authentic restaurant would use a good selection of vegetables, which won’t need too many dressings, creams and so on, because you don’t want to cover up a fresh, amazing quality tomato. Extra virgin olive oil and a little salt is more than enough. Less is more, always!’
Order a Caesar salad or a salad as an appetizer
Speaking of salads, neither Ettore nor the moms can order Caesar salad. Ettore adds that “for us, salad is just an accompaniment to the main dish” and never an appetizer.
Eating bread with olive oil and vinegar
Do you love to dip a piece of fresh bread in vinegar and oil before eating? That’s not the Italian way, say the moms. A traditional restaurant will welcome guests “with a basket of bread and grissini (breadsticks),” they explain.
Opting for garlic bread
It turns out garlic bread is not an authentic Italian creation.
Bad news if you love garlic bread. Ettore says many tourists “think dishes like garlic bread are authentic Italian creations, but they’re actually Italian-American creations.”
Moms say you’ll never find garlic bread served on a traditional menu.
Order Pepperoni Pizza
You should ‘run away’ if you see pepperoni pizza on a menu, moms say
It’s a favorite dish for many tourists, but if you see pepperoni pizza on the menu, you should “run away,” the moms say.
They say a traditional sausage pizza would be called ‘diavola’ and use a ‘mildly spicy salami’.
Eating fettuccine alfredo
So what’s the biggest faux pas of all?
If you order fettuccine Alfredo, you’re likely to get dirty looks from Italian diners.
Lorenzo says: ‘Before I moved to London I had never heard of this dish in Italy.’
If you order fettuccine Alfredo, you’re likely to get dirty looks from Italian diners. Lorenzo says: “Before I moved to London, I had never heard of this dish in Italy.”
Ettore adds that fettuccine Alfredo “would not be eaten by Italians,” who avoid “pasta dishes with heavy cream sauces.”
How to spot a tourist trap
Restaurants that are open all day
A restaurant that “caters to locals” will have a break between lunch and dinner, the moms say. If somewhere serves all hours, it’s probably for tourists.
Menus in multiple languages
It may be comforting to see English on the menu, but you could be falling into a tourist trap. Ettore says, “Avoid restaurants with menus in multiple languages or with photos of the dishes,” while moms warn to avoid restaurants with “multiple language translations.”
‘Opt for a place with a small menu rather than a large number of different recipes: quality over quantity’
Chefs at La Mia Mamma, London
Big menu
A huge menu of dishes is also a sign of a tourist trap. Moms say: “Go for a place with a small menu rather than a large number of different recipes – quality over quantity.”
Too many ingredients
Moms also recommend keeping food simple, warning: “If you use too many ingredients in a recipe, the dish will be less authentic. In Italy, we love to put an emphasis on high-quality ingredients.”
Waiter/Waitress Outside
If someone is trying to get you in, it’s probably a tourist trap.
Moms say: “Authentic restaurants don’t have ‘buttadentro’ (salespeople at the door) to convince tourists.” Lorenzo says any employee waiting outside trying to convince you to come in is a “big no-no.”
How to choose a restaurant
Lorenzo says: ‘Tourists don’t always choose the right place to eat, they follow trends or the place with the longest queue. The places with the best food are the most intimate and go unnoticed.’
Regional food is a good sign
Look for dishes that celebrate the region you’re in. Ettore says, “We as Italians would go to places that mentioned regional food.”
Lorenzo adds: ‘Always stick to what is locally sourced from the region and try as many dishes as you can.’
Choose a smaller place
Don’t be fooled by TikTok and Instagram recommendations. Lorenzo says: “Tourists don’t always choose the right place to eat, they follow trends or the place with the longest queue. The places with the best food will be intimate and go unnoticed.”
Ask a local
Ettore recommends looking for suggestions in Facebook groups, asking your hotel concierge, or consulting I know a position (‘I know a place’), an app to discover hidden gems created by an Italian blogger.
Do the right search on Google
Ettore says: ‘As an Italian, if I wanted to find good restaurants, I would search on Instagram for the keyword “Ristorante” along with the name of the city “RistoranteMilano”.’