Travel & Holidays in later lifeItaly can be enjoyed sitting down. The locals spend much of their leisure at pavement cafe gossiping and watching the world go by. Favourite drinks are extra-strong cups of espresso, or aperitifs like Campari soda. There is infinite choice of cafe locations: in ancient piazzas, echoing with children at play; in side-streets, friendly as a village pub; at busy crossroads, providing ringside seats for the cut-and-thrust blood sport of Italian driving
Food? Everywhere in Italy, there is good eating almost anywhere you go. Restaurants offer a Menu Turistico at fixed all-inclusive prices, and there are fast-food establishments of every type. But all the main cities have colourful restaurants by the dozen. It's worth devoting part of your city break to the enjoyment of good food in surroundings that are loaded with atmosphere. If you go overboard for Italian cuisine with Italian wine, you can have glorious eating at reasonable cost, with enormous choice of restaurants. It's much more fun than eating standard ‘international' hotel menus. Don't worry if you cannot speak Italian - just wave and point. But most waiters in holiday locations have basic English. Another type of restaurant/cafes called tavola calda, which serves simple hot dishes at reasonable price. Customers eat standing up – dishes of spaghetti, ravioli or whatever the dish of the day happens to be. It's very handy for a quick lunch, if you don't want a full sit-down meal spread over a couple of hours.Italy features three main kinds of restaurant – osteria, trattoria and ristorante, in ascending order of quality and price, though nowadays the distinction is blurring. If you cannot manage a full meal at lunch-time, there are plenty of chances for snacks. Many bars have a selection of sandwiches called tramezzini which have very appetising fillings. At a pizzeria, you can fill up with a bowl of thick minestrone and a huge pizza that overlaps a dinner plate. For picnic eating, there is good, cheap fruit – oranges, cherries, melons, peaches, apricots, grapes, fresh figs, according to season. Excellent cheeses, cooked meats and salads help keep outgoings low. Learn the Italian word etto, which means hectogramme or 100 grammes, about four ounces. Fish or steak dishes are frequently priced per etto, not per portion. Know the system, and save yourself a nasty shock when the bill comes. Bar codes There is something very typically Italian about the snack bars dominated by a massive espresso machine, gleaming and polished and steaming. On the shelves behind are bottles of every conceivable spirit and liqueur known to European man. These establishments are also useful as a stopping-point for a quick sandwich. In the mornings from 7 to 11 a.m. you'll find Italians having their breakfasts of cappuccinos and cornettos (croissants). However, if you feel in need of a brandy, you will not be on your own! For a stand-up drink, you normally pay first at the cash desk (cassa). Take the receipt to the bar, put a small coin on top, and tell the barman what you want. The tip ensures rapid service. Standing at the bar is always much cheaper than having drinks and sandwiches served to a table. You're not supposed to buck the system by ordering at the bar, and then sitting down.
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