Eat for free in Italy

Many Italian bars lay our free snacks in the evenings

Yes, there are a couple of ways to enjoy excellent Italian food absolutely free

I'm not talking about dine-and-dash here, or flirting your way to having someone else pick up the check.

These are two absolutely legitimate ways to eat for free in Italy—and since one method is available around dinnertime and the other combines breakfast and lunch, it is possible (on occasion) to go a full day during which pay nothing for three square meals.

Bar hopping for stuzzichini during aperitivo hour

Apertivi ("aperitifs") is a simple idea: basically, it's Happy Hour with free nosh. Starting at the end of the daily see-and-be-seen passeggiata strolling hour(s) between the end of the workday and the start of dinner, many bars and cafes in town will lay out stuzzichini (little snacks) to draw in patrons.

These aperitivi usually run from 7pm to 9pm or so. The phenomenon started in Northern Italy (most people say in Milan, but I swear I encountered it in Turin years before I saw it in Milano), but happily has recently spread to Rome and other Italian cities as well.

In some cases, the fare is just basic bar snacks (olives, nuts, and salty crunchy things in the chips/crisps family), but an increasing number of downtown bars—especially trendy ones—load down the bar or long tables with dozens upon dozens of mouth-watering canapés, tapas, and tidbits.

You'll find trays piled high with salamis and cheeses, tiny pizzas, various pates and cured meats atop rounds of bread, fried rice balls gooey with mozzarella, grilled veggies, stuffed frittate (a cross between an omelet and a quiche), pretty much any food you can spear on a toothpick, and all sorts of pastries, tortes, and cookies. Bar-hop your way from one cafe to another and you can easily make a full meal out of it.

Best of all, it's all absolutely free (except in Venice, where they've been doing this for decades, calling it cicchetti and charging a nominal €1 ($1) or so per snack). I mean, they expect you to order drinks as well, but no one slaps your hand away from the food platters if you're not holding a glass in the other hand.

I do, however, "splurge." I order something to drink at each bar to accompany my stuzzichini, rending my meal, technically, not free. When I have wine and snacks at one bar, wine and snacks at a second one, espresso and desserts at a third, I'm stuffed—and all dinner cost me was about €5 ($6)–€8 ($9) in vino and coffee.

How to find stuzzichini bars

The best and latest hotspots for snacking in any Italian city change regularly. I find pretty good luck just wandering the downtown streets in search of crowded bars. However, you can find lists of good snacking cafes at the following websites.

Aperitivi in Milan: MilanoNotte.it, New York Times Frugal Traveler blog
Aperitivi in Rome: Romaexplorer.it, QuiRoma, 2night.it.

Getting a free lunch

Yes there is such a thing as a free lunch, provided you view the breakfast buffet at the hotel as a supply line for picnic pickings. The way I see it, if the hotel insists you have to buy their breakfast (which is the case when they say breakfast is included in the room rates and you can't get a discount for ditching it), you are fully within your rights to (discreetly) raid it for a picnic lunch later.

(If however, you were given the option and choice to pay for breakfast—or are at a B&B where, by law, they have to provide breakfast as part of the room rate—you're on shakier ethical grounds when it come to snatching more food for a second meal later.)

So go ahead: grab an extra roll and a few slices of cheese and ham or salami to assemble a quick sandwich back at your table. Double-wrap it in some napkins, add a piece of fruit or two and maybe a pastry, drop it all in the daypack you brought with you to the table, and you'll be ready when lunch rolls around. Two meals for the price of none!

Tips

About the restaurant star ratings (☆☆☆ to ★★★)

You will notice that all restaurants (and sights and hotels) on this site have a ReidsItaly.com star designation from ☆☆☆ to ★★★.

This merely indicates that I feel these eateries offer a little something that makes them special (or extra-special, or extra-extra special, etc.).

These star ratings are entirely based on personal opinion, and have nothing to do with any official local restaurant ratings or grades.

In general, a pricier restaurant has to impress me that it is worth the added expense.

This is why I give ★★★ to some inexpensive eateries or sandwich shops that happen provide amazing value for the money—and similarly have ranked a few fancy but notable restaurants just ★★☆.

About the restaurant price brackets (€–€€€)

Here at ReidsItaly.com we simply provide a general price range indicating the general amount you should expect to pay for a full meal in the eatery.

Each eatery is rated into a price category, which indicates—very roughly—what you could expect to pay, per person, for a standard full meal: Three courses—primo (first course), secondo (main course), and contorno (side) or dolce (dessert)—plus something to drink.

There are three price ranges, giving you a sense of which restaurants are budget, which are moderate, and which are splurges:

€	under €15
€€	under €40
€€€	over €40

Useful Italian phrases

Dining
Basic phrases
Calendar
Numbers

Useful Italian for dining

English *(inglese)*	Italian (italiano)	Pro-nun-cee-YAY-shun
Where is?	Dov'é	doh-VAY
...a restaurant	un ristorante	oon rees toh-RAHN-tay
...a casual restaurant	una trattoria un'osteria	oo-nah trah-toar-RHEE-yah oon ohst-air-EE-yah
I would like to reserve...	Vorrei prenotare...	voar-RAY pray-note-ARE-eh
a table for two	una tavola per due	oo-nah TAH-voal-lah pair DOO-way
...for 7pm	per le sette	pair lay SET-tay
...for 7:30pm	per le sette e mezzo	pair lay SET-tay eh MET-tzoh
...for 8pm	per le otto	pair lay OH-toh

I would like	Vorrei...	voar-RAY
...some (of)	un pó (di)	oon POH (dee)
...this	questo	KWAY-sto
...that	quello	KWEL-loh
chicken	pollo	POL-loh
steak	bistecca	bee-STEAK-ah
...rare	al sangue	ahl SAN-gway
...medium	rosato	ro-ZA-to
...well done	ben cotto	ben KO-to
veal	vitello	vee-TEL-oh
fish	pesce	PEH-shay
meat	carne	KAR-neh
I am vegetarian	sono vegetariano	SO-no veg-eh-tair-ee-YAH-no
side dish [veggies always come seperately]	cotorno	kon-TOR-no
dessert	dolce	DOAL-chay
and	e	ay
...a glass of	un bicchiere di	oon bee-key-YAIR-eh dee
...a bottle of	una bottiglia di	oo-na boh-TEEL-ya dee
...a half-liter of	mezzo litro di	MET-tzoh LEE-tro dee
...fizzy water	acqua gassata	AH-kwah gah-SAHT-tah
...still water	acqua non gassata	AH-kwah noan gah-SAHT-tah
...red wine	vino rosso	VEE-noh ROH-so
...white wine	vino bianco	VEE-noh bee-YAHN-koh
...beer	birra	BEER-a
Check, please	Il conto, per favore	eel COAN-toh pair fah-VOAR-eh
Is service included?	É incluso il servizio?	ay een-CLOU-so eel sair-VEET-zee-yo

Basic phrases in Italian

English (inglese)	Italian (italiano)	pro-nun-see-YAY-shun
thank you	grazie	GRAT-tzee-yay
please	per favore	pair fa-VOHR-ray
yes	si	see
no	no	no
Do you speak English?	Parla Inglese?	PAR-la een-GLAY-zay
I don't understand	Non capisco	non ka-PEESK-koh
I'm sorry	Mi dispiace	mee dees-pee-YAT-chay
How much is it?	Quanto costa?	KWAN-toh COST-ah
That's too much	É troppo	ay TROH-po

Good day	Buon giorno	bwohn JOUR-noh
Good evening	Buona sera	BWOH-nah SAIR-rah
Good night	Buona notte	BWOH-nah NOTE-tay
Goodbye	Arrivederci	ah-ree-vah-DAIR-chee
Excuse me (to get attention)	Scusi	SKOO-zee
Excuse me (to get past someone)	Permesso	pair-MEH-so

Where is?	Dov'é	doh-VAY
...the bathroom	il bagno	eel BHAN-yoh
...train station	la ferroviaria	lah fair-o-vee-YAR-ree-yah
to the right	à destra	ah DEH-strah
to the left	à sinistra	ah see-NEEST-trah
straight ahead	avanti [or] diritto	ah-VAHN-tee [or] dee-REE-toh
information	informazione	in-for-ma-tzee-OH-nay

Days, months, and other calendar items in Italian

English (*inglese*)	Italian (italiano)	Pro-nun-cee-YAY-shun
When is it open?	Quando é aperto?	KWAN-doh ay ah-PAIR-toh
When does it close?	Quando si chiude?	KWAN-doh see key-YOU-day
At what time...	a che ora	a kay O-rah

Yesterday	ieri	ee-YAIR-ee
Today	oggi	OH-jee
Tomorrow	domani	doh-MAHN-nee
Day after tomorrow	dopo domani	DOH-poh doh-MAHN-nee

a day	un giorno	oon je-YOR-no
Monday	Lunedí	loo-nay-DEE
Tuesday	Martedí	mar-tay-DEE
Wednesday	Mercoledí	mair-coh-lay-DEE
Thursday	Giovedí	jo-vay-DEE
Friday	Venerdí	ven-nair-DEE
Saturday	Sabato	SAH-baa-toh
Sunday	Domenica	doh-MEN-nee-ka

Mon-Sat	Feriali	fair-ee-YAHL-ee
Sun & holidays	Festivi	feh-STEE-vee
Daily	Giornaliere	joor-nahl-ee-YAIR-eh

a month	una mese	oon-ah MAY-zay
January	gennaio	jen-NAI-yo
February	febbraio	feh-BRI-yo
March	marzo	MAR-tzoh
April	aprile	ah-PREEL-ay
May	maggio	MAH-jee-oh
June	giugno	JEW-nyoh
July	luglio	LOO-lyoh
August	agosto	ah-GO-sto
September	settembre	set-TEM-bray
October	ottobre	oh-TOE-bray
November	novembre	no-VEM-bray
December	dicembre	de-CHEM-bray

Numbers in Italian

English (*inglese*)	Italian (italiano)	Pro-nun-cee-YAY-shun
1	uno	OO-no
2	due	DOO-way
3	tre	tray
4	quattro	KWAH-troh
5	cinque	CHEEN-kway
6	sei	say
7	sette	SET-tay
8	otto	OH-toh
9	nove	NO-vay
10	dieci	dee-YAY-chee
11	undici	OON-dee-chee
12	dodici	DOH-dee-chee
13	tredici	TRAY-dee-chee
14	quattordici	kwa-TOR-dee-chee
15	quindici	KWEEN-dee-chee
16	sedici	SAY-dee-chee
17	diciasette	dee-chee-ya-SET-tay
18	diciotto	dee-CHO-toh
19	diciannove	dee-chee-ya-NO-vay
20	venti	VENT-tee
21*	vent'uno*	vent-OO-no
22*	venti due*	VENT-tee DOO-way
23*	venti tre*	VENT-tee TRAY
30	trenta	TRAYN-tah
40	quaranta	kwa-RAHN-tah
50	cinquanta	cheen-KWAN-tah
60	sessanta	say-SAHN-tah
70	settanta	seh-TAHN-tah
80	ottanta	oh-TAHN-tah
90	novanta	no-VAHN-tah
100	cento	CHEN-toh
1,000	mille	MEEL-lay
5,000	cinque milla	CHEEN-kway MEEL-lah
10,000	dieci milla	dee-YAY-chee MEEL-lah

* You can use this formula for all Italian ten-place numbers—so 31 is trent'uno, 32 is trenta due, 33 is trenta tre, etc. Note that—like uno (one), otto (eight) also starts with a vowel—all "-8" numbers are also abbreviated (vent'otto, trent'otto, etc.).

Taste of Italy Food Tour to Chianti and Umbria from Rome

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