To tip or not to tip, that is the question.
Really though, you might be wondering if tipping is necessary in Italy if you are thinking about booking a villa in Italy as, depending on the culture, tipping can be seen as mandatory, nice but unnecessary, or even rude. So, what’s the story with tipping in Italy?
Well, Italy falls into the middle category. You don’t have to tip and it is not an overly common practice among Italians themselves. However, tips are appreciated and are a nice way to thank staff for great service.
If you do want to tip, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Tipping is done in cash so it’s good to have some on you, just in case - you most likely will not be able to leave a tip on a credit card machine.
- When tipping wait staff in restaurants anything from a couple of euros to up to 10% of the bill if the service is exceptional is considered appropriate - anything more might be seen as excessive or odd.
- Leaving your tip on the table or simply telling your server to keep the change is the best way to go about it.
- Tour guides, especially those giving free tours, can also be tipped by simply handing them some money end of the tour. In this case, you can tip a bit more (say €5+), especially for guides offering half-day or full day tours.
- Be sure to only leave bigger coins or notes. Tips left in small coins are not appreciated.
- “Coperto” written on a bill is a kind of tax applied in more traditional places for sitting at a table, costing a couple of euros and covering the cleaning of tablecloths, and the supply of napkins etc, as well as the breadsticks, olives, or other simple snacks that will be placed down at the start of your meal.
- “Servizio”, meanwhile, means that a tip or service charge has automatically been added to your bill and, in this case, you definitely don’t have to tip, even if the service was great.
- If service is bad anywhere you also definitely aren’t expected to tip. Just pay for the bill and leave.
So, book your villa in Italy with us and plan a stress-free vacation now that you know how to tip according to local conventions.