Seven things you shouldn't do when eating in Italy

From ordering a cappuccino after breakfast to sprinkling cheese on your fish, avoid these common traveller mistakes on your next Italian holiday.

It is a balmy night in Rome. I'm deep in a plate of pasta alla carbonara and my friends are choosing our next wine when a phrase in English cuts through the restaurant like the scratching of a record. A cappuccino, please. Our forks hover in mid-air and judgement ripples between us in an electric current. It's 22:30. Are they serious?

Every year, millions of travellers flock to Italy, many lured by its beloved cuisine. But while Italian food is found across the globe, few visitors fully understand the distinct food culture that governs meals here.

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Eva Sandoval is the daughter of Italian immigrants to the US. She lived in her family's hometown of Terracina, Italy, for 14 years, where she is still partially based. She has written extensively about Italian travel and culinary etiquette and co-authored seven guidebooks on Southern Italy.

Italian food is actually quite simple. It's not highly spiced, and its dishes are flavoured by seasonal, local ingredients. Meals are never rushed and are considered one of life's chief pleasures. As a result, we have a series of unwritten rules which help enhance these flavours and ensure that each meal is savoured properly.

Can we be dramatic about them? Maybe. Travellers who unwittingly break our rules will likely earn a horrified stare. But those who understand them will gain a window into Italy's food culture – and maybe even an approving nod.

If you want to eat like an Italian on your next visit, here are seven things you should never do in our restaurants.  

1. Don't order a cappuccino after breakfast

You might have heard that Italians don't drink cappuccino after a certain time of day, but there seems to be confusion about the hard cutoff. Is it 10:00? Noon? 

Here's the hack: don't ask for a cappuccino at a restaurant at all. Cappuccino is enjoyed at the coffee bar with breakfast. Italian breakfasts are light, typically a brioche or pastry, which pair well with a creamy cappuccino. But that same frothy beverage is considered too rich to have with heavier, savoury meals, hence why we raise an eyebrow when you try to order it for lunch or dinner. When Italians drink coffee after our first food of the day, it will be espresso or macchiato.

2. Don't upset the order of the meal

Like a symphony, Italian restaurant meals unfold in crescendoing movements: antipasto (starter course), primo (pasta course), secondo e contorni (meat or seafood course and seasonal vegetable side dishes), dolce (sweet), caffè e amaro (coffee and digestive). The order allows the flavours to build from lightest to richest, ending with a digestion-boosting caffeine or alcohol shot. You can skip courses, but you can't change the........

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