Italians tip very little, and visitors routinely over-tip because they read the coperto as a service charge. It is not one. Understanding that single line on the bill is most of what you need.
Tipping is not expected here, and small amounts are the norm when anything is left at all. Coperto (cover charge) is standard. Tipping beyond that is unusual but appreciated for exceptional service.
Service charge: Coperto (€1-3/person) is standard. Some add servizio (15%). Check the bill before adding anything, since paying twice for service is the most common visitor mistake.
Amounts are quoted in EUR. These are customs rather than rules — they vary by city, by venue and by how the place is used to being paid, and no authority publishes them.
| Situation | Typical expectation |
|---|---|
| Restaurants | Round up — Coperto covers it. Leave €1-2 extra if you wish. |
| Cafés | €0.10-0.20 — Leave coins in the tip jar at the bar. |
| Taxis | Round up — Nearest €1. Not expected. |
| Hotels | €1/bag — For porters only. |
Almost every Italian restaurant bill carries a coperto — a per-person cover charge for the table setting and bread. Visitors read it as a service charge and either tip on top of it or feel cheated by it. It is neither: it is a charge for the cover, and it does not reach the server as a gratuity.
What it does explain is why Italians feel the obligation is already discharged. Rounding up is generous; a percentage is unusual enough to be noticed.
The more useful Italian custom to know is not about tipping at all. A coffee taken standing at the bar is cheaper than the same coffee at a table, sometimes considerably, and the price difference is posted. Sitting down is a service you are choosing to buy.
Tipping customs are not published rules, and they move. They differ between a city and a small town, between a tourist district and a neighbourhood restaurant, and between a place that takes cards and one that does not.
In Italy the bill itself is the best guide: read it before you add anything, because a service charge may already be there.
Where you can, watch what people around you do. It is a better signal than any guide, including this one.
Rarely, and never much. Rounding up is normal; a percentage tip is unusual and marks you out as a visitor. Leaving a euro or two after an exceptional meal is generous by local standards.
A per-person cover charge for the table, bread and service setup. It is not a tip and it does not go to the server as one, but it is why Italians consider the obligation already met.
Round up, or leave one to two euros if the meal was long and the service good. That is at the generous end of normal.
Coins in the jar at the bar, ten or twenty cents, if anything. Standing at the bar for a coffee is cheaper than sitting down, and that price difference is the real Italian cafe custom to know.
Usually not as a separate percentage, though the coperto appears on most restaurant bills. Read the bill before adding anything, especially in heavily touristed areas.