Our first trip to Italy was with a guided tour from Collette. The guide was
excellent and pointed out the Italian customers along the way. Of course,
eating was something we did at least three times a day so it was often
mentioned.

My first stop for gelato was a surprise. This was a corner shop in Rome
with seating outside. It was brought to us in a China dish and accompanied
by a glass of water. We did not pay until we were finally ready to leave.

Restaurants often don't open for dinner until 7:30. Dinner takes a couple
of hours with different courses. You don't get the check until you ask for
it, it is acceptable to linger over grappa or coffee, etc. The general pace
is much slower.

Some of the meals were part of the tour and included. We ate at some places
that catered to the tourist, but they still had the slow pace of any good
restaurant in Italy. After 9 days, you'd figure we'd be slowed down from
the American pace to the more leisurely Italian style of eating.

The last night we had a buffet dinner with all the expected courses. You'd
think that we'd make a number of trips so each course can be eaten, enjoyed,
and a few minutes to relax before the next, just as we've been doing for the
entire trip. Nope, all but a few of us loaded up plates, gobbled the food
and were ready to leave in under 20 minutes.