Italy generally shares its cuisine characteristics with those of Mediterranean cooking traditions. Fresh cooking products can be found year round in the country, including such favourites as a wide variety of herbs and olive oil. Of course the national pride of Italy does include its pizza and pasta, which vary from region to region, even from village to village.

The region of Friuli-Venezia Gulia has been largely influenced by the former Yugoslavia, as well as by Austria and Hungary, where beer houses still serve typical Austrian sausages. Desserts traditionally prepared in the region are mainly flour based and resemble a variety of strudels. The Trentino-Alto Adige region in Northern Italy has adopted many features of Hungarian cuisine, especially goulash, but also boasts excellent pasta, pizza and Mediterranean-type cuisine. The coastal regions of Italy offer much seafood, while the region along the Po River features the world-renown risottos. Cuisine in Sicily is reminiscent of Ancient Greek and Roman culinary art, while Calabria, in Southern Italy, has adopted traditional Arabic dishes, which consist of raisins, eggplant, oranges and lemons. Calabria is also well known for its excellent seafood dishes, especially those prepared with swordfish. The island of Sardinia features specialties from rock lobster, scampi, tuna and sardines.

The region of Lazio, in central Italy, is the birthplace of the famous Sugo all'amatriciana, a pasta sauce prepared with pancetta or guanciale, tomatoes and red chili peppers. And the Emilia Romagna region, with its capital Bologna, is known for its parmesan cheese, and is said to feature the best lasagna and tortellini in all of Italy.

Italy is also famous for its wine, which is produced in more amounts than any place in the world. Italian wines are known to be very 'food friendly,' despite the popularity of another famous drink of Italians, espresso. The legal drinking age in Italy is 16 years, and a service charge is generally always included with the restaurant bill, with tipping at about 10 percent of the total.