There will be signs out front with the name. Pizzeria or tavola calda (meaning simple one dish hot meals are available) will say so outside. And a sandwich shop will look like one - big counters with sandwiches, pasatries etc n cases and small cafe type tables - often in side and out.

EVery place will have a menu with prices outside - so you will know what they feature.

If you go out to dinner and don;t want a full meal you can order just two courses - or share an appetizer, each order amain course and share dessert (or not) and have a coffee. What you can;t do is have two people share one dinner (at a fixed price) or just go in and order a small salad - in an actual restaurant. (And if you look inside you will easily see if they have linen tablecloths, nice crystal etc - versus basic cafe tables.) Also, expect to spend 2 hours at dinner - they don't turn tables - when you go in for dinner you spend the evening.

Are you mainly staying in apartments? If so you will save plenty right there... unless a huge breakfast is included in the hotel rate.

I will be there the same time as you and I have budgeted 40 euros a day for food - I know I can do it by eating a lot of pizza (and cichetti and sandwiches) in Venice with a 3 course meal here and there. When I am going over budget, I will cut back to some pasta made in the apartment if I need to. Or cheese and bread. Thankfully in Italy cheese and bread is pretty awesome, you definitely don't feel like you are suffering.

Also, do your research on where to eat and don't sit down at a tourist place out of exhaustion/starvation.

Thanks for the tips, nytraveler! We're really not ones to make a big fuss out of eating, so I've been somewhat worried about how to locate places that *would* work out for us. Now we know, at least for Italy. I have similar concerns for Paris and Barcelona, but that's a whole 'nother topic and I've hijacked this thread enough. :)

The trick about finding reasonably-priced places in Venice is that they're tucked away from the major sights, in most cases. So the above poster who advised not to wait till you were starving to look for a place to eat is so right -- if you do, you'll stumble into the first place you find, which is likely to be €20 or €25 for a main course!

Remember, too, that Venice's specialty is fish, which is relatively expensive anywhere in the world these days. You can be very happy with pasta and a salad, maybe with an appetizer. Despite what others have written on other threads regarding Italian servers treating you terribly if you don't order a 3- or 4-course meal, we simply did not find that in either Venice or Rome last week.

Do remember that if you order a secondo (main course), it will just come as a piece of meat or fish or whatever on the plate. If you would like vegetables, look at the "contorni" part of the menu and order one to go with your secondo.

Buon viaggio e buon appetito!

hi beeswing,

another tip - don't be too dismayed if you get ripped off at least once - it happens to us all. For example, we went into a place for lunch with a pretty reasonably priced menu, off which we ordered. then the waiter offered a salad for us to share as well and like idiots we said yes - and paid about €10 for a very unimpressive bowl of old lettuce and not much else.

so, you say, I won't make that mistake. but later in the trip we had lunch on Torcello [at the trattoria atilla to be precise], were offered the same thing, and for €3 each, had fantastic mixed salads.

the lesson - don't be put off if you have the odd bad experience - not everyone is out to rip you off but do be prepared to ask how much ["Quant'e?"] before you say yes.

regards, ann

"Remember, too, that Venice's specialty is fish, which is relatively expensive anywhere in the world these days."

One mistake many travelers make: fresh fish may be priced by weight. The price quoted will be per "etto" which is 100 grams, or approximately 3.5 ounces. If you must buy the entire fish, the price may be astronomical.

Another fact true in Italy that may also hold true in Spain and France: At a bar—the local place on every block to get a coffee, pastry, pre-made sandwich, soft drink, alcohol—the price of the items varies based on if you stand, sit, or sit outside. Standing at the bar is cheapest; sitting means you will receive table service, so it costs more, sometimes much more. The price list is posted near the cashier.