We will be traveling to Italy next week and want to know if the restaraunt menus will be in English? We are going to Venice, Florence, maybe Tusckany, down to Rome. Our teen-agers know Spanish. Please help us.
Thank you..

Most restaurants catering to tourists have English menus and/or waiters who speak English.

Well, considering you'll be in Italy where they speak Italian, why would the menus universally be in English? Some of the more touristy menus might have English translations listed on the menu, but they probably won't have the best food or appeal to the locals. Most travel guides have "restaurant Italian" in the back. I suggest you learn some of those terms. All you really need to know are key words - ie., pollo = chicken, formaggi = cheese, etc. You probably have already picked up those terms from eating at Italian restaurants in the US. Beyond knowing the names of the meats involved in the dish, do you really need to know every ingredient included in the dish? If you have specific allergies, learn the Italian word for the thing you're allergic to, but beyond that, you'll be fine.

Except for tourist-focussed restaruants - no - menus will not be in english.

However - since we use Italian names for Italian food that should not be much of an issue (osubucco is still ossobucco, as is vitello milanese etc). If you are concerned about foods yu haven;theard of before - just buy one of those little menu reader books.

Also - in most places the waiters can explain something if you have a specific question.

Yes, all menus are in English. Italy is an English speaking country. Rumors you may have heard that the people there speak Italian are wrong.

If someone DOES speak Italian to you, just have your teen-agers speak Spanish to them. It's exactly the same.

In a pinch, you can tell someone you encounter "Ho più soldi che i cervelli" and they will help you.

You should love Tusckany.

<<Also - in most places the waiters can explain something if you have a specific question.>>

I think this is false reassurance - - my experience is that if the menu has no English on it (which, I agree, is 50-50 or less - - but I wouldn't say "just the touristy places" - - Italy is highly dependent on tourism, and English IS the lingua franca - - not merely for UK/US/Aus/NZ tourists - - but Poles, Japanese, Israelis, you name it...) - - then the waiter will be stymied by the same words that trip you up the most.

<<just buy one of those little menu reader books.>>

Or use this, which is surprisingly comprehensive... and free...

details on http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34591035 (see my reply regarding acena.it with the complete URL).

Best wishes,

Rex

You will have no problems.

Venice and Florence, and Rome count as ``touristy places.'' The restuarants will have english menus available, or at least one waiter will be able to translate the menu for you.

Some of the smaller towns in Tuscany may not have english menus, but you'll recognize many words (carne=meat, pollo=chicken, spaghetti, ziti, etc), and if you have a good list of food words in your guidebook/language book, you'll be okay.

Get a copy of the Berlitz European menu reader. Pocket size and worth its weight in Euros.

My response may be a bit repetitive of the other posts, but having just returned from a trip that included Rome, Florence and Venice, as well as many smaller towns, I would say that MOST, but not all, of the menus included English and often German translations. This was the case even at small, non-touristy places. However, there was at least one evening when neither the menu, nor the waiter, offered English translations, and we just considered it to be a fun adventure to see what would show up on our plates. It's also true that many of the names of dishes are fairly easy to figure out, even without translation.

I agree. I have been taking a small menu translation book with me for many years. I have found it to be extremely helpful. They are under $10 and have paid for themselves many times over.

It might be a good idea to keep in mind that Italian food in Italy is Italian, often regionally specific, and not Italian American. You may encounter a blank stare if you should request a dish such as veal parmesan.

In any case, Buon Appetito!