I've learned so much from reading old and new posts on this board. thanks to all of you "regulars" who have the patience to answer the same questions over and over!
I have a few questions I am wondering about that I will post in this thread as I think about them. We (sister mom and I) leave in three weeks for our two week trip.
First, we are taking two private tours/ trips, one an Amalfi Coast/Paestum tour with a private driver/guide who owns his taxi (250E) and one two hour tour with a guide in Venice. My question is do we tip and if so how much? Also in our small B&B's should we tip our host/ess?
Another question: I am an almost vegetarian, (eat fish occasionally) some of the restaurants have meat free secondi options some do not. How strict are the nicer restaurants on wanting you to order full dinners? What happens if you don't?!
Do the nicer restaurants have vino by the glass, neither of my travel partners are wine drinkers (though I hope to convert them!)
Are there taxis in Florence central? I am wondering if there are non-walking options if Mom runs out of steam at the end of the day.
Some of you seem to be really good at just picking a restaurant off the street and finding a gem...what criteria do you use in picking a restaurant that has worked for you?
Finally, has anyone found a cure for Fodors forum addiction?? If so, I need a dose!
Kay
I'm sure there will be more? Thanks in advance for your help!

I am vegetarian. No one forces you to order all courses. Just order what you want. The worst that can happen is if one person orders only a second course and another orders only a first course, they may not serve it at the same time. So be sure to tell them that you want it all together.
Yes, most hotels have wines by the glass.
Yes, there are taxis in Florence central. There's a big taxi stand in Piazza Signoria among other places. But if you want a taxi from your hotel, you should call for one.

No cure for the addiction

Responding to your tipping question, it's not necessary to tip the private driver for your Amalfi Coast/Paestrum tour, since it's his own company and he will pocket the entire 250 euro fee.
If the Venice guide is also self-employed, again the same recommendation applies. However, if he's employed by a company, than a gratuity should be given.
As for ordering a "full dinner," if you mean getting both a first main course and second main course, it's not required.

<<How strict are the nicer restaurants on wanting you to order full dinners? What happens if you don't?!>>

Artie might send Paulie or Silvio to pay you a visit.

Oh, sorry, I was thinking you were asking about Vesuvio's, in New Jersey...



Best wishes,

Rex

Hi kem,

>...we are taking two private tours/ trips, one an Amalfi Coast/Paestum tour with a private driver/guide who owns his taxi (250E) ...<

Ummmmmmmmmmm.
Before you shell out 250E, please see the Positano to Paestum part of my trip report:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34451044

>...Do the nicer restaurants have vino by the glass,...<

Yes

For taxis, see
http://www.vacationidea.com/florence...ence_taxi.html

<<Do the nicer restaurants have vino by the glass, neither of my travel partners are wine drinkers >>

I don't drink wine but my husband does. Some restaurants do have wine by the glass some will offer a 1/4 litre, and there are some who only serve by the whole bottle. He ordered a whole bottle once - then decided it was just too much!!

Thanks so much for the helpful responses. Ira I actually read your whole trip report last night, it was a fun read. We talked a lot about how to do the Amalfi Coast as we only had one day. We decided it was worth the cost to hire a driver who is also a guide instead of taking buses or boats. It will be our second day in Italy and we wanted to be catered to a bit. Good to know we don't have to tip on top of that though!

Any thoughts on this?
Some of you seem to be really good at just picking a restaurant off the street and finding a gem...what criteria do you use in picking a restaurant that has worked for you?

I am far from an expert at rest. picking but

#1 is who's inside? Is it busy? Are there some locals? Of course it's always possible to pick and off hour when a place is empty but then, don't do that w/o a reco

#2 if they're trying to attract you inside, that's a bad idea

#3 if there are menus in 3 different languages beware, it's probably a tourist trap

#4 take a list of places recommended from here. Have it in your pocket. You might come across one and be able to say, aha, I know that one's good.

5# don't look for cheap food in a high rent/touristy area. Chances are it's awful.

Once you've committed to a place (sat down) if it's not going the way you want and if you haven't gotten too far into the meal, leave. Otherwise, try to make lemonade out of lemon.

One night in Venice we tried to find a place I'd seen during the day that looked great. After more than an hr. of walking around, we gave up and just picked a place that seemed to have a few locals (or at least some Italians) as well as tourists. We sat for ages without being offered anything, not even a menu or a drink. They were either understaffed or...my husband thought they'd had too much to drink Instead of getting angry, I started making praying motions with my hands to the waiter. I got him to smile. He finally came over. He spoke no English. We pointed and such and ordered. While waiting for our food, we noticed there were now many other tables of people waiting with no service. I started signaling to the waiter. Soon everyone was smiling. Other customers were appreciative of the attention, the waiter thought I was funny and it took some tension off him. They refused to let us leave without buying us after dinner drinks. We crawled home

I never plan restaurants ahead and just find the best looking one nearby when I/we are hungry. This is not foolproof and I've had less than spectacular meals sometimes but a few great ones.

Personally I don't care enough to research on the subject, or traipse across town at the end of the day for a recommended place. Sometimes I have asked the hotel front desk staff for what's good and close by.

I usually go for a small carafe or pitcher of "house wine" on offer (it's by the liter and the smallest size seems to be ~2-3 glasses worth).

Well, I don't know if I'm particularly good at spotting great restaurants, but as a general guide:
1. Walk atleast a block away from a major tourist attraction (on a road thats not on the path to the next tourist attraction).
2. Find a restaurant which is not empty.
3. Find a reataurant that isn't full of tourists. If you follow rule 1, you'll satisfy this rule too. The problem with restaurants catering primarilly to tourists is that they modify their menu and recipes to suit what they imagine is favorable to tourists.
4. Ask a local(shopkeepers, museum personnel, hotel staff) where they would go for lunch/dinner.

All that said, its hard to find a bad meal in Italy, so relax!

Sorry that is misleading... wine is figured by the liter as measurement unit, i.e., a 1/4 or 1/2 or 1 liter's worth is what I meant to say.