I've read so many differing views on tipping in Italy, that I a completely confused. Here are my questions.. 1.. We are staying in B&B s , so do we tip the B&B owner or staff, if so, how much? 2.. Do we tip in the restaurants, and if so, how much? 3.. Do we tip the guide who will take us up the Amalfi coast for the day, if so, how much? 4.. Do we tip the driver who will pick us up at the airport, if so, how much? 5.. We will be in Puglia for 8 days, after leaving the Amalfi Coast. Is the tipping different there than more populated areas of Italy?

Thanking you in advance,
Barb.

1) normally no, if staying for a few nights you might leave E5 for the room cleaners but I would not
2) you might round up to the nearest E5 but again I would only if it stuff was very good
3) never used a guide in Europe so no idea
4) Italian car drivers (closed shop) are very well paid, I'd sooner tip my lawyer
5) Puglia has many very pleasant places. I'd be generally friendlier there than in the north. Last year I had a party there with 25 people and some wanted to leave a tip at the Masseria we were staying in. All were returned, and staff were concerned that they might have been accused of theft.

You've read many differing views on tipping, and you're going to get all those differing views here, too. I'll just give my perspective as a long-term resident (and citizen) of Italy.

Most Italians never tip. In Le Marche, where I live, I've twice seen waiters run after someone saying, "You forgot to take your change!"

However, in Rome, Florence, Venice, and other touristic locations, waiters are beginning to expect a tip. You can just leave a few euros if you think the service warrants it, or you can leave nothing.

I would only tip a taxi driver if the service went well beyond the call of duty. I've done that several times, and about half the time, the tip was refused.

At small mom-and-pop hotels it may be the owners or a relative cleaning the room. If I can see that's not the case, and if the cleaning service has been excellent, I might leave something, again, a few euros would be sufficient.

I would say that if the guide is self-employed, there's no need at all to tip. There are some "free" tours, where the guides live on the tips, so there you would want to "pay" what you think it's worth. Other cases may not be so clear cut.

You'll be getting the same conflicting views on this thread. Here's some recent tipping advice.

http://www.fodors.com/community/fodo...tipping.cfm?86

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...visited.cfm?39