I've been in situations where I ordered wine (Italy, I think) and a bottle was placed on the table. How is one charged? How does the waiter know how much has been drunk?

If rolls are provided, are you charged individually for each one you eat?

You can really see the value of Fodors, it attracts the well travelled. Excellent questions. Any ideas?

If you were there in Italy when this happened, shouldn't you know how you were charged?

If you are asking about Italy specifically, I don't know, but otherwise I've never been served a bottle of wine like that where it is used communally in any country I've been in. Maybe that's an Italian thing. As for rolls, I've never been charged per roll in any place that gives you a basket. I've never been charged separately for rolls at all, they always come with the meal in places I've eaten in all countries in Europe.

Are you asking only about Italy?

You're charged the same for the bread basket or the individual dishes with a roll, regardeless of whether or how much of it you eat.

If you order a half bottle of wine, sometimes you get a carafe if it's house wine of unspecified variety, sometimes an open half-full bottle, and sometimes a whole bottle and you're charged for what you consume. I guess the waiter knows how much by looking at the bottle. The only time I experienced the latter method of billing was when a order just a glass in a place that did not serve that way. I was told that I'd be charged for what i drank. I think I drank about a glass and a half, and I don't remember being charged anything that seemed too much.

You are charged what you drink. This happens sometimes when you order half a bottle of house wine; they have whole bottles but do only charge for half a bottle. Of course, once its on the table you might actually drink all of it! Many restaurants will charge for bread, even if you don't eat it.

In Italy, at many restaurants, you'll find a small bread charge listed separately on your bill. For wine, the same. You'll pay for the bottle, unless you order by the glass.
Are you even sure what country you were in? Troll afoot possibly.

Some places in Italy (Naples) you are charged a "set-up" fee, about the equivalent to a dollar or so, for your bread, butter, naptkin, knife, fork, water, etc. Basically your table setting.

I would guess if you got a whole bottle of wine served to you, you'll pay for it. Drink it and enjoy. House wine is normally served in pitchers by the liter/half-liter/quarter-liter.

il coperto, i bet

Those are the words!!!

I've been to restaurants in Switzerland that did this with the bread. At the end of the meal, they would ask how many rolls you had eaten and charge accordingly. Some restauranats in the states leave bottles of wine on the table and, again, charge per glass. Perhaps in Italy, too?

i've been to several trattorias (mostly lunch) which will place a litre and a half bottle of house wine on the table and charge you based on a fair quesstimate of what you've comsimed.

actually, i've found it to be a commonplace: fair to the consumer and economic for the establishment. i've never felt overcharged vis a vis ordering a bottle/carafe or a demi.

as to the bread, i always eat it so i expect to be charged for it.

My husband and I went to a small (very nice, but I can't remember its name) restaurant in Barcelona. We ordered from the menu de dia which included wine. I wanted white, my husband,red. They brought us a full unopened bottle of each! We just drank what we felt like, and the price was as advertised. Don't know what it would have been had we drunk it all (and I don't suppose we'd have cared!!)