As you know food is a core part of Italian culture and civilization. (Good) restaurants are the places where all this comes together, particularly in the summer when Italians eat out and travel a lot. There are many words to mean “restaurant”. Given the weight that food has in the Italian culture, history, and economic development that is no surprise. Here are some useful words to know when you’re dining out in Italy:
1) autogrill (owned and managed by the namesake company) is a highway roadside fast food / snack / restaurant place near a service station. Lately Autogrill has opened places in actual towns — there is one near the Duomo in Milano. So, Italians call any roadside restaurant or service station an autogrill, even if they are in South Africa or Argentina.
2) trattoria, which, in theory, is a medium to low-priced, often family-run eating establishment, usually in the countryside.
3) osteria is an informal place, usually very low priced. Note the stem: same as ospedale (hospital), ospite (host), ospitalita‘ (hospitality). Osteria del Sole in Bologna is among the oldest in Italy and still running….a must see.
4) ristorante, well, restaurant.
It is very important to note that while you will see and hear these words many many times while in Italy, their precise meaning has been blurred significantly in the last 20 years — autogrill being the only exception. This is a practical example of how a language evolves. For instance, osteria actually used to be a place where only wine would be served and you would bring your own food (Osteria del Sole is still like that, being an exception). So, in many cases the traditional meaning is totally lost: you can find very expensive restaurants called trattoria or osteria and vice-versa.
Buon appetito….!
