Pasta and pizza play a substantial part in Italian recipes, but there are many regional specialities. Tuscany, for example, is noted for its bean dishes; the Po Valley for its rich risottos. Cheeses include mozzarella, pecorino (a hard sheep's cheese) and gorgonzola.

National specialities:
Rome:
• Gnocchi alla romana (semolina dumplings).
Piemonte:
• Bagna caoda (an anchovy dip, served with vegetables).
Lombardy:
• Panettone (Christmas cake with sultanas and candied fruit).
Liguria:
• Pesto (sauce of basil, pine nuts and pecorino cheese).
Emilia-Romagna:
• Parmigiano (parmesan cheese).

National drinks:
• Wines are named after grape varieties, village or area of origin. The most widespread is the Chianti group of vineyards in Tuscany.
• Roman wines include Albano and Frascati (whites); Barolo in Valle d'Aosta; Valpolicella in Veneto; Pinot Bianco and Pinot Grigio (whites); Cabernet and Pinot Nero (reds) in Friuli-Venezia; and Chianti, Nobile di Montepulciano and Brunello in Tuscany.
• Vermouths are popular in Piemonte.
• Aperitifs such as Campari and Punt e Mes are excellent appetisers.
• Italian liqueurs include Amaretto, Limoncello, Grappa and Strega.

Legal drinking age: 16. The government has proposed raising it to 18.

Tipping: Service charges and state taxes are included in all hotel bills. It is customary to give up to 10% in addition if service has been particularly good.

Nightclubs, restaurants and bars with dancing can be found in most major towns and tourist resorts. In Rome, English-language films can be found at the Pasquine Cinema, Vicolo della Paglia, just off Santa Maria in Trastevere and at the multiscreen Warner Moderno (website: www.warnervillage.it) on Piazza della Repubblica. Restaurants and cafes throughout Italy will invariably have tables outside. Open-air concerts in summer are organised by the Academy of St Cecilia and the Opera House, while there is open-air theatre at the Baths of Caracalla. Jazz, rock, folk and country music can all be heard at various venues.

Many Italian products, especially clothes, shoes and bags, are world-famous for their style and quality. Florence, Milan and Rome are important fashion centres. Some places are known for particular products, such as Carrara (Tuscany) for marble. In several parts of Sardinia, writing paper made of cork is produced. Cremona (Lombardy) is famous for its handmade violins. Valenza (Piemonte) has a large number of goldsmiths and Sulmona (Abruzzo) produces 'confetti' (sugar-coated almonds) used all over Italy for wedding celebrations. Ravenna (Emilia-Romagna) is famous for mosaics and Volterra (Tuscany) for alabaster goods.

Rome: Designer names are focused around the fashionable Via Condotti. Old books and prints can be bought from bookstalls of Piazza Borghese. Rome's flea market is at Porta Portese in Trastevere on Sunday mornings.

Milan: The city's industrial wealth is reflected in the chic, elegant shops of Via Montenapoleone. Prices tend to be higher than in other major cities.

Venice: The island of Murano, famous for its glassware, is also home to art dealers and skilful goldsmiths.

Florence: Boasts some of the finest goldsmiths, selling from shops concentrated along both sides of the Ponte Vecchio. Florentine jewellery has a particular quality of satin finish called satinato.

Siena: Full of individual shops selling fatto a mano (made by hand) goods, such as paper, clothes, ceramics and candles.

Southern Italy: In the south, there are still families handmaking the same products as their ancestors: filigree jewellery and products of wrought iron in Abruzzo; wood products in Calabria; and a variety of textiles, including tablecloths, in Sicily and Sardinia.

Shopping hours: Generally Mon-Sat 0830-1230 and 1530-1930, with some variations in northern Italy where the lunch break is shorter and the shops close earlier.