The dining table is the center of Italian life

The dining table - center of Italian life.

Unusual tableware sets, special items for table decoration and great attention to detail are the ingredients for a perfect table decoration in the Italian style. With them you give your dining table that certain something extra.

Flowers and colorful dishes belong on every Italian table.

The dinnerware is always made of porcelain or alternatively the Italians use ceramic dishes. Depending on the style, the tableware is modern or traditional but always handmade. It doesn't necessarily have to be painted, but it has to be colorful.

The same applies to the water glasses. Because Italians only use colorful glasses at the table. However, Italians always drink the wine from a classic, transparent wine glass in order to be able to enjoy the color as well as the good taste of the Italian wines.

Napkins made of cotton or linen, wrapped in decorative napkin rings, lie next to the plates.

The bread basket filled with delicious focaccia or homemade breadsticks is a must, because in Italy nothing works at the table without breadcrumbs.

In order to convey the Italian Mediterranean feeling perfectly, you have to deal with the individual components on the table. Imagine you were a painter and would paint a typical Italian dining table. Of course, you then pay attention to the proportions, the play of colors and the harmony.

Instead of painting the table, you actually compose it. It's not that difficult and with a little practice and experience you'll always come up with new ideas for how to drape the dinner plates, water glasses, wine glasses and napkins on the table.

Depending on how many courses you will be serving, the plates will be placed on top of each other in the order they are served. You do this even if you later pick up one or two plates from the table to serve a course and then bring them back with your delicious dish.

The typical plate pyramid begins at the bottom with the charger plate. The dinner plate is on top and either the soup plate or the pasta plate is on top. You never put the dessert plate on the table right from the start, even if you include the dessert cutlery with the cutlery.

Also note that you should never place flat plates on top of deep plates and that when using plates of different shapes, make sure that they do not wobble or rattle when placed on top of each other.

The cutlery is always either divided to the right and left or all the cutlery is to the right of the plate. Only the dessert cutlery lies across the plate towards the middle of the table. The order of the cutlery is also very easy to remember because you always use it from the outside to the inside. As a rule, the forks are on the left, knives and soup spoons on the right. If you want to be particularly attentive, set the cutlery upside down for a guest who you know is left-handed.

Regardless of whether you use cloth or paper napkins, they always look nicer in napkin rings. If the napkin rings are gold or silver, then the effect is particularly elegant; if they are decorated with colorful beads or painted, then they are more Mediterranean.

When it comes to glasses, it's easiest if you choose a set of glasses, because that makes the table harmonious. This applies to the water glasses, the white wine glasses or the red wine glasses.

If possible, you should have some space in the middle of the table for decoration. These can be flowers, but they don't have to be. Alternatively, a fruit bowl filled with fresh, colorful fruits is also very decorative; or you put candy on the table to make you want the candy afterwards. A candy jar with the candy visible through the glass will make any candy lover's mouth water.

If you use flowers as decoration, make sure that they don't smell too strong, because the scent manipulates the taste, which is certainly not in your best interest.

When the great meal begins after all the preparation of the table and dishes, it is best to use a large tray on which to serve the courses. You can also leave decorative trays on the table if you have enough space.

Hopefully we were able to help you with our tips. We at Italiving are always available to provide you with advice and support. Just write us an email to info@italiving.de if you have a question about the topic.