Italy is known for its high fashion, beautiful sights, and -- perhaps most of all -- incredible eats (topped off with some grappa after a delicious supper). Off the beaten path in major Italian cities, you will find restaurants where the menus are handwritten and the locals dine on seasonal fare, enjoying whatever is fresh from the market. And the bread -- oh, the bread. It's often much less salty than in the United States (especially in the central parts of the country), but there is no beating a few pieces from a freshly baked loaf with your meal. However, there is one definite difference between how Italians eat bread with dinner and how Americans do.
When you sit down to dine and they bring out a basket of bread, don't expect anything to dip it in like olive oil or balsamic vinegar. Nor should you expect anything to spread on it like butter. The reason is that bread in Italy is meant to be consumed as an integral part of the meal, not as an appetizer or pre-dinner snack like in America. After all, the Italians reason, why would you want to stuff yourself with bread when you have a beautiful meal coming out of the kitchen shortly?