In Italy, unless sold on the street or ?al taglio? (sold in rectangular or square slices by weight), it's always round and served on a plate. 2. You cut the pizza yourself and then eat it with a knife and fork, the most common way, or fold each slice and eat it with your hands.

The etiquette for eating pizza in Italy depends entirely on the setting and the style of pizza. If you are in a formal sit-down restaurant (pizzeria), the pizza is served round, whole, and unsliced on a plate. In this scenario, Italians almost exclusively use a fork and knife to cut the pizza into bite-sized pieces, often starting from the center and working toward the crust. This keeps hands clean and allows you to enjoy the pizza while it is still piping hot. However, if you are eating pizza al taglio (pizza by the slice sold by weight in rectangular trays) or "street pizza" folded into a wallet shape (a portafoglio), it is perfectly acceptable and expected to use your hands. Even in a restaurant, once the pizza has cooled down, some locals may cut it into wedges and fold them to eat by hand, but starting with cutlery is the standard "polite" way to begin a meal in an Italian social setting.