Neither butter nor dipping sauces are served for the bread. Italians put their bread on the tablecloth next to the plate. Dipping bread in something comes from the fact that, at home only, never in public, Italians will use the bread to finish the sauce remaining in the plate after the pasta or meat has been eaten. If there is not enough sauce, Italians will add some olive oil and salt and dip the bread in that. It is not polite to do this in public.
Antipasto is a beautiful collection of little things which stimulate the appetite.
The whole thing is then cleared away and pasta or soup is served next. After that, there is the Secondo Piatto, second course which is meat, fish or poultry accompanied by cooked vegetables. Following that there is a salad. After the salad there is a collection of cheeses and people eat only tiny bites of each cheese. Then comes the fresh fruit.