There’s an unwritten rule that craft beer and cloth napkins don’t mix.

There is some leeway, of course, but it’s rare to see dozens of tap handles in a fine dining establishment. Many such places tuck short beer lists almost apologetically into bound volumes filled with Côtes du Rhône and cabernet and Barolo.

One place you’d definitely still expect wine to rule the day is the Italian restaurant. At Davio’s in Park Square, you can order from some 500 wine selections. At the 30-seat bar on a recent Friday evening, corks popped in cadence, and the martini business was brisk.

Yet despite their history as oenophiles, Italians do make craft beer, and they’re gaining a reputation for it. (The best showcase for this at the moment may be Mario Batali’s Manhattan location of Eataly, which boasts a collaborative rooftop beer garden between Italy’s Birra del Borgo and Delaware’s Dogfish Head Brewery. Boston’s Eataly, slated to open in the fall, will feature a restaurant and brewery with retractable roof.) With Italy’s budding beer movement, Italians are drinking better brews, but will Americans ever want to drink beer with their Italian food? Davio’s is testing the waters.

For about a year now, Davio’s (there are also outposts in Foxborough, Chestnut Hill, and Lynnfield) has offered guests four esoteric Italian brews. Davio’s GM John Minks likes to start with the most approachable, Nora, from Birreria Le Baladin.

“This drinks pretty close to a pale ale or even a pilsner,’’ he says, pouring from the bottle into a tall wine glass. “It’s not going to be over the top; some clove and ginger in there.’’

Davio’s stores all four beers in the wine cooler, which stays around 60 degrees. That temperature’s a bit high even for beer geeks, but Minks would rather err on that side than keep the beer ice cold and risk muting the flavors. So when Baladin’s Super Floreale hits the glass, it’s ready to go. The Belgian-style strong pale ale has hints of pineapple, banana, and almond.

Minks says servers can offer pairing suggestions for diners, but stresses keeping an open mind. That’s especially true with the last two brews: LoverBeer Beerbera, a sour, and Birra Del Borgo’s Perle ai Porci, an oyster stout.

The LoverBeer pours the color of a pinot noir and smells like a stable after a light rain. It’s tart but offers sweet notes of strawberries.

“It’s good for a couple,’’ says Minks.

“I think this one scares people by the name, but this is my favorite’’ Minks says, pouring Perle ai Porci. The beer is brewed with ground-up oyster meat and shells, which Minks says you’d never know if you just tried it, and he might be right.

“This all came about because we wanted to offer something a little bit different,’’ he says.

Bottles of each of the four beers range in price from $15 to $22.

Gary Dzen can be reached at gary.dzen@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GaryDzen