I know Italians take long leisurely lunches which sounds wonderful. Exactly what time is lunch and for how long does it usually last? Want to make sure I don't overload with sightseeing and miss out on lunch!

In Rome, they - reluctantly - start serving lunch at 12:30, the Romans start drifting in at 1:00, and it takes until about 2:30, sometimes 3:00.

But most Italians do work through the day and do not take the former three or four hour break at lunch. Nor do they generally eat their way through the menu - from antipasto, to primo (pasta), to secondo (main course) with contorno (vegetable or salad; must be ordered separately), ending with dolce (dessert) - as they used to do. Two courses are about normal these days.

Well, Eloise, someone's got to stick up for tradition. That's what tourists are for! ;-)

Missing lunch is a real danger, thirstytraveler. The restaurants close, and the other food available (toasted sandwiches) for the rest of day in cafes or bars is often very skimpy. What I find most difficult is arranging travel time so I don't miss lunch. When I buy train tickets, I plan to either be off a train by 12:30 or not on one till 3pm. Nothing worse than arriving in a town starving at 2:30 pm and there is nothing to eat for miles.

Nessundorma,

Believe me, when I'm in Rome, I do the whole nine yards - to the considerable consternation of most waiters, who are no longer used to it from their regular clients.

As in the US real restaurants serve lunch, close in the afternoon and reopen for dinner. The hours are just a little later (12-3 and 6-10 in most of the US - more like 1-3 and 8-11 in most of europe).

But - also like in the US - the local equivalent of chain restaurants or diners (cafes, pizzerias and sandwich shops) usually serve throughout the day - although not full meals.

nytraveler,

That is really not quite accurate information. Many Italian pizzerias don't even open at lunch -- let alone the middle of the afternoon. There are laws in Italy governing whether or not cafes can operate stoves. Most just have a toaster, meaning all you'll get is a thin toasted sandwich. There is nothing that is the equivalent of the diner or coffeeshop in Italy for food anytime.

I've never been in a MacDonald's in Italy or its Italian equivalent. (What would that be?)

People are well-advised to get eat lunch between 12:30 and 2:30 if they want to eat something of substance before 8pm.