What is the best time to make reservations for lunch and dinner in Rome, Florence and Venice?

Sorry - are you asking what time to eat the meals - or how long in advance to make reservations?

If the former lunch is usually 12:30 to 3pm and dinner usually from 8 to 11 or so. (But you can usually eat at casuale cafe, sandwhich shops, etc all day.)

If you mean ow long in advance - it depends on how popular the place is. Generally a day or two is enough unless it's someplace super special. (Most of the time we just walked in somewhere for lunch - and would frequently see a place we liked during the day and make a dinner reservation for that night.)

Again, how about doing a search here..this is a question that has been asked, and answered, over and over again. Search for "Rome restaurants," for example. I will even top one of my long posts for you to get you started.....

Thanks NYtraveler that is exactly what I was asking.

Sorry ekscrunchy I was searching that way and had trouble finding exactly what I was looking for. I thought that in Venice they eat dinner earlier than in Rome and Florence, and I was unsure if the usual time to eat dinner was different in the winter(when i will be there) vs. the summer. Again I apologize.

No need to apologize. You don't normally have to make reservations at lunchtime, unless you have a specific time in mind, and it is a very busy and popular restaurant, and it is also the height of the tourist season. If it is during the winter, you shouldn't have any problems as walk-ins. As for dinner, most restaurants in Italy restaurants open at 6:30-7pm-and in Venice, they stop serving around 10ish. However, Centrale Lounge, in San Marco, serves hot meals until after midnight. In Florence and Rome it's much the same, there are a few places that serve after 10:30-11pm, but pickings are pretty slim, and the specials of the evening will be "finito."

If you go to a restaurant at 7pm in any of those cities, you will likely get in without a problem, even without a reservation. Later, at the prime hour of 8-9pm, you will need reservations if a very popular restaurant, to avoid a wait.

sorry if I was snippy...

Thanks again for your info and input. I have been reading many of both of your posts and have found them to include great information on restaurants and sites for my first time to Italy!