The first time you travel to Italy, you may be surprised by the spread at your hotel’s breakfast buffet — especially if you are coming from North America. Unless you go out of your way to find a restaurant that serves all of the elements of a full English breakfast like bacon and eggs, you’ll be hard-pressed to see familiar breakfast items at the average cafe in Italy.
As a rule of thumb, Italians prefer their breakfast to be sweet, and served with an espresso beverage like a cappuccino, caffe macchiato, or latte. Common pastries that accompany espresso beverages are variations of cornetti — an Italian version of the French croissant. The buttery, flaky pastry often comes with delicious fillings like crema pastiera (a custard-like pastry cream), chocolate, honey, jam, or marmalade. Other common options include maritozzi, a sweet brioche bun filled with whipped cream, and ciambella, a ring-shaped coffee cake flavored with lemon zest and vanilla. Italians also enjoy yogurt, muesli, fruit, and bread with butter or jam for breakfast.
Italians may indulge in savory breakfast items on special occasions, like torta pasqualina, an Easter pastry filled with egg, ricotta, and spinach. While cold cuts and cheeses are served for breakfast in some places, breakfast In Italy is lighter because Italians tend to eat larger meals later in the day. Unless you want to out yourself as a tourist, you probably don’t want to try and order a fried egg and mortadella sandwich or a stack of soft buttermilk waffles when eating breakfast in Italy.
The rules for enjoying coffee with your Italian breakfast
Another way to signal that you are a tourist is to order a cappuccino after 11 a.m.. While Italians are known to drink espresso all throughout the day, milky coffee is reserved for breakfast. That’s because drinks with dairy are generally considered heavy and disrupt digestion if consumed later in the day. Instead, Italians will enjoy an espresso or a macchiato, served without milk or sugar in the afternoon.
If you’re feeling homesick for a regular cup of Joe, choose a caffe Americano — which consists of a shot of espresso with water that has a similar consistency to brewed coffee — and ask for milk on the side. Craving something extra sweet? Indulge in a Shakerato, an iced coffee made with espresso and sugar that’s shaken and poured. Alternatively, you can order an affogato, which consists of a shot of espresso poured over a small serving of gelato, or a granita de caffe, a slushy coffee treat made with sweet, frozen espresso topped with Italian whipped cream.
Italian coffee tends to come in just one size: the size they serve you. And yes, it’s probably smaller than you’re used to. Coffee servings in Italy are often enjoyed while standing at a bar or cafe. Also, keep in mind that “latte” translates to “milk” in Italian. So, if you order a latte later in the day, you must request a caffe latte; otherwise, your barista will serve you a glass of milk.
