American Breakfast

The 3 star hotel our RS tour group stayed at had a buffet style "American" breakfast which included standard items like cereal, eggs, toast, fresh-made pastries, yogurt, cheese, bacon, and a few odd ones like peas and chicken. There was coffee, orange juice, water, tea, and the chef would make fresh cappucino for anyone who wanted one.

Around Europe I've always seen bacon, eggs, and toast (plus various additions, depending on the place) called an "English Breakfast". This is probably what they are calling American Breakfast in this case.

In Ireland this same meal is called the "Full Irish Breakfast".

In Scotland this same meal is called the "Full Scottish Breakfast".

In England the basic meal almost always includes blood sausage and other sausages (but nothing like American sausage), as well as cooked mushrooms and what I'd describe as canned pork 'n beans.

Regardless, it's the breakfast God intended me to have!

Be aware that what the Italians might consider an "American" breakfast probably won't taste or look anything like what you had in mind. I remember a breakfast buffet in Milan that was excellent, but their attempt at scrambled eggs (just disgusting) and bacon (boiled, not fried) was enough to steer me directly to rolls and cappucino. Usually, hotels would put out some cereal and yogurt if they had Americans staying, or occasionally cold cut slices and hard boiled eggs. Honestly, stick with what the locals eat for breakfast - you're not going to Roma for American food.

A plate of bacon, eggs, and toast will be hard to come. Your are in Italy not CA. But the breakfasts will be good and will offer a variety of stuff -- cheese, ham, pasties, juices, etc.

Okay, I already know how Europeans define a Continental Breakfast, a buffet breakfast, and an English breakfast.

But I do not know how Italians define an American Breakfast...if it is different from the English breakfast.

I'm curious about this because I've seen the other area hotels offer buffet or Continental.

Our American breakfast at Hotel Cicerone in Rome last year included boiled "hot dogs". I guess they think we eat these round the clock!

We had an American style buffet breakfast in La Spezia (the gate to Cinque Terre). Had all what you'd expect including scrambled eggs, toast, yoghurt... AND it had American style coffee. Unfortunately, I might add. The worst coffee I had in all of Italy

My experience has been that "American breakfast" means that it will include some kind of meat, whether bacon, prosciutto, or salami. It may or may not include eggs. It's an undefined term that really just means "big." You may or may not know that the standard Italian breakfast is just a pastry and a cappuccino/espresso.

I think you should be prepared for anything. I don't believe there's such a recognized standard for "American Breakfast" and would guess that it depends on the hotel's interpretation. On occasion we got cereal, fruit, yogurt, and the ever-present Nutella and cornetto, but not what we would consider a solid protein. Be prepared to supplement it.

We stayed in a Novatel that had a great range of Breakfast. We decided the undercooked scrambled eggs and something that resembled Hot Dogs were for the Americans. Thanks, we stuck with Brioche, fruit and yogurt.