Businesses Close after Lunch?

Bob, there's less of that than there used to be. Some of the churches shut their doors for a few hours in the afternoon but others remain open for visiting except during services. It's not uncommon for some of the restaurants to close up from mid afternoon until they re-open for dinner but it's not all of them.

What sorts of "businesses" are you wondering about, specifically?

It seems to be more the case in small towns. When we arrived in Monselice at 1pm, only one coffee shop seemed to be open in the whole town. Some restaurants closed in Venice from 2pm - 7pm or so. In a bigger city, you will be able to find something open.

Sarah does have a point. Figure the larger the city and/or the bigger the tourist draw, the more likely it is for businesses to remain open for different hours.

The businesses and shops in the small town (Asiago) that I visited had staggered extended mid-day closures. For example, the pharmacy closed at 12:30 then reopened at 15:45 until early evening,. Cafes would be open for mid-day service but close mid-afternoon until dinner service. The Coop grocery store seemed to stay open other than short Sunday hours.

Except for the worst tourist traps (where you shouldn't eat), Why should a proper sit down restaurant stay open between lunch and dinner time?
If you're hungry in the afternoon you can always grab something to eat at a bar, get a pizza by the slice or another typical street food in that area or an ice-cream. But restaurants' staff need time to shop, clean, cook and...eat. Waiters and other workers usually eat around 6 pm, then they open the doors for the Germans waiting outside.

On the tourists path shops stay open for tourists.

BobD: I think you may be combining a little of 2 different things

Places serving food often will close after lunch before they start serving dinner, this is not uncommon.
A coffee shop or pizzeria selling slices this would probably not be the case though.

And unrelated to that other businesses not serving food like gift shops, gas stations, etc... often close for lunch which is a much longer break than a business in the US may have. So come lunch time a shop may close for an hour or 2 hours. That is not uncommon.

Why should a proper sit down restaurant stay open between lunch and
dinner time?

Dario, it's normal for many restaurants in the U.S. that are open for lunch to stay open through dinner. Waitstaff usually work staggered shifts.

You should assume that most small and medium size shops will work 9.30am to 1pm and 3.30pm to 7.30pm - give or take an half hour. Usually there is an half day rest once per week - but this changes locally and by kind of shop. For example, in Florence many shops may be closed on Monday morning, food shops rest on Wednesday afternoon, shops addressing to professionals (say, hardware shops) are closed on Saturday.

Cafes open very early and do not have after lunch break. Restaurants are open only at lunch and dinner (but a relatively recent trend is opening only for dinner, especially for elegant restaurants).

Supermarkets and chain shops can afford to have enough personnel to keep open at lunch time, while most small shop can't.

Shops in tourist areas may work longer hours and keep open also on Sunday.

I think you will find the midday closures much more prevalent now in far southern Italy (Puglia, Basilicata) and Sicily, though I agree that they're also more common in smaller towns elsewhere in Italy as well.

Dario, it's normal for many restaurants in the U.S. that are open for lunch to stay open through dinner.

I wonder how they can break-even. I mean, how many people want/need/have time to have a proper lunch at 4:30 during a week? Bars and street food places would always win hands down.

And how can you keep a professional kitchen clean if you don't stop working for a couple of hours before dinner?

I've done that job, it's a tiring nightmare even when the kitchen is closed; I can't imagine doing it with waiters going in and out, ovens and cookers lit up, sous chefs crying and cutting and working.

More, how many real chefs would accept to share their kingdom with another king?

Cafes open very early and do not have after lunch break

A cafe is a bar, isn't it? You mean there are still bars in Florence that keep closed after lunch?

It's something I haven't seen anymore since I was a child and there were bars mostly aimed to journalists, night ladies and factory workers who did the night and/or the first shift.

I wonder how they can break-even. I mean, how many people want/need/have time to have lunch at 4:30 during a week? Bars and street food places would always win hands down.
And how can you keep a professional kitchen clean if you don't stop working for a couple of hours before dinner?
I've done that job, it's a tiring nightmare even when the kitchen is closed; I can't imagine doing it with waiters going in and out, ovens and cookers lit up, sous chefs crying and cutting and working.
More, how many real chefs would accept to share their kingdom with another king?

Darioalb, The US restaurant industry is a different creature! We have many that are 24x24 as you say in Italy, both fast food and sit-down chains. They clean in the off hours/wee hours of the morning, certainly. "Chef" is not a term I would apply to a job the chain restaurants. The are "cooks."

On the other hand, some restaurants close at 20:00! They are only open 11:00-20:00 or even 17:00-20:00, especially in smaller towns like where I now live. A restaurant open 11:00-20:00 might not have many customers in the afternoon from 14:00-17:00, so they prep and may have some staff take hours off in a split shift.

For what it is worth, we prefer the Italian late dining, but it can be hard to do in the U.S!

There are no law requirements on opening hours anymore, businesses are free to do what they want, but these are the norms for typical opening hours in summer. Be aware that in some tourist areas they stay open beyond these times:

Restaurants : 12:30-14:30 lunch -19:30-22:30 dinner (guests may stay longer, but these are typical times the kitchen will take orders).
Coffee bars: 7:00 - 23:00 (no midday closure), some open longer than these hours-One day weekly closure
Snack Bars/Pizzerias by the slice: see coffee bars.
Fast food joints: Nearly always open but don't go here, please. You are in Italy for God's sakes!
Supermarkets: 9:00 - 20:00 (no midday closure)-Limited hours on Sundays
Smaller shops: morning 9:00-13:00 afternoon 16:00-20:00 (typically closed on Sunday and sometimes Monday Morn)
Banks: 8:30-13:00 - 14:30-15:30 or 16:00 Mon-Fri. Closed Sat-Sun
Museums: varies (check individual websites, some smaller ones stay open limited hours).

In winter the hours vary slightly. For example many shops open at 15:30 instead of 16:00 in the PM and close at 19:30 instead of 20:00

And again day of the week is a variable, in pisa almost nothing (no shop, no food, no restroom) was open on sunday afternoon.
Dario, again its a trick of language and culture, in most of the USA, a cafe is definately not a bar.....its a place that would not have a liquor lisence but might have fried chicken & mashed potatoes, might go to a limited menu at 7:30pm and be kicking you out at 8pm. Which is why, in europe, i am lined up with the germans trying to get my meal "early"

Thank you all very much for all your responses. They were both informative and entertaining. Now I have one question: With all due respect, what is up with the Germans?

I laughed out loud at the "Germans waiting at the door" line! Too true. My goal is always wear comfortable shoes like Germans but not be in line to eat at 6pm!