Eating in Italy--Large Meal/Small Meal

Not all restaurants are open for both meals. Generally it is up to the patron to decide how much they desire to eat at each meal. At least this is my experience.

My experience is that their really big meals are at night--and relatively late at that.

My wife has gastric problems, and we have to eat by 6:00. While I used to be a big eater, I'm no match for food that a much smaller Italian gentleman will put away on a Saturday night meal. One course, and I'm about done.

We continue to eat a large breakfast, preferably provided by our hotel. Then we snack, picnic or eat a slice of pizza at lunch. We'll eat again late afternoon--normal size meal. And we're not above eating Chinese food or American food when traveling abroad.

Order as much or as little as you want. Eat as much or as little as you want. They will not judge you.

Follow the same eating habits you have a home. The only difference is time. Many restaurants will close early PM and not re open till 7 or 8 pm. Many meals are multi-course but you can order only one. Plate sharing, meal sharing is not as common as the US since portions on average are smaller.

Menus are not usually much different, but you will find some discount deals served only at lunch, whether it's a dish of the day or a two-courses-with-wine combination.

As with most Mediterranean countries, Italians prefer the main meal of the day at lunch and something smaller (and lighter in summer) later in the evening. Menus will invariably be the same for lunch or dinner so order as you feel. As Laura says, a 'lunch menu' of 2 courses with wine, for example, is usually very good value. It is nice to take time out to stop and enjoy lunch, just easy on the wine if you have afternoon plans. Snacking at dinner can also be an attractive proposition with tired feet dictating wine and cheese in your hotel room, rather than dolling up to head out.

I don't sense there are any rules in this area. Dinner service generally begins around 8:30 and can be quite heavy. it all depends.

It's actually quite easy: Simply order as many or as few course as you want. None of the courses will be huge like you find in the US.

One thing to keep in mind in Italy - if one person orders, say, an antipasta course for their dinner and another orders a main course for their dinner, they will not arrive at the same time. You'll get the antipasta and when it is done and you signal the waiter, they will bring out the main dish. You could say something to the waiter when ordering and they might try and bring them out together, but it's not typical. I've seen this confuse many an American diner who tend to chalk it up to bad service, not different customs.

Douglas makes a good point. If one diner orders a first course (pasta) and another orders a second (meat or fish), ask the waiter to bring them together. Sharing an antipasto is pretty common, but if that's your meal, ask for it to be brought with everyone else's main course.

Could characterizing "eating in Italy" be like the the group of blind men describing an elephant while only touching one part of the elephant?

My Italian experience is limited to the Veneto (northeast Italy) region, the Asiago Plateau in particular. Being part of a group, we had a half board meal arrangement at our hotel. Both our breakfast and evening meals were big meals.

As a general rule Italians eat more at lunch, while dinner tends to be lighter.
Work requirements with short lunch breaks are changing that tradition however (yes, long lunch breaks are a myth as most Italians have only about one hour for lunch, sometimes less).

Unlike restaurants in the US where there is a different menu (and prices) between lunch and dinner, menus at restaurants in Italy however do not vary between lunch and dinner, and prices also remain the same.

Portions are not super sized like in America and many Italians will generally order a 'primo' (1st course), which is pasta or soup, a 'secondo' (2nd course), which is the main dish, usually consisting if meat or fish, accompanied by a 'contorno' (side dish), consisting of a side of vegetables.

Antipasto is something that Italians eat only on special occasions therefore many Italians skip it or share one with the others in the party. An Italian is more likely to skip antipasto than to skip the primo or secondo. Many Italian Women, who are more conscious about their waste line than men, are likely to skip also either the 'primo' or the 'secondo' and maybe order only a 'contorno' instead of a full secondo.
Desert is also likely to be eaten at special occasions only, therefore many Italians will skip it and have just a caffe' (espresso) instead ( especially after lunch when it doesn't cause insomniac effects) or a digestivo (amaro).
One thing to keep in mind is that everything is a la carte. Meaning that for example there is generally no side dish included with the main second course. You have to order that side dish separately and charged separately for it. Same is true for water. Bottled water must be ordered as free tap water is not served at the table, sometimes even if you ask, as it should be since that would be a revenue item ( if you think about it restaurants in America don't allow you to bring your own wine and if you do they charge you a hefty corking fee).
And be aware of the 'Coperto e Servizio', which is a common charge added to the bill to cover for the cost of bread and table service. It's only about 3€ per person and since there is no expectation that you leave any gratuity at all, that charge is a bargain compared to the typical 15% you are expected to tip in America.

It is worth noting that some dishes will be priced "per etto", particularly whole fish or other items which may be larger or smaller depending - like a steak.

In this case the price you see on the menu or told you for a special is not the price you will pay. An "etto" is 100 grams, about 3.35 ounces. Your dish likely will be larger so a multiple of the quoted price.