What do Italians Eat for Breakfast? Tips by an Italian!

If you’re planning a trip to Italy soon, you’re probably already planning ahead to all the delicious food you will be eating. But, I know breakfast can be a bit of a touchy subject.

After all, Italian breakfast is quite different to breakfast pretty much everywhere else in the world, so you might be wondering if you will find it to your taste.

If you’re now wondering, what do Italians eat for breakfast? You’ve come to the right place!

I’m Italian, I was born and raised in Italy, lived there for 18 years, and now regularly visit. I know what I’m talking about when it comes to a typical Italian breakfast.

In this article, I have outlined everything you need to know about eating breakfast in Italy. Starting with what it actually is, where to eat, what you can expect to find, and much more.

So what are you waiting for, read on, and discover how Italians eat breakfast!

What is a typical Italian breakfast: It’s all about coffee and pastry

What is a typical Italian breakfast? Well, the first thing you need to know about an Italian breakfast is that it’s usually a sweet meal.

Italian breakfast pastries are the norm pretty much throughout Italy, comprising a typical Italian breakfast for a vast swathe of the population.

And it’s not just one type of pastry either, far from it. There are loads of different breakfast pastries and baked goods that Italians eat in the morning. Here are just a few…

Cornetti or Brioche – These are basically croissants, but Italian style. Whether you call it a cornetto or a brioche will depend on what part of Italy you’re currently in.

Paired with an espresso coffee, macchiato coffee or cappuccino, and sometimes a freshly squeezed orange juice and water, these are by far the most common breakfast that Italians have.

Brioches (I call it brioche as I’m from Milan, cornetto tends to be used more in Rome) also come in many different flavours.

The most common are usually chocolate, cream or jams, but it’s not uncommon now to find pistachio or white chocolate croissants.

Maritozzi – This Roman delicacy has to be tried if you’re partial to sweet treats.

Think soft, white sugary brioche buns, sliced in half and filled with a generous helping of thick whipped cream. Often the cream is flavoured with a zesty zing of orange.

Sfogliatelle – Hailing from Campania, the word ‘sfogliatella’ translates to ‘thin layers’, which makes sense when you look at them.

Some are curly, others are flat, but all of them have fillings flavoured with various things, from almond to orange.

Biscotti – This is just the Italian word for “cookies”. Italian cookies aren’t buttery like chocolate chip cookies, they tend to be a bit crunchier and drier.

There are loads of different types of biscotti, some of the most popular you’ll find in super markets all over Italy (but usually not served in bars and cafes), are Pan di Stelle, Gocciole or anything by the Mulino Bianco brand.

These are often dipped in a beverage before eating them, like milk, tea, hot chocolate or coffee, but not always.

It tends to be an on-the-go breakfast, I often had it as a kid before school when I overslept and didn’t have time for a proper breakfast.

Cannoli – Yes, this cream-filled delight can also be had for breakfast (most commonly in Sicily). 

Alongside this selection of pastries and bakery items is the other main element of an Italian breakfast: the coffee. 

Coffee is an important part of Italian culture. As such there’s a certain amount of etiquette that pretty much all Italians know and generally adhere to, but which tourists probably won’t or don’t. 

The types of coffee involved in an Italian breakfast consist of a hot espresso, macchiato (which is an espresso with a splash of hot milk), and a cappuccino. Water and fresh orange juice also frequently make an appearance.

The cappuccino question

Contrary to the coffee cultures of various other countries, cappuccino is only a morning coffee in Italy. Typically, Italians drink cappuccino only in the morning before 11 AM.

The milkiness of a cappuccino is thought to be too rich for the digestive system to drink later in the day.

A “bar” in Italy isn’t what you may be thinking of

A “bar” in Italy is not the same as in the UK, US or how most other countries see it. It’s not just a place to go drinking in the evening.

Bars in Italy are open all day, and they serve coffee and breakfast early in the morning. They serve pastries, biscotti, coffee, and orange juice.

Most bars also serve lunch. This is not a full lunch menu like restaurants, but they’ll usually have sandwiches, and salads, some might have pastas.

They then generally serve the evening crowd. Bars are the place to get an aperitivo after work (but before dinner), and then they serve drinks in the evening.

In Milan, they will do “apericena”, where you get some snacks or there’s a buffet with your drink. Basically, don’t be surprised in Italy if an Italian tells you “Let’s go to the bar for breakfast”!

What is breakfast in Italian? 

The word for breakfast in Italian is “colazione” (pronounced like “coh-lats-ee-oh-neh”). Knowing a little bit of coffee lingo when you visit a bar for breakfast is helpful too.

Ordering a “caffe” in Italy will get you an espresso. If you want a longer drink, then you can go for a “caffe lungo”, which is an espresso shot brewed with more water. 

For something you may be more used to, a “caffe americano” refers to the usual espresso shot diluted with hot water. Cappuccino and macchiato are self-explanatory.

Finish up with “per favore” (“please”) and you’re good to go!

Popular Italian breakfast foods to eat at home

While breakfast at a bar with coffee and brioche is very common also for Italians on holiday, it’s not what you would always have on a day-to-day basis even when you’re working or going to school.

While coffee and brioche are usually fairly cheap (2 EUR to 5 EUR total depending on where in Italy you are and how fancy the bar is), most Italians will have breakfast at home on “normal” days also to save some money.

At home, you might substitute the brioche or pastry with some more easily purchased items, which you wouldn’t have to go out and buy fresh every day. Cereal with milk or yoghurt, for example, or biscuits.

Biscuits (biscotti in Italian) are usually drier and less buttery than American cookies or British cookies.

The most common Italian breakfast biscuits include Gocciole, Pan di Stelle, and Galletti. Get yourself acquainted with some Italian biscuit names and scour some supermarkets to sample them.

Also pretty common is simply some bread or “fette biscottate” (kind of like sweet crunchy bread slices) with jam or Nutella. At home, some Italians might have a savoury breakfast, but it’s not very common.

In hotels there’s usually a savoury selection too

Italian breakfast meals aren’t always sweet. If you want savoury breakfast, most hotels will usually have a savoury selection, but not as vast as abroad.

You can choose from cheese, prosciutto, breads, boiled eggs — a “continental breakfast” — but don’t expect a full British breakfast with beans and mushrooms, or noodles, rice and curries like you often find in hotels in Asia.

You can just ask for “toast”

Looking for simple breakfast foods in Italy, and don’t want something sweet? Don’t worry — you can get it.

If you want a savoury breakfast from a bar, you can ask for toast (pronounced as “tost” in Italy), which is ham and cheese served between sliced white bread, toasted. 

It’s a pretty simple toasted sandwich at the end of the day, but if you want something savoury without having to hunt for it, it’s the easiest option. Usually all bars will have toast.

Big cities have modern brunch spots

In bigger cities like Milan, Florence and Rome, you can now find more globalised brunch places that serve avocado toast, poached eggs and other such items. 

But don’t expect to find them in smaller seaside or mountain towns, even if very touristy, because this is really not traditional Italian breakfast food. 

The only savoury breakfast item you can expect to find in bars in such destinations is the above-mentioned “toast”.

Breakfast is different depending on where in Italy you are

A note on regional differences: in Liguria (where Cinque Terre is), the home of focaccia, people often have focaccia for breakfast with their coffee.

In Sicily, there’s “granita”  — artisanal shaved ice with flavours like pistachio or almond — served with a warm brioche.

In Naples and Amalfi Coast, it’s not uncommon to have pizza for breakfast. And in Turin, they have “bicerin”, an espresso with chocolate and whipped cream. 

In Puglia, people eat “pasticciotto”, a thick tart filled with either ricotta cheese or custard, for breakfast. 

Basically, all around Italy, breakfast food differs. It’s a delicious part of the day when sweet treats aren’t a guilty pleasure, but part of a normal breakfast. So why not join in?

Final thoughts on what is typical Italian breakfast

There you have it, the ultimate Italian breakfast guide! Have you been to Italy before? What was your favourite Italian breakfast food? Let me know in the comments below!

I’m a fan of a good pistachio brioche with a freshly squeezed orange juice. Which I swapped out for a pistachio and almond granita with warm brioche when I visited Sicily, that one is simply incredible! 

It’s almost too good to believe that it’s a breakfast food!

Usually enjoying the good food in Italy features on everyone’s Italy bucket list, so make sure to try also some traditional Italian sweet breakfast foods, don’t just stick to your savoury hotel breakfast.

Regardless of whether you’re spending one week in Italy or two weeks in Italy, breakfast is something you will have to eat every day, so make sure to enjoy it the proper Italian way!

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