<P> Italian breakfast (prima colazione) consists of caffè latte (hot coffee with milk) or coffee with bread or rolls, butter and jam . A cookie - like rusk hard bread, called fette biscottate, and cookies are commonly eaten . Children drink hot chocolate, plain milk, or hot milk with very little coffee . If breakfast is eaten in a bar (coffee shop), it is composed of cappuccino and cornetto (frothed hot milk with coffee and a pastry) or espresso and pastry . Other products, such as breakfast cereals, fruit salad (macedonia), muesli and yogurt, are becoming increasingly common as part of the meal . However, Italian breakfasts vary by region and by season . In some regions, such as Tuscany and Umbria, in the past, people used to drink red wine (notably Chianti) into which they would dip their biscuits . </P> <P> It is also very common for Italians to have a quick breakfast snack during the middle of the morning (typically a tramezzino or bread roll). </P> <P> Lunch is usually regarded as the most important meal . Most shops close for the pausa pranzo (lunch break) between 13: 00 and 15: 00 . In most schools, children are given a lunch break when they can go home for lunch, or eat at the school cafeteria, or eat a packed lunch . Since the introduction of fast foods, takeaways and frozen and tinned foods, Italians tend to eat less home - made food but fresh food is still quite common and most people buy bread, milk and other foods daily . Many adults still make their own food (e.g., tomato sauce from their own tomatoes) and takeaways are not very frequent . A typical Italian lunch consists of a first course il primo (pasta, rice or similar), a second - course il secondo (meat or fish) served together with a side dish il contorno (vegetable or salad) and fruit . </P> <P> Commuters and other workers tend to eat less often at home but instead, have a quick meal in a restaurant or pizzeria . Many foreign fast - food chains operate in Italy, especially in big cities and along motorways . Italian fast - food chains, like Autogrill, are also prevalent, often featuring versions of local dishes . </P>

When is the main meal of the day traditionally served in italy