<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 still 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> 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 still 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>
what is the most important meal in italy
what is the most important meal in italy
Lunch
Lunch