Italian Breakfast: How To Eat Breakfast in Italy
Looking for traditional Italian breakfast foods? Want to know what to order for breakfast in Italy? How to eat breakfast like a local? How to order the right coffee? Where to find the best Italian breakfast pastries? Then you’re in the right place!
I have been traveling to Italy for more years than I care to admit, and have tried the specialties of Italian cuisine from north to south.
While some regions may have specific traditional breakfast foods, Italian households eat their morning meal very similarly throughout the country.
This Italian breakfast guide is designed to help you enjoy the first meal of the day the Italian way—no matter which region you travel to.
An assortment of Italian breakfast foods
What is a typical Italian Breakfast?
It may surprise you that the typical breakfast in Italy is a rather light meal. Even my Italian grandmother who loved to cook and feed didn’t think of breakfast as the most important meal of the day.
Typical Italian Breakfast
Similar to the typical French breakfast, in Italy you’ll also find more sweet food than savory. And it will most likely be accompanied by a hot beverage.
It is basically what we call a continental breakfast—usually some type of bread or pastry with a coffee.
Depending on the choice, burro e marmellata (butter and jam) or Nutella may be spread on the pastries or breads.
Those feeling extravagant might also enjoy a glass of orange juice or milk.
A typical Italian breakfast
Do Italians Eat Eggs For Breakfast?
Ironically, while Italians will put eggs on pizzas and pastas, they rarely eat them for breakfast.
“Italian breakfast frittata” is a misnomer, as frittatas are much more likely to be an Italian lunch. These are not traditional Italian breakfast recipes, but usually an American interpretation of what Americans think an Italian breakfast should be.
Hotel Breakfast in Italy
Breakfast in Italian is called “colazione,” pronounced “co‧la‧TSEEO‧neh.” If you see “colazione inclusa” at your Italian hotel that means breakfast is included with your stay. But before you get too excited, you may want to find out exactly what that means.
Italian Hotel Breakfast
Italian hotels and pensiones tend to serve the same type of quick breakfast that Italians eat at home.
American Hotel Breakfast
A breakfast buffet at an American hotel in Milan
American hotel chains tend to offer a wider selection and even some atypical savory breakfast items. I’ve seen everything from Italian cheeses and trays of salumi to salads and scrambled eggs at the Marriott Bonvoy hotels in which we’ve stayed in Italy.
Below is a list of the most popular Italian breakfast foods you’ll find being enjoyed by typical Italians.
Italian Breakfast Breads & Cakes
Like most Italian food, the type of bread and cake you’ll encounter in Italy will vary from region to region. Here’s a sampling of the most popular items you’ll see on an Italian breakfast table.
Pane, Burro, e Marmellata
A traditional Italian breakfast of bread, butter, and jam
In private homes as well as Italian hotels, fresh bread with butter and jam is the most common Italian breakfast served. “Pane” is the Italian word for bread, but the specific kind of bread will vary.
The bread may be ciabatta, focaccia, ciriola (a roll from Rome), or filone (similar to a seeded baguette). With over 350 different types of bread in Italy, you’ll find both whole grain and white bread in every shape and size.
In many parts of Italy, you’ll find a basket of rosettes at your hotel breakfast table with homemade jam. Aptly named due to their rose-like shape, these rolls are extremely crunchy on the outside and almost hollow on the inside.
They are so hard you may wonder if yours is stale. Nope, they’re just designed that way for dunking in coffee or tea. If you’re not a dunker, you may wish to reconsider when you’re faced with a rosette.
Fette Biscottate
Fette biscottate, a popular breakfast in Italy
If you’re a fan of hard crunchy bread products, try fette biscottate. Otherwise known as “rusks” in English-speaking countries other than the U.S., these twice-baked breads are hard like a breadstick but shaped like bread. Think large melba toast.
They are one of the most traditional Italian breakfast foods, and they are literally everywhere. Even many Italian vacation rentals leave packets for their guests to enjoy at breakfast.
Of course, they should be slathered in butter and jam and dunked in coffee to avoid a trip to the dentist.
Buccellato
Buccellato at a pasticceria in Lucca
Once reserved for the Feast of the Holy Cross, buccellato is a sweet bread from Lucca in the shape of a ring. Today it can be eaten for breakfast, snack, or dessert any time of year.
You’re unlikely to find this sweet breakfast treat at your hotel or colazione al bar (breakfast bar), but they will be quite affordable at a local pasticceria (pastry shop).
The first thing I did after I purchased my first buccellato was to take a big whiff. Tears instantly sprang to my eyes as the aroma of anise and raisins reminded me of my Italian grandparents. I’ve had a soft spot in my heart for this famous Tuscan food ever since.
Panettone
Fancy panettone in northern Italy
Panettone is one of the famous foods from Milan, in northern Italy, and a popular choice for breakfast, especially at Christmastime.
The cake-like breads stand about a foot tall and have a distinct dome shape. The texture is light and fluffy and is studded with dried fruits. It can be eaten at room temperature, but I think the best way to eat it is slightly heated.
Italians traditionally eat panettone during the Christmas holidays as a dessert or a breakfast. Nowadays, they are available in bakeries and grocery stores for other religious holidays throughout the year.
Even in the United Sates, we can find panettone in specialty shops during the winter holidays. When my family eats breakfast on Christmas morning, panettone is always on the table.
Italian Breakfast Pastries
Breakfasts in Italy are often eaten at cafes, neighborhood bakeries, or at a bar. I think bars are the best place for a cup of coffee and a pastry.
I urge you to embrace Italian culture and have at least one colazione al bar, or “breakfast at the bar.” Eat like a local, standing, as table service will cost extra. (Click to read more about different types of Italian restaurants.)
Here are some of the most popular pastries to try in Italy. Some of these sweat treats can also be eaten as desserts.
Cornetto
Mocha-cream-filled version of the classic Italian breakfast pastry, cornetto
The classic Italian breakfast pastry, the cornetto is cousin to the French pastry of similar shape. However, the Italians think theirs is shaped like a little horn, whereas the French equivalent is named after the crescent moon.
Both French croissants and cornetti are descended from the Austrian pastry Kipferl. The two pastries are so similar, non-Italians often refer to a cornetto as an Italian croissant.
Like its French counterpart, the Italian version may also be plain or stuffed with fillings like almond paste or jams. A little dollop on top of the cornetto will let you know what to expect on the inside.
A word of warning: If you are in northern Italy, a cornetto will be called a brioche.
Sfolgliatella
Sfolgliatelle, one of my favorite breakfasts in Italy
Sfolgliatella is a traditional Italian pastry that originated at a convent in the Campania region of Italy in the 1600s.
The shell-shaped pastry has crispy, flaky, outer layers that are filled with sweet ricotta cheese and candied orange peels. The combination is magical!
Another food Campania is known for is lemons, so sometimes you’ll find lemon zest replacing the traditional orange peel.
I grew up eating sfolgliatelle as a dessert on special occasions. It wasn’t until I visited the Amalfi Coast that I realized I could have been enjoying them for breakfast all that time!
I did make up for lost time when I spent a month in Campania. Sogliatella are literally in every bakery in the three “big” cities of the region: Naples, Salerno, and Sorrento.
Cannoli
Cannoli are an acceptable dessert for breakfast in Italy.
Cannoli are another common breakfast in Italy that you may have had as a dessert.
The tubed-shaped pastry hails from the island of Sicily in southern Italy and dates back to the 9th century.
The cannoli pastry shell is fried until a crispy golden brown. The traditional filling consists of creamy ricotta cheese mixed with powdered sugar, vanilla, and chocolate chips.
Nowadays, pastry chefs sometimes get creative with the cannoli recipes and may add Nutella, pistachio, pine nuts, or whatever else they fancy to the fillings.
Maritozzi
Maritozzi, a popular breakfast pastry from Rome
It you’re looking for a traditional Italian breakfast in Rome, maritozzi should be on your must-try list.
These sweet buns taste similar to a brioche that’s filled with fresh whipped cream. They are so delicious that they’ve become a popular street food in Rome, and not just at breakfast time.
Fun fact: During medieval times, men traditionally gave this type of pastry to their sweethearts during Lent.
Bombolone and Ciambelle
Filled Italian donuts, bombolone
Do Italians eat donuts for breakfast? Yes! Italian donuts are called bombolone and ciambelle.
I prefer bombolone because of their scrumptious fillings. If I’m going to splurge and consume fried dough, it better be stuffed with whipped cream, creamy custard, chocolate cream, or jam.
The other Italian donuts, ciambelle, are unfilled and covered in granulated sugar.
Both can be found at local bars, pastry shops, and bakeries.
Italian Breakfast Cookies & Biscuits
What is the most popular breakfast Italians eat at home? Cookies and biscuits! So, don’t feel guilty about eating these treats in the morning: They’re an authentic Italian breakfast!
Before we get too far, I’d like to clarify the term “biscuits.” The biscuits in Italy refer to the British type, meaning a crisp cookie rather than the soft buttery ones you’ll find in South Carolina and elsewhere in the U.S. South.
That being said, for those with a sweet tooth, cookies for breakfast can be the perfect choice. You can get packaged cookies like Mulino Bianco at the local grocer, or indulge in some of the below from the bakery.
Biscotti
The most popular Italian breakfast biscuit, biscotti
Biscotti are one of the most typical Italian breakfast foods, and their rich history can be traced back to the 1400s. Even Christopher Columbus brought biscotti on his voyage to the New World!
Biscotti means “twice baked.” The twice-baked process not only makes an extra crunchy pastry, it also makes these pastries very resistant to mold. Therefore, their popularity in the early days was strictly utilitarian.
Today, Italians delight in the many different flavors of biscotti, and of course, they dunk them in their morning cappuccino or espresso. The type of biscotti that are a traditional food of Tuscany are called “cantucci,” and they are most often served as a dessert with sweet wine.
Biscotti Esse
The Italian breakfast cookies, biscotti esse
English speakers call biscotti esse “Italian S cookies.” Crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, their sweet flavor is balanced by lemon zest.
According to Italian legend, these S-shaped cookies from Sicily began as an offering to the gods. Now, they are a popular breakfast cookie in Italy enjoyed by the masses.
Offelle di Parona
Offelle di Parona, a popular Italian breakfast food
As the name suggests, the Italian breakfast food offelle di Parona, was invented in Parona in northern Italy. They came to be in the 1800s.
The oval-shaped biscuits’ unique flavor comes from the combination of butter and olive oil. In recent years, some pastry chefs have added cocoa, but my favorite is the original flavor, which is more like shortbread.
Zaletti
Zaletti, yellow breakfast cookies from Venice
Zaletti is one of the most popular Italian cookies from the Veneto region, in the northeast of Italy. The name comes from the word for yellow in the Venetian dialect, “zálo.”
Made from cornmeal flour, raisins, and pine nuts without using sugar, the cookie is also one of the most unique.
They have a slightly granulated texture and crispiness, which make them perfect for dipping in coffee or warm milk. Therefore, it’s no surprise that they are a popular breakfast in Venice and throughout Italy.
Since they are naturally gluten-free, they are also a go-to cookie for those with gluten intolerance or Celiac disease.
Italian Breakfast Cereals
Italians started eating breakfast cereals in the 1960s, and they’ve gained popularity every year since.
Yet, there are nowhere near as many different types of cereals as we have in the States. The average local market will carry corn flakes, a variety of muesli, and a handful of other choices.
As in other Western European countries, in Italy, it is just as common to add yogurt to cereal as it is to pour milk on top. Fresh fruit like berries or bananas are a pretty standard cereal accompaniment in many Italian households.
Savory Breakfast in Italy
If you were imagining until now that you could find an Italian breakfast restaurant and order an omelet and hash browns, you have probably realized that’s not going to happen.
But even though the traditional breakfast in Italy is sweet, there are ways to track down some savory options if you have a hankering.
A savory breakfast in Italy at an American hotel
Italian Bakeries
You’ll find only sweet treats at pasticceria, but at the “forno,” or “bakery,” you’ll also find some savory fare.
Depending on the region and the forno, you can score pizza, stuffed focaccia, calzone, or even sandwiches.
It doesn’t matter that Italians aren’t eating these items at breakfast time. If they’re available for purchase, eat them when you like.
Farmers Markets
If you are in a city with a local food market, you’re in luck. Many of them have food stalls with delicious Italian street foods.
Many of the foodie cities like Rome, Naples, and Bologna have numerous markets. The Roman food markets in particular not only have some of the best street foods, but they offer some of the best cheap eats in the Eternal City.
If you cannot find a street food stall, pick up some cheese, bread, and salumi and make your own sandwich.
American Hotel Breakfast
One of the best ways to ensure you start your day with some savory food is to stay at a hotel that caters to tourists.
American hotels know the most popular breakfast foods for the American palate and want to satisfy their guests. They are much more likely to offer a filling breakfast of eggs and meats than hotels that cater to Europeans.
Make Your Own Italian Breakfast
Staying in a vacation rental gives you the flexibility to make whatever you’d like for breakfast.
From a traditional English breakfast, to pancakes and maple syrup, to last night’s leftovers, the choice is all up to you.
Italian Breakfast Drinks
Now that we’ve answered the question “What do Italians eat for breakfast?” you need to know what to drink with your Italian breakfast.
In Italy, breakfast can include cold beverages such as fruit juices and milk, and most likely a hot drink like tea, hot chocolate, or coffee.
Coffee is hands down the winner for a traditional breakfast, but what type of Italian coffee?
At the local bar you’ll have many options. Here’s a crash course on ordering coffee in Italy.
A variety of Italian breakfast drinks
Un Caffè
When Italians order “un caffè,” or “a coffee,” they mean a shot of espresso. This is the most common way Italians drink their coffee. The cups are tiny but they pack a punch!
Caffè Doppio
If one shot is not enough, order “un caffè doppio,” a double shot of espresso.
Caffè Deca or Decaffeinato
You guessed it: This is how to order a decaf shot of espresso.
Caffè Lungo
This “long coffee” is the same shot of espresso with twice as much water.
Cappuccino
Cappuccino has layered steamed milk and milk foam. It will come in a small cup that is larger than un caffè but smaller than what you’ll get in the U.S. It is also important to note, in Italy, cappuccino is strictly a breakfast beverage.
Americano
An Americano is a tourist’s coffee. It is similar to caffè lungo, but the extra water is added later in the process.
Caffè Latte
Similar to a cappuccino, a caffè latte will have hot milk and foam, but the milk is mixed with the coffee. Keep in mind, regular plain milk is used. Rarely will you have the option of soy milk, oat milk, or coconut milk at Italian bars or coffee shops.
Caffè Macchiato
Macchiato is the Italian word for “stained.” So, caffè macchiato is a coffee stained with a splash of steamed milk.
Latte Macchiato
Likewise, a latte macchiato is steamed milk with a splash of coffee.
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