Sundays in Italy | Food & Drink Edition

Coffee and Breakfast

In smaller towns and cities don't expect coffee shops to be open at their regular time in the morning. In fact, they might not open on Sundays at all.

Best bet is to make a cup where you are staying at either an airbnb, rental apartment or through your hotel.

In larger cities, some shops may open at early morning hours to appease tourists. Although they may also choose to open at a slight delay, a few hours or so.

Plan accordingly if coffee is a must-have for you first thing in the AM!

Lunch & Dinner

On Sundays, many Italians go out for Sunday lunch after church service or a slow morning at home. If you'd like to eat out it's best to reserve. 

In the evenings, it's also best to reserve for dinner and finding. a place that is open will be more challenging as many places will close after the lunch time rush.  

➡️PRO TIP: If you need help finding a place that will be open for dinner and want to make a reservation you can use The Fork. This online reservation service is like Resy or Open Table in the U.S. 

A heads up that in smaller cities restaurants might not be listed on The Fork but in places like Rome, Florence, Milan etc. you'll find some decent options. 

It is also work noting that most of the old, family-owned, super authentic restaurants are not on The Fork. Italy is still in the past when it comes to allowing reservations to be booked online at their restaurants. They typically prefer you to call them directly to make a reservation.

So while you might find a decent meal via The Fork, it might not be the best meal you have in Italy. 

Some ideas for a great food-filled Sunday in Italy:

👉🏼Coffee at your hotel, at your Airbnb, or at a coffee shop when they open

👉🏼Make a lunch reservation and have a nice big meal to fill you up

👉🏼Make a dinner reservation via The Fork

Or

👉🏼Stop at an enoteca or alimentari where you can nibble on meats, cheeses and other snacks for dinner.

Or

👉🏼Grab some pizza al taglio (by the slice) to-go, (it is more likely that a street food shop would be open on Sundays than a sit-down restaurant).

👉🏼Top off the night with some gelato. 

Or

👉🏼The day before on Saturday, visit a local food market and stock up on some essentials.

Grab a bottle of vino and consider cooking a meal in your rental apartment for dinner like a true Italian!

Enjoy a home-cooked meal like the locals do then venture out for a stroll and take in the sights at night. (Possibly with a gelato in hand).