The aperitif is enjoyed roughly from 6 p.m. Here are some tips on this famous all-Italian culinary ritual.

To facilitate your clothes shopping, we recommend checking these conversion tables: They will help you compare the sizes of your home country with those of Italy.Ī typical aspect of the Italian lifestyle is the social “ aperitivo” (aperitif).

Obviously, these are indicative opening hours that vary from north to south, or, in popular tourist locations, according to the season, with extended opening hours in the high season and reduced opening hours in the middle and low season.

In historical and tourist centres, many shops are also open on Sundays, as well as in airports and large railway stations.

to 8 p.m., others close at lunchtime, approximately from 1 p.m.

Some are open around the clock from 9 a.m.

As a general rule, shops are open from Monday to Saturday.

Here is some key information regarding shop opening and closing times: You can’t visit Italy and not stop by a craft shop or artisan workshop.

7th December - Sant’Ambrogio, Milan (Lombardy).

3rd November - San Giusto, Trieste (Friuli-Venezia Giulia).

30th October - San Saturnino, Cagliari (Sardinia).

4th October - San Petronio, Bologna (Emilia-Romagna).

19th September - San Gennaro, Naples (Campania).

7th September - San Grato, Aosta (Aosta Valley).

16th July - San Vitaliano, Catanzaro (Calabria).

15th July - Santa Rosalia, Palermo (Sicily).

29th June - San Pietro and Paolo, Rome (Lazio).

26th June - San Vigilio, Trento (Trentino).

24th June - San Giovanni, Turin (Piedmont).

24th June - San Giovanni, Florence (Tuscany).

24th June - San Giovanni, Genoa (Liguria).

10th June - San Massimo d’Aveia, L’Aquila (Abruzzo).

30th May - San Gerardo, Potenza (Basilicata).

9th May and 6th December - San Nicola, Bari (Apulia).

4th May - San Ciriaco di Gerusalemme, Ancona (Marche).

25th April - San Marco, Venice (Veneto).

23rd April - San Giorgio, Campobasso (Molise).

29th January - San Costanzo, Perugia (Umbria).

Offices and businesses may be closed, but it is still possible to make the most of these occasions to attend often fascinating and engaging celebrations.

8th December - Feast of the Immaculate ConceptionĪs far as are concerned, in many cities the day of the local patron saint is a day of celebration.

15th August - Assumption of the Virgin Mary (Ferragosto).

Easter (the date varies from year to year).

Bars, pastry shops, ice cream parlours and restaurants, however, often remain open.

Some museums and cultural sites close on certain holidays: we recommend checking up on this before planning your visit. On these days, most of the country’s business activities stop, and public and private offices close. In addition to Sundays, Italy also closes for national holidays and feast days held in honour of patron saints.

Public holidays in Italy: national holidays and patron saints’ days You can also find venues offering a late dinner, for after a theatre performance or for those who prefer to eat late at night.

until dinnertime.ĭinner is normally served from 7.30 p.m. The “ aperitif” is not to be missed: it takes place roughly from 6 p.m. On special occasions or events, the start and duration of lunch may vary. Lunch in restaurants, farmhouses, diners or bars is usually served from 12.30 p.m. Room service is generally available for requests outside these hours. Hotels usually have a set time (approximately 10.00 a.m.) at which breakfast ends. Italians normally have breakfast from 7.00 a.m., but some bars and pastry shops open as early as 6.00 a.m. Italian meal times and usual daily routines The change from standard time to daylight saving time and vice versa always takes place on the night between Saturday and Sunday. From early autumn to late winter, standard time applies, corresponding to the time zone UTC+1, one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.Īt the beginning of spring, Italy enters daylight saving time: the clocks move forward by one hour (UTC+2 time zone), to enjoy more sunlight in the late afternoon-evening. CET (Central European Time) applies throughout Italy.

Italy time zone gmt