I receive a lot of worried messages asking me if it is true that Italians NEVER drink cappuccino after 11 am, and what visitors can do if they really want that coffee fix later in the day. While there is no law in Italy that bans a cappuccino after 11 am, you really won’t find many Italians drinking this milk-heavy coffee after breakfast time.

In Italy, a cappuccino tends to be a drink reserved for the mornings. Italian breakfasts tend to be small and sweet, and the large amount of milk in the cappuccino corresponds to a mini-meal in itself. The heaviness of the cappuccino balances out the rather tiny quantity of food that is usually consumed in the first hours of the day.