it
Food /
Food culture
Oct 23
reading time 1 min

Italian Digestion Handbook

A guide to avoiding antacids

by Kiva Victoria & ITALY SEGRETA TEAM

These are the dos and don’ts of the big Italian D: Digestion, which seems to be on most Italians’ minds every waking second. Here, calling a restaurant “pesante” (“heavy”) is a valid reason to change reservations, and declaring a food “leggero” (“light”) is a compliment second to none. It’s no wonder antacids go flying off the shelves.

A breakfast tray with pancakes, syrup, jam, coffee on a rumpled white-sheeted hotel bed; visible hotel logos in soft light. A breakfast tray with pancakes, syrup, and berries sits on a white bed; Hotel d’Inghilterra Roma logo appears on the right.

DON’T order a cappuccino–or any drink with milk–after 11 AM.

DON’T walk and eat, nor take your coffee to-go.

DON’T eat proteins for breakfast, only sweet things. 

DO have aperitivo before dinner and digestivo after dinner.

DO wait two hours after eating to swim.

DON’T put ice in your beverages.

DON’T put cheese on seafood. 

DO order and eat antipasti, primi, secondi, then contorni–in that order. 

DO take a passeggiata after lunch or dinner. 

DO beware of peppers (peeled is preferable) and onions.

DON’T put your guard down around garlic. It’s a fickle friend. 

DON’T talk about topics that might anger or create stress at the table, or you might suffer a blocco di stomaco (a.k.a. your digestion will slow down… or stop). 

DON’T drive after a heavy meal. You might just fall asleep at the wheel (according to Italy’s official driving exam).

Elegant restaurant interior with blue walls, vintage mirrors, posters, white-tableclothed tables, and a bar visible through an open doorway. Elegant restaurant with blue walls, gold mirrors, red chairs, white tablecloths; posters and logos visible. Stylish adjoining room.