Meal Times and the Starving Tourist

The first time I visited Italy with my family we repeatedly found ourselves waiting outside dark restaurants, our tummy's rumbling, trying to catch a glimpse of movement. A waiter, a light flickering on the in kitchens, a sign posting opening time... anything to indicate that we would soon be able to eat dinner. Usually we would be the first clients to rush in at 7:00pm, and eat most of our meal in solitude before other people finally started trickling in.

I should point out that it is unusual for a restaurant to open at 7:00 in most parts of Italy... in less touristy areas they usually wait until 8:00.
They may open the doors earlier, but the oven won't be ready to serve pizza until 8:00.

This is because Italians keep a very strict meal schedule:

Breakfast is usually between the hours of 6 and 9 (though teenagers rolling out of bed at 11 are the exception to the rule)

Lunch is always between 1 and 3 (12 and 2 if your a real early bird, and up to 5:00 on Sundays)

A snack is usually had around 6 (which these days means gelato due to the summer heat)

This snack is crucial for many people because...

Dinner is never, ever, served before 8:00

I have no explanation for the late dinner time. In America having breakfast at 6 or 7 means you'll be aching for dinner anytime between 5 and 7.

Despite equally early mornings here in Italy though, they insist on putting off dinner until at least 8, sometimes even till 10 or 11. Meaning that no one, not even small children, ever makes it to bed until midnight.

So far I've managed to persuade AmoreMio towards a 7:00 dinner, but how the rest of Italy manages to fall asleep on a digesting stomach is beyond me.