Despite the invasion of fast food restaurants and those offering quick meals, the majority of Italians still have lunch at home, according to a study by national statistics bureau Istat.
Lunch was still considered the main meal of the day for 69.1% of those Istat interviewed for its annual report and 73.9%, including over half the adult population, said they ate it at home.
In the south the percentage of Italians lunching at home rose to 83.8%, while in the north it fell to 67.8%.
In its study, Istat also found that 78.6% of Italian felt they had an ''adequate'' breakfast, meaning more than just coffee or tea and including nutritious foods.
The habit of having a good breakfast was more prominent among women than men, 81.7% compared to 75.4%, while some 90% of children ate well in the morning.
Hearty breakfasts were the rule for 83% of the people living in central Italy, compared to 80.5% in the north and 73.4% in the south.
Looking at what Italians eat, Istat found that 86.8% of the population had pasta or rice and bread at least once a day, while 85.3% had fruit and vegetables daily.
This was especially true for women, while children shied away from fruits and vegetables.
The Istat report also looked at Italians' bad habits and found that, compared to 2006, smoking was stable with 22.1% of the population declaring the vice, 28.2% of the male population and 16.5% of the female.
Smoking was most common among men between the ages of 25 and 34, with 38% smoking, while for women it was between 45 and 54, with 23% puffing.
