In Italy dinner is eaten late.
CE-na — the 'c' before 'e' is soft /tʃ/ like in 'cheese'. Stress on first syllable.
Know this when planning dinner in Italy or accepting dinner invitations. Arriving at a restaurant at 6 pm will find it empty. Italian dinner begins at 8 pm at the earliest — 8:30–9:30 is standard in most of Italy.
Italian dinner times: Northern Italy 19:30–20:30; Central Italy 20:00–21:00; Southern Italy 20:30–22:00. Restaurants often do not open for dinner until 19:30–20:00. Arriving before this looks odd. Dinner invitations for 8:30 pm mean guests arrive 8:45–9:15 (Italian time). Finish time can be midnight.
Il ristorante apre alle 20:00.
The restaurant opens at 8 pm.
Standard dinner restaurant opening time in most Italian cities.
Ci vediamo per cena alle 20:30.
We'll meet for dinner at 8:30.
A normal Italian dinner invitation time.
Il sud cena ancora più tardi.
The south eats even later.
In Sicily and Calabria, dinner at 9:30–10 pm is normal.
The late Italian dinner is connected to the evening passeggiata culture — people walk, socialise and have an aperitivo first, then eat. The social rhythm of Italian evening life is organised around a late, long dinner as its centrepiece.