h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Breakfast is not a big deal in Italy. Most people just roll out of bed, gulp down some coffee and go to work. The traditional breakfast usually includes coffee (either black or with milk - we call it caffellatte) and biscuits or croissants or other pastries. Variations may include fette biscottate (which sort of translates as "biscuit slices" and is somewhere inbetween bread and biscuits) and jam. At any rate, it's a sugar fix.

A lot of people have breakfast at a bar. Bars in Italy are not the same as bars in, say, the United States. They are usually open during the daytime and serve mainly beverages and snacks. Bars are places to drop in for espresso or cappuccino and a croissant.

Although there are exceptions (this particular Researcher likes cereals and has instant coffee in the morning, which is totally unlike the national trend), I'd say that generally speaking breakfast is something that Italians do not give much importance to.