Apertivo with Organic Grillo from Cantine Ermes “Vento di Mare” Sicilia DOC

In Milan at an outdoor cafe on my first trip to Italy in October 2022, we were quite surprised to find spritz was served with snacks, specifically, large green olives and potato chips! I looked around and saw everyone had them and that this is standard. Just like chips and salsa is expected in a Mexican food restaurant in California, so are small bowls with snacks common in Italy when you order a spritz, sparkling, or white wine in the afternoon during what we might think of as “happy hour” — that time in the day when lunch has worn off and it is too early for dinner, especially in Italy where it is more common to eat after dark and in the cool of the evening around 830 or 9pm.

People watching with spritz and snacks in Milan, October 2022; potato chips are common in the north while taralli are more popular for apertivo in the south

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