Diners are served in an upscale Caffe Platti restaurant in the ...
Reuters
Tue Nov 24, 1:49 PM
2 of 309

Diners are served in an upscale Caffe Platti restaurant in the northern Italian city of Turin in this December 14, 2005 file photo. Food-loving Italy responded with indignation November 24, 2009 to a minister's comments that lunchbreaks -- still a sit-down ritual for many Italian workers -- are bad for waistlines and the economy, and should be skipped. While many European peers nibble a sandwich at their desk, most Italian workers still retire en masse to a 'tavola calda' (buffet restaurant) or a works canteen for a slap-up meal, often an hour-long affair involving pasta or meat, a vegetable dish, fruit and coffee. But cabinet minister Gianfranco Rotondi said this encourages shirking and obesity, and makes the working day unnecessarily long, meaning parents get home later to see their children.

REUTERS/Daniele La Monaca (ITALY POLITICS FOOD)

Photo Tools

Recommended

Featured Slideshows

Beijing's Bird's Nest

Nov 18 / 6 Photos
Rashid Ramzi of Bahrain celebrates after winning the men's 1,500m ...

NATO

Nov 24 / 278 Photos
An Afghan National Army soldier frisks an Afghan villager during ...

North Korea

Nov 24 / 267 Photos
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il (C) visits the Unsan tool factory ...

Earth Day

Nov 23 / 50 Photos
A sit-in at federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice's constituency ...

Oil & Gas

Nov 24 / 55 Photos
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty on October 7, 2009. A national ...

Afghanistan

Nov 24 / 433 Photos
Maj. Joe Boland (R) plays with his son Markus Boland, 4, after ...

St. Patrick's Day

Nov 22 / 25 Photos
Saskatchewan Roughriders Patrick James (14) intercepts the ball ...

NASA Space Shuttle Missions

Nov 24 / 308 Photos
Members of the combined Space Shuttle Atlantis and International ...
First Last

Receive updates on: Italy

Add to My Yahoo! RSS