1 hour, meal (Palermo)
45 min. (Naples)
35 min (Rome)
18 min. (Milan)

Italy's North-South divide starts at the table -- only Sicilians are taking an hour for lunch at home with la mamma. According to this poll by a diet magazine of 600 Italians from ages 20 - 55 in ten major cities, there is a marked difference between what Italians from different parts of the country consider a good meal. For the sandwich-inhaling Milanese, a repast should be "quick" and "light" while the more leisurely residents of Southern Italy say it should be "abundant" "tasty" and "slow."

Despite being the country that launched the international Slow Food movement in 1977, Italians are eating faster and eating out more. In Southern Italy, 75% are eating with family at home, in Central Italy 67% prefer a trattoria while in Northern Italy sandwich shops and ethnic food (64% and 50% respectively) are quickly gaining ground. 

Related resources:

http://www.salonedelgusto.it
Italy's most important food fair, from Oct. 24-28 in Turin, put on by the folks at Slow Food. This year's hot topic, "Can meat go slow" features a debate with Fast Food Nation author Eric Schlosser. Take a virtual gastronomic tour of six Italian regions: Abruzzo, Emilia Romagna, Puglia, Sicily and Tuscany. 
 

http://www.zoomata.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=798