In Italy cappuccino is only drunk in the morning.
cap-puc-CI-no — double 'p' and double 'c'. Stress on third syllable.
Mention or know this rule when ordering coffee in Italy. Ordering a cappuccino after lunch or dinner marks you as a foreigner. Italians find the combination of milk and food after a meal digestively wrong.
Italians believe milk is only appropriate in the morning when the stomach is empty. After lunch or dinner, you order 'un caffè' (espresso), 'un caffè macchiato', or 'un caffè corretto'. Ordering a cappuccino after a meal will not get you thrown out, but it will earn knowing looks.
Dopo pranzo prendo solo un caffè.
After lunch I just have a coffee (espresso).
Demonstrates the culturally correct post-meal coffee choice.
Un caffè macchiato, per favore.
A coffee with a drop of milk, please.
A small concession to milk — acceptable at any time.
Un caffè corretto con grappa.
A coffee with a shot of grappa.
'Corretto' = corrected. Adding spirits — grappa, sambuca — acceptable at any time.
This is one of the most firmly held Italian food convictions. Italian baristas are generally kind to foreigners who order wrong but will silently judge. Showing awareness of the rule earns immediate respect and often a warmer interaction.