How to Say "Half Past One" in Italian

l'una e mezza

In Italian, half past one is expressed as l'una e mezza.

The phrase is used to refer to the time being thirty minutes after one o'clock.

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase l'una e mezza literally translates to 'the one and half'.

You can also use l'una e trenta to mean 'one thirty'.

Because una (one) is a feminine noun in Italian, the adjective mezza (half) must also be in its feminine form.

The word mezza in l'una e mezza is a cognate of the English word 'measure', as both derive from the Latin root for dividing something into parts.
While l'una e mezza is common, Italians often use the phrase le due meno un quarto to say 'quarter to two' instead of 'one forty-five'. This 'subtraction' method of telling time is very popular across Italy.
If you were talking about 1:30 in the afternoon, you might hear Italians use the 24-hour clock and say le tredici e trenta instead of using the phrase l'una e mezza.

È l'una e mezza.
It's half past one.
This sentence is useful for stating the time using l'una e mezza.
Tatoeba #8803542 by carlosalberto, translation #3550808 by adamtrousers
È l'una e trenta
It's one thirty.
Spero che sia l'una e mezza.
I hope it is half past one.
L'una e mezza è l'ora del pranzo.
Half past one is lunchtime.

Chiara and Francesco are checking the time during a meeting.

Sources

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