In Italy, food is life. Dinner in famiglia is the rule rather than the exception and Italians will wait until everyone is home before sitting at the table rather than cover a plate with aluminum foil and save anyone’s meal in the oven. Italians also tend to return to the same restaurant over and over in the “if it ain’t broken don’t fix it” vein. A meal is savored rather than wolfed down, and most of the conversation around the table is focused on the food and wine; Italians truly live to eat.
- Portion size: As you may have noticed, we are accustomed to being super-sized at our restaurants here in the U.S. Not so in Italy where it is possible and acceptable to eat a 4-course meal at a leisurely pace, and don’t worry that you’ll need a forklift to get you out of the restaurant either; the portions are smaller and not covered in heavy sauces. Likewise, it is common to keep your meal to two courses if you’re not terrifically hungry.
Continue reading Eat Like an Italian →
The best way to eat well in Italy is to ask an Italian. Ask the hotel clerk, stop someone on the street, ask a bus or taxi driver. (You may not want to ask a tour guide as they are possibly getting paid a “commission” for referrals.) Unlike many of our undiscriminating diners who are content to grab the fastest and cheapest food for lunch most Italians are much fussier about their cuisine, and those workers who are not privileged enough to be able to eat at home for lunch tend to know where to get cooking almost as good as Mamma’s. Once on a road trip from Florence to Rome we were looking for somewhere to eat and my husband, while stopped for gas, asked a truck driver for his recommendation. The rest of us in the car, all Americans, were politely silent but had little faith when we pulled up to Le Capannine, in Barberino di Mugello (near Florence). It turned out to be one of the most memorable meals I’ve ever had in Italy (okay, there’ve been more than a few), so much so that I included it in my blog of favorite restaurants, and if you are ever on the A1 autostrada between Florence and Rome, I highly recommend you plan your trip around it.
Moving on…
- Pizza: I have to act like an Italian and be a regionalist about this; even Northerners will admit that the best pizza is in Naples. My humble opinion is that as you move farther north, the pizza depreciates in value. Rome has a great thin-crusted pizza, and in Tuscany I prefer their focaccia to the pizza, which is still decent, but I got a hold of some pretty bad pizza in Milan. Sorry, Milan, but pizza is not your thing.
Continue reading Pizza and Gelato – There are Rules! →
When we need a meal while off the beaten path in Italy we ask the locals where to eat and have never been disappointed. While I enjoy a good meal just like the next person I do not consider myself a foodie, but these restaurants managed to engrave themselves onto the side of my brain saved for happy memories. The places I’m listing here are not easy to get to, and probably not exactly where you’re going, but, if you’re anywhere near the neighborhood, are worth the travel time. ( Please check the hours and closing days before traveling a great distance.) Continue reading Eating in Italy Off the Beaten Path →
To eat well in Italy there are guidelines you should know. I have heard it said that you can’t get a bad meal in Italy – not true! While most good meals in Italy are better than any great meal anywhere else, you have to know a few things in order to avoid disappointment by picking a bad restaurant or the wrong thing on the menu. Many was the time that I was at a restaurant in Italy with American friends and they were ambivalent about what they had eaten and envious of my order mostly through their own fault for not listening to my suggestions. (If there’s anything I know, it’s what to eat. Do not second-guess me on this subject.) So even though I probably won’t be with you at your next Italian – and I mean Italian in Italy – meal, try to remember these simple rules: Continue reading Eat Well in Italy →
Italian Travels and Itineraries
