In Italy, food preparation is an art form, and culinary traditions constitute a crucial part of the culture. Each region of Italy has a distinct culinary identity to complement its personality that often includes its own unique shape of pasta. The words “Buon appetito!” and “Cin cin!” chime around the table as friends and families sit down to dine. As much an institution as the meal itself, the after-dinner passeggiata (promenade) attracts Italians into the main square late into the evening. Small portions and leisurely paced meals help keep locals looking svelte despite their rich cuisine.
Breakfast is the least elaborate meal in Italy. Often taken at a neighborhood bar, la colazione consists—at most—of a quick coffee and a cornetto (croissant). For il pranzo (lunch), Italians usually grab a panino (sandwich) or salad. Lunch is generally the most important meal of the day in rural regions, where daily work comes in two shifts and is separated by a lengthy lunch and pisolino (nap). Most common in northern cities, Italians will end a none-too-stressful day at work with an aperitivo (aperitif) around 5 or 6pm. Try a spritz, a northern specialty made with prosecco, campari, or aperol and a splash of mineral water. La cena (dinner) usually begins at 8pm, although in Naples it’s not unheard of to go for a midnight pizza. Traditionally, dinner is the lengthiest meal of the day, usually lasting through much of the evening and consisting of an antipasto (appetizer), a primo piatto (starch-based first course like pasta or risotto ), a secondo piatto (meat or fish), and a contorno (vegetable side dish). Finally, la cena is capped off with the dolce (dessert), then caffè (espresso), and often an after-dinner liqueur. Many restaurants offer a fixed-price menù turistico including primo, secondo, bread, water, and wine. While the cuisine may vary regionally, the importance of relaxing over a meal does not. For example, many restaurants in Bologna do not seat more than one party per table per night, and dinners throughout Italy can last for hours. It’s easy to see why Italians champion the Slow Food movement to combat Americanized fast food.
In Italian, un bar refers to a spot to grab a quick, inexpensive meal. Calm dining can be found at a tavola calda (cafeteria-style snack bar), rosticceria (grill), or gastronomia (food shop that prepares hot dishes for takeout). Although some fast-food chains have infiltrated Italy, the ample seafood, salad, beer, and espresso offerings at most McDonald’s demonstrate that Italians do fast food their way. The typical bar sells hot and cold panini, gelato , and coffee. The bars on major tourist thoroughfares have prices that reflect location—not necessarily service or quality. In small towns, the bar is a social center; children come to meet playmates and eat gelato , young adults to flirt and sip beer, and older men to drink wine and reminisce. In crowded bars , clients often purchase food at the cashier’s desk and take the scontrino (receipt) to a bartender for service. Standing at the counter may be cheaper than sitting at a table. A salumeria or alimentari (meat and grocery shop) or the popular STANDA or Coop supermarkets sell food basics, while open-air markets have fresher produce and negotiable prices. Customers must carry receipts for 100m after making a purchase to avoid accusations of theft.
Despite its reputation for living in the shadow of wine-loving French neighbors, Italy is the world’s leading exporter of vintage spirits. Today, over 2000 varieties of grapes are grown in Italy’s warm climes and rocky hills before la vendemmia (the grape harvest) in September or October. To make red wine, rosso, vintners pump the juice and skins into glass, oak, or steel fermentation vats; white wines, biancos, are made from skinless grapes. Whether a wine is dolce (sweet) or secco (dry) is largely determined by the ripeness and sugar content of its grape. After fermentation, the wine is racked and clarified to remove sediment. The wine is then stored in barrels or vats until bottling.
It’S All In The Name. Look for one of four classifications on your bottle to determine the wine’s quality. Independently tested wine will bear the label DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita); wines that follow regional regulations are labeled DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata); the label IGT (Indicazione Geografica) means that a wine has been produced in a specific area; and Vino da Tavola is a catch-all term for otherwise unclassifiable table wines.
Wine tasting is made easy by enoteche (wine bars), especially government-run bars, which serve as regional exhibition and tasting centers in order to promote local vineyards and sponsor educational events. Cantine (wine cellars) do not typically offer tastings unless accompanied by a wine bar. If touring by car, ask the local tourist office about Strade del Vino (wine roads). Tuscany (, birthplace of the Movimento del Turismo del Vino (wine tourism), is especially accessible for wine tasting. Reservations are recommended at some vineyards, so be sure to call ahead.
Wine From Wine Land. Piedmont , Italy’s most distinguished wine region (followed closely by Tuscany), produces the touted (and expensive) barolo, a full-bodied red made from the region’s nebbiolo grapes. Barolo is aged for up to twenty years, much longer than its lighter cousin, Barbaresco. Celebrate Piedmont’s lighter side with the sparkling and sweet asti spumante after biking through the vineyards. The Veneto region yields everyday wines such as bianco di custoza, a dry Soave white, and Valpolicella, a sweet dessert wine. Go to Friuli for smooth merlots and soothing whites like Tocai Friulano. Prepare for the parmigiano-reggiano and parma ham of Emilia-Romagna with a red Sauvignon, or Frizzantino Malvasia, both typical aperitifs or dessert wines. Lambrusco, known elsewhere as a cheap export, is enjoyed in Emilia-Romagna as a refreshing red. Tuscany’s Sangiovese grapes are crushed to make the region’s popular Chianti Classici, ‘noble’ red vino Nobile di Montepulciano, and white Trebbiano.
Down South. When in Rome , drink cold Frascati, a clean white wine invented over 2000 years ago. In Umbria , where wine production dates back to the ancient Etruscans, the world-famous Orvieto is a golden white whose versatility is still being explored, as French chardonnay grapes have recently been incorporated to produce the world-class Cervaro della Sala. Naples boasts Lacryma Cristi (“Christ’s Tear”), while the red Aglianico hails from the coutryside of Campania . The hotter climate and longer growing season of Southern Italy and the islands produces fruitier, more sugary wines. Try the Sicilian Marsala, excellent when served as an apertif between primi and secondi, with Parmesan cheese, or as a dessert wine.
Dopo La Cena. Liqueurs are often enjoyed at the end of the meal as palate-cleansing digestivi. Don’t pass up the ubiquitous limoncello, a heavy lemon liqueur especially famous in Sorrento , which also features the walnut-flavored nocino. Amari cordials, served after festival meals, are often infused with so much sugar that they contradict their name—”bitter” in Italian. Unusual wild fruit and nut essences found in Italian liqueurs include blueberry (in mirto ), artichoke (in cynar ), and melon (in melone ). Other Italian specialties include almond-flavored amaretto (originally made from apricot pits), hazelnut-flavored frangelico, and licorice sambuca, often served with three coffee beans to represent health, happiness, and prosperity. Once known as “firewater” (or, to some Italians, a morning boost), grappa is usually uncontaminated by sugars and leaves the palate disinfected. After grapes are pressed, the remaining pomace (seeds, stalks, and stems) is used for this national favorite.
The Art Of Espresso. Italians drink coffee at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and any time in between—and still manage to close shop in the afternoon for a snooze. But espresso in Italy isn’t just a beverage; it’s an experience, from the harvesting of the beans to the savoring of the beverage. High altitude Arabica beans compose 60-90% of most Italian blends, while the remaining 10-40% are made of woody-flavored robusta beans. Italians are partial to a high concentration of robusta beans because they emit oils that produce a thick, foamy crema under the heat and pressure of the espresso machine. Espresso beans are roasted longer than other coffee beans, and give the drink fuller volume. After roasting, the beans are then ground, tapped into a basket, and mixed with hot, pressurized water. In a good cup of espresso, the foamy crema should be caramel-colored and thick enough to support a spoonful of sugar for a good couple of seconds. Heavy crema prevents the drink’s rich aroma from diffusing into the air and is the sign of a quality brew.
How To Order. For a standard cup of espresso, request a caffè. Stir in sugar and down it in one gulp like the locals. If you take a little milk with it, ask for caffè macchiato ( macchia means “stain” or “spot”). Cappuccino, which Italians drink only before lunch, is espresso and steamed milk “capped” by frothed milk; caffè latte or latte macchiato is heavier on the milk, lighter on the coffee. Note that good espresso is supposed to have a layer of foam on the top due to the compression process. For coffee with a kick, try a caffè corretto (corrected): espresso with a drop of strong liqueur (usually grappa or brandy). Caffè americano, scorned by Italians, is watery espresso served in a large cup. Caffè freddo is a refreshing, chilled coffee. For dessert, the caffè affogato (drowned coffee) is espresso with a scoop of vanilla gelato .
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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