If you love food, then you will love Italy. But a gastronomic tour is not just about food. It is also about the culture, the mindset, and the lifestyle of the people. That’s why you should pay special attention to the culinary traditions of the country while traveling. Especially if it’s a trip to Italy.
Some say that fine cuisine is a form of art. And Italy is a place where you can find the best examples of culinary art.
You can choose what suits you best: a group gastronomic tour or an independent trip to Italy. Either way, don’t forget to buy travel health insurance before you go. According to insurance companies, food poisoning is one of the most common claims that travelers make while abroad.
Here are some of the regions of Italy that you should visit for a memorable gastronomic experience:
Lombardy
This region is known for the European fashion capital of Milan and the beautiful lakes of Como, Garda, and Maggiore. Lombard cuisine is famous for its rice dishes, as the Padana Valley is home to the largest rice plantation in the country. A popular dish is Milanese risotto with saffron. In Bergamo and Brescia, you can enjoy polenta with beef or poultry, as well as thick beef soup. Mantua offers tourists pasta with pumpkin and risotto with salami.
Lombardy is also known for its cheeses – grana, gorgonzola, taleggio, mascarpone, and others. Be sure to try the cocktail “Negroni sbalyato”. It is one of the top 30 cocktails in the world that every bartender should know how to make. Visit the fishing village of Peschiera Maraglio and have a meal on the lake at Trattoria del sole with fresh fish and local wine. Next, head to the Tenuta degli Angeli vineyards in the Val Calepio Valley, where you can taste wines with local snacks (salami, cheese, sweets). There you will learn about the production of wine, olive oil, jam, and balsamic vinegar, which is made according to a family recipe.
Average prices in Milan:
- Lunch for 2 in a mid-range restaurant, with three courses – €70.
- Local cheese (1 kg) at the market – €13.15
- A bottle of wine (mid-range) at the market – €5.5
Puglia
This region is located on the Adriatic Sea and has its own unique culinary traditions. It is the birthplace of burrata cheese. This region produces olive oil, which is one of the best in the world. They also make delicious cheeses: ricotta, stratacel, scamorza, mozzarella, caciocavallo, and others. Visit local cheese shops and choose the one you like.
Be sure to try the Ciambotto, a seafood sauté with tomatoes, onions, and peppers, the best baked mussels in Italy from Taranto, as well as the tiella, a dish with rice, potatoes, and mussels.
Meat lovers should try the lamb baked in a clay pot with potatoes and onions, as well as salami and cured meat.
It is worth mentioning the orecchiette, a pasta that is made by hand and only in Puglia. Its shape resembles small ears.
This region produces 17% of wine in Italy. The most popular are Castel del Monte, Vino di San Severo, Moscato di Trani, and Primitivo di Manduria. Take a tour of the winery located in the town of Gioia del Colle, 40 km from Bari. There you will not only taste the wine, but also learn how and how long it is stored, what grapes are used for what wine, at what temperature and with what different wines are served, and much more. In addition, you will have the opportunity to taste the famous olive oil, as well as homemade Italian bread.
Average prices in Bari:
- Lunch for 2 in a mid-range restaurant, with three courses – €47.5
- Local cheese (1 kg) at the market – €10.83
- A bottle of wine (mid-range) at the market – €4.5
Sicily
An island of Italy that will definitely leave a mark on your taste buds. And the point here is not so much in the unique recipe as in the natural and organic products that are made in small factories according to old family recipes.
If you want to start your meal with some appetizers, you can try Potato Crackers and Rice Balls in Catania. Then you can enjoy some of the traditional Sicilian dishes, such as Pasta alla Norma, which is pasta with tomatoes, eggplant, cheese and basil, or Pasta con le sarde, which is spaghetti with sardines, fennel, pine nuts, raisins and cheese.
You should also taste the Sicilian version of pizza, called Sfincione. It has a square shape and a thick crust, and it is topped with cheese, sauce and anchovies.
Typical street food in Catania is Pane con la milza, which is a bun stuffed with boiled meat, cheese and lemon juice. Sicilians eat it every December before a religious holiday.
If you love wine, you can visit the village of Castelmola near Taormina, where you can sample the local almond wine in a popular bar. You can also tour the wineries of Etna-Benanti, Barone di Villagrande, Cottanera and others.
Average prices in Catania:
- Three-course lunch for 2 in a mid-range restaurant: €50
- Local cheese (1 kg) at the market: €7.60
- A bottle of wine (mid-range) at the market: €5.5
Sardinia
Sardinia is a Mediterranean island that attracts foodies and those who want to explore beyond mainland Italy.
Here you should try the Sardinian bread Pane carazau, which is thin and crispy, and Gutiau bread, which is drizzled with olive oil and salt. Another delicacy is Bottarga, which is dried tuna or mullet roe that is added to pasta, pizza, risotto, or sauces. It costs from 80 euros/kg.
In Cagliari, we recommend you to try sea urchins. They are in season from December to May, and they cost from 80 euros/kg. You can eat them fresh with the local Cannonau wine. You can also have risotto or pasta with artichokes and sea urchin roe, or hot roe sandwiches. Another seafood dish to try is fregola with clams and bottega.
In the Orestano area, you can taste eel. In Alghero, you can savor Catalan lobster with tomatoes, onions, and a lemon and olive oil sauce. Gallura has octopus and sea devil salad.
If you prefer meat, you should try Porceddu, which is a spit-roasted pig with myrtle and rosemary, or wild boar meat.
You can also visit the Su’entu, Pala, Contini, Quartomoro or Sella & Mosca wineries. The main red wine variety in Sardinia is Cannonau, followed by Carignano. The most popular white wine varieties are Vermentino and Vernaccia.
Average prices in Cagliari:
- Three-course lunch for 2 in a mid-range restaurant: €50
- Local cheese (1 kg) at the market: €12.25
- A bottle of wine (mid-range) at the market: €7
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region of Italy that appeals to food lovers. The cooking method here is simple and aims to bring out the natural flavor of the ingredients. That’s why they use very few seasonings and spices, only garlic, rosemary, and sage.
A common way to enjoy bread here is to drizzle it with olive oil and rosemary. Another option is to toast a slice of bread, rub it with garlic and spread it with olive oil.
At the local market, you can find artichokes, cannellini (white beans), fresh and sun-dried tomatoes, capers, and black cabbage. In Tuscany, meat dishes are more popular than fish dishes. The king of Tuscan cuisine is Bistecca alla fiorentina, which is a steak made from prime veal. It is cooked to a crisp, almost burnt crust, but the meat stays rare in the middle.
The most popular restaurant in Tuscany is Trattoria Toscana in Florence. This place preserves ancient Italian traditions. The dishes are served in clay and terracotta plates, and most of them are cooked in a clay oven. Some other cool, but less known places in Florence are Da Burde, where you should try the pappa al pomodoro soup, Il latini, where you can order their signature Florentine steak, and Trattoria Cibreo-Cibreino.
You can also visit the wineries of Tuscany: Castello di Verrazzano, famous for its red dry Chianti wines, as well as Montefioralle Winery, a small family winery that produces Chianti Classico and Vin Santo.
According to Wine Spectator, some of the best Tuscan wines are Altesino Brunello di Montalcino Montosoli, Castellare di Castellina Toscana I Sodi di San Niccolò, Avignonesi Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Grandi Annate and others.
Average prices in Florence:
- Three-course lunch for 2 in a mid-range restaurant: €60
- Local cheese (1 kg) at the market: €14.72
- A bottle of wine (mid-range) at the market: €5.2
You can choose the region you like or visit them all. Explore the gastronomic culture with pleasure and be sure to try cooking something yourself. In Italy, you will find many cooking classes: making cheeses, risotto and pasta, authentic Italian pizza, tiramisu, gelato and more.
