For All You Foodies: Italy Edition
It probably goes without saying that you can find some pretty incredible food and drink all around Italy. Pizza, pasta, cheese, prosciutto, bread, wine, limoncello…it’s everywhere! Oh, and let’s not forget the gelato shops on every corner. Over the last month, we indulged in some of the most delicious and decadent dishes we’ve ever had. While there wasn’t as much variety as in Greece, the quality was world-class and every dish tasted as if it was made with love. Here are our top five meals from over the past month – plus a few scrumptious honorable mentions that made our Italian eating experience unforgettable.
Top Five Meals:
1. Steak Florentine and Rabbit Cacciotore from Trattoria Pandemonium, Florence
This was a great recommendation from our friends, Andrew and Courtney, and a wonderful introduction to Florentine cuisine! After our waitress strongly recommended that Gabriel couldn’t finish an entire full-size steak Florentine, he settled for a smaller size (and turned out to be grateful because he had room to enjoy dessert). I ordered the next-best sounding dish, Rabbit Cacciotore, so we could share. The rabbit melted in our mouths and this was the best, most flavorful steak we’ve ever had.
2. Homemade Pasta, Risotto, and Tiramisu made during our Veronacity Cooking Class in Verona
When in Italy, one has to learn to make pasta (in our opinion). We spent a cold, rainy day with another couple from Florida and our lively instructor, Maria Cristina, making pasta, risotto, and tiramisu. Maria Cristina even treated us to coffees to prove that the Verona way of making it is the best! It was great to spend the morning/early afternoon working with our hands, and we were surprised at how easy it all was. Maria Cristina’s philosophy is that simple is best, and we whole-heartedly agree!
3. Spaghetti A La Bolognese and Gnocchi from Trattoria Pontini, Venice
As further proof that simple is best, this amazing meal of Italian classics was some of the best homemade pasta and gnocchi we had the entire time in Italy – and we had A LOT! The bolognese was a generous serving of perfectly seasoned meat, and the gnocchi were little pillows covered in tomato sauce and basil. Aside from the fantastic, reasonably priced food, the service was exceptional, which proved to be a rarity in Italy. Our vivacious waiter, Fabio, made everyone in this tiny restaurant feel like family the moment they sat down. The whole experience was lovely!
4. Vulcan Pizza from Pizzeria La Pecora Nera, Siracusa
Our Airbnb host highly recommended this little pizzeria right around the corner from his apartment, and for good reason. As the name suggests, this pizza was inspired by the volcanoes around Italy. This particular one was a folded pizza with cheese and peppers inside the fold (the “volcano”) and cheese and tomato sauce on outside. The cheese was perfectly gooey and the subtle pepper flavor added a kick of spice that we’d been missing in other Italian cuisine. We also ordered salad to make ourselves feel less guilty…but, we were really just there for the pizza.
5. Fresh Fish and Pasta with Scampi from Costa Diva, Amalfi Coast
During our tour through the Amalfi Coast, our driver suggested an al fresco lunch at this father-son owned restaurant in the tiny town of Praiano. Since we were on the coast, we had to order seafood, and both of these dishes were fantastic. Gabriel’s fish was light and had a beautiful lemon dressing. My scampi was completely different than what I was expecting – it wasn’t at all like the garlic-butter drenched scampi we get in the states. The full-size shrimp and tomato sauce with a hint of lemon proved to be even better than I imagined. As a bonus, we had a terrific view of the sea and sat under a pergola of lemon trees.
Honorable Mentions
Gelato – Everywhere
We were in Italy for 23 days. We ate gelato 23 times. I think it’s safe to say we are gelato experts now! While each delicious treat was perfect in its one right, there were two stand-outs that had us wishing it was possible to subsist on cream and sugar forever. The first was a Sicilian specialty of gelato inside a brioche bun. I mean, come on. We didn’t stand a chance against that magical combination.
The second was in Florence, at a place called Gelateria La Carraia. It was the creamiest gelato we’d tasted, the serving size was almost too much to for one person, and the flavors were perfectly balanced – not too sweet but not to subtle. My favorite was the cream with dark chocolate and orange sauces and orange pieces. *wipes drool off chin*
Iced Coffee from Teatro Niccolini, Florence
Even though we learned that the myth of Europeans not having iced coffee (or iced beverages in general) was incorrect in Greece, we thought that Italy for sure wouldn’t have iced coffee since espresso is such a point of pride for them. Wrong. So, so wrong. We did try to blend in by ordering cappuccinos and espressos most of the time, but the iced coffee withdrawal was just too strong at times. The absolute best one we found was in Florence in the cafe at the front of the Teatro Niccolini, which was right next to the Duomo. This was good enough to rival our beloved homemade cold brew. Plus, the owner had made his own pumpkin spice powder that he added to mine. Starbucks, move over, because this was fantastic AND it was clean – it was just a mixture of spices he’d found at an Indian market.
Focaccia with Pesto in Manarolo, Cinque Terre
According to our tour guide, this was the birthplace of focaccia and pesto. So, what kind of tourists would we be if we didn’t it the first chance we got? Focaccia is one of our favorite types of bread, and this is, without a doubt, the best we’ve ever had. It was warm and chewy, topped with thin layers of salt, olive oil, and fresh pesto. We were actually sad to eat the last bite because we didn’t want the deliciousness to end.
Saluti and hugs from Scotland!
Juliette