What should I eat when visiting Italy?

The answer to that question should be everything. Italian food is in the top three world cuisines. Fact. And you really can’t say you’ve eaten proper Italian dishes unless you’ve eaten them where they were created. The regional variances also mean you can travel the length and breadth of the country and find something new. With some recipes dating back to antiquity, Italian cuisine is famous for taking simple (and cheap) ingredients and turning it into something spectacular on a plate. While the seafood and meat here are unbelievable, if you’re vegetarian you’ll always find something fabulous on the menu to eat.

Bigoli

This thick spaghetti-like pasta has also been around for hundreds of years, it’s value lies in its ability to soak up the lovely thick sauces made in the region. 

Spritz

The drink originated in Padua while it was part of the Austrian Empire, and is based on the Austrian spritzer, a combination of equal parts white wine and soda water.

Risotto alla Milanese

Who doesn’t love risotto and this version uses saffron to flavour the rice and make it look even more mouth-watering. It’s probably best eaten with the wonderfully-named “bone with a hole”. 

Polenta Uncia

This rural winter warmer associated with Como, is traditionally made in a copper pot, and while uncia means greasy in English - a better translation is rich, as it features lashings of butter.

Pizzoccheri

Another cracking veggie dish, this flat ribbon pasta is brownish and served with greens and loads of butter. 

Polenta e brasato

This rich and delicious braised meat is the perfect winter warmer.

Bagna càuda

Not for the faint-hearted this garlic-heavy fondue-type dish has been around for centuries. But it's great for vegetarians (if not for vampires) as the main dippers are carrots, celery and fennel. 

Gianduiotto

Kind of like an Italian Toblerone, this hazelnut chocolate was created in Turin and something to bring back home from your travels. 

Focaccia with rosemary

While asking you to travel to eat just bread would normally be a hard sell, when it comes to the Genoa focaccia just take our word for it. This is delicious - buy it straight from the bakers and consume it while it's still sizzling.

Trofie al pesto

This is the Genovese pasta and if the season Spring was a plate, this might just be it. Vegetarians will be in heaven as they take the simple pesto pasta and elevate it here as the trofie retains all the nutty and creamy sauce.

Pansoti con salsa di noci 

This is a sumptuous ravioli dish, with the pasta stuffed full of herbs and cheesy goodness. The thick, white and creamy sauce has a little bit of a bite with the addition of walnuts. A classic plate from the region.

Tortelli D’Erbetta

Translated to ravioli with herbs, this is one of the most loved dishes in Parma, and is always busted out on June 23rd to celebrate the feast of St John. Sounds simple, tastes divine.

Piadina romagnola

A kind of combination of a flatbread and a pancake, it’s best bought straight from a street food van. And the good news is, you can choose which filling you want - savoury or sweet.

Gnocco fritto

In fact, the bread you’ll eat your Coppa Piacentina with could well be this - and it's often fried into little parcels in the region.

Pappardelle al Cinghiale 

Now you don’t see wild boar on the menu very often, so this is a must-try when in Tuscany. Cooked in a rich red wine sauce and doused over the flat pasta, this will have you worrying about whether you have room for pudding.

Bistecca alla fiorentina 

If you’re going to have steak in Italy, make sure you have it here. They use meat from a local breed, the Chianina cattle, which when served rare will have you dreaming of this dish for days. 

Panzanella 

Stale bread with vegetables. Ok, doesn’t sound the most appetising, but again with the olive oil and fresh ingredients, this is summer on a plate (the winter version is decent too).

Cacio e Pepe 

This no-frills pasta dish should only really be tried in Rome. Just pepper, cheese (has to be pecorino) and pasta, the beauty comes with the serving - with the waiters adding just a little water to your dish to make it into a melt-in-the-mouth moment.

Carbonara 

You’ll have eaten this before, you might have made it. But you’ll realise you haven’t properly experienced it until you try it here. For the authentic taste, it must have guanciale (not bacon) and there shouldn’t be any cream in sight. 

Amatriciana 

One of the classic Italian pasta dishes, again so simple and yet so sweet. Tomatoes, guanciale and pecorino romano are the key ingredients here and you can find it throughout Lazio.  

Arrosticini 

These tasty traditional lambs (or mutton) skewers are cooked on a brazier (basic barbecue) and are a typical street food here. You can have more than one, we won’t judge.

Peperoncini 

You’ll probably know the region is famous for its extra virgin olive oil, but did you know this is the place to try chili peppers in Italy? Look out for diavoletti on the menu, this translates as little devils. And while they won’t blow your head off, they’re pretty spicy.

Timballo

If you love your layers, you’ll love this local variation on lasagne. It can be meaty or vegetarian and they’ll use the ingredients that are in season. Whatever the filling know it will be packed to the rafters with flavour.

Panzerotti 

If you’ve ever wondered what an Italian version of a Cornish Pasty was, then this is as close as it gets. It’s also a little like a calzone, but it’s essentially fired dough stuffed full of mozzarella and tomato.

Riso patate e cozze 

This is an exceptional mish-mash of potatoes, rice and mussels - sort of like a gratin. You’ll find every family and restaurant will do it slightly differently.

Pasticciotto Leccese 

If you’re looking for the perfect excuse to eat cake for breakfast, you have it here. These pastries, while coming from Lecce, have little regional variations all over Puglia and are best eaten warm straight from the oven.

Pizza 

Let’s get this over with. You haven’t had pizza until you’ve had it in Naples. It might be a bold statement but we’re sticking by it.

Parmigiana di melanzane

If you ever want to persuade someone to turn vegetarian, this might be just the dish to do it. Aubergines have never tasted this good.

Pastiera Napoletana 

They have a sweet tooth down south, and this is another cake that is a staple of Easter. Kind of a cake/quiche combo, its main ingredient is ricotta.

Pasta alla Norma 

A Catania speciality, this is named after the local composer Vincenzo Bellini’s opera of the same name. The addition of salted and baked ricotta really “raises the curtain”.

Arancini 

Not to be confused with Arancine which are from Palermo, are delightful crispy rice balls with different combinations of flavours. 

Cassata

This super sweet cake is a Sicily staple and most good restaurants will be serving it up for dessert. They take a normal sponge cake and then add layers of ricotta cheese, moisten it up with fruit liqueur and then smother it with marzipan.

Culurgiones 

In 2015 this Ogliastra dish received the PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) status, which celebrates local cuisine. This potato-filled type of ravioli is very special. You’ll find loads of regional variations to the filings.

Suckling pig or “porcheddu” 

You’ll find this delicious melt-in-the-mouth dish across the island. It’s often cooked on a fire with the skill lying into when to turn the spit to get the perfect crackling.

Seadas

We couldn’t forget dessert, and this is one of the most famous on the island. These are little pastries stuffed with cheese and covered with honey and lemon and sometimes a bit of sugar.