Eating is one of the greatest joys of travelling or living in Italy, providing a vivid insight into each region’s culture and tradition.
Using fresh ingredients in a delightfully simple way, Italian cuisine really is hard to beat. To find the best food in this sun-kissed country with fabulous and rich regional gastronomy, the best advice is to discover charming little restaurants, trattoria or osteria, and forget about the restaurants that serve innovative and modern recipes for now.
Here are 10 dishes (from North to South) that are a must-try if you really want to get to know Italy's traditional and typical cuisine, and the best restaurants to try them in:
Canederli - Trentino Alto Adige
Canederli are bread dumplings typical of Trentino-Alto Adige, Friuli, and part of Veneto, in the north-east of the country, and it’s basically part of a concept called 'cucina povera' (poor kitchen). They are similar to the German 'knödel' or the Jewish 'kneydl'. These dumplings are a great way to make use of stale bread, combined with speck or other cured pork products, egg, milk, parsley, flour and onion. Once the dumplings are prepared and boiled, they are either served with melted butter or in a vegetable broth. It is a very tasty meal, perfect to warm you up during the winter.
Osteria a Le Due Spade, Trento:
- Where: Via Don Arcangelo Rizzi 11, 38122 Trento, Italy
- Website: www.leduespade.com
- TripAdvisor: Osteria a Le Due Spade
Ossobuco alla milanese - Lombardy
The Ossobuco with the classic saffron-laced Risotto alla Milanese is one of the most iconic meat dishes from the capital of Lombardia, Milan. This iconic dish uses a marrow-filled bone in the centre of a veal cut, typically prepared with olive oil, wine, seasonings, tomatoes and served with rice or other vegetables. The best part of eating this dish lies in scooping out and savouring the creamy and delicious marrow from the bones of the veal.
Al Garghet Restaurant, Milan:
- Where: Via Selvanesco 36, 20141 Milan, Italy
- Website: www.algarghet.it
- TripAdvisor: Al Garghet
Lasagna - Emilia Romagna
Technically, the Lasagna (or “Lasagne”) did not originate in Italy as you may expect. Its origins date back to ancient Greece, with this word descending from the Greek word “Laganon”, that described the first known pasta. This is an absolute must-try if you visit Bologna, or Emilia-Romagna in general, and consists of baking sheets of lasagna pasta with ragù, béchamel sauce and parmigiano-Reggiano cheese which forms a crispy crust on top.
Trattoria Da Me, Bologna:
- Where: Via San Felice 50/A, 40122 Bologna, Italy
- Facebook: Trattoria Da Me
- TripAdvisor: Trattoria Da Me
Focaccia di Recco - Liguria
This super famous type of bread, called Focaccia, is a typical and classic dish from the town of the same name in Liguria. Locally know as fugassa, it is very thin and made with fresh cheese combined with wheat flour, salt, yeast, water and Extra Virgin olive oil. The Focaccia di Recco is protected by the European PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) mark and is the first specialty food in the world protected by the Community trademark.
Bakery Moltedo, Recco:
- Where: 20 Settembre 2-4, 16036 Recco, Italy
- Facebook: Panificio Moltedo
- TripAdvisor: Panificio Moltedo
Ribollita - Tuscany
From Florence with love. The ribollita was created by servants who put aside the unfinished food of the masters (like bread or vegetables) and boiled them in water to make a meal. This dish derives from Tuscan 'cucina povera', a poor cooking traditional style of Italian cuisine. This traditional stew is cooked with tender vegetables, potatoes and beans mashed with bread for a creamy and delicious soup.
Buca Lapi Restaurant, Florence:
- Where: Via del Trebbio 1r, 50123 Florence, Italy
- Website: www.bucalapi.com
- TripAdvisor: Buca Lapi
Spaghetti alla carbonara - Lazio
Carbonara is a typical dish from Lazio, and more particularly from Rome. It is prepared with popular ingredients and gives those who taste it a unique experience thanks to its intense flavor. The most commonly used types of pasta with carbonara sauce are spaghetti, rigatoni and bucatini combined with egg, hard cheese (usually Pecorino Romano), guanciale (or pancetta) and a lot of black pepper. The secret of its success? The creamy sauce that covers everything and will drive you crazy!
Trattoria da Felice a Testaccio, Rome:
- Where: Via Mastro Giorgio 29, 00153 Rome, Italy
- Website: www.feliceatestaccio.it
- TripAdvisor: Felice a Testaccio
Pizza - Campania
Pizza Napoletana - there is nothing else to add, just that we are talking about of the essence of Italian cooking. It seems so easy to do, but in honesty, making a true Pizza is an art and requires much more than just a few simple ingredients like flatbread topped with tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, extra virgin olive oil and basil. The most famous flavour is Margherita. The legend says that this traditional Italian dish was created in 1889 by Neapolitan pizza maker Raffaele Esposito, when Margherita of Savoy (Queen of the Italian Kingdom) visited the city.
Pizzeria Sorbillo, Naples:
- Where: Via Dei Tribunali, 32, 80138, Naples, Italy
- Website: Sorbillo
- TripAdvisor: Sorbillo
Burrata - Apulia
You must surely have heard about Burrata; this Italian product is basically a mozzarella cheese stuffed with leftover mozzarella strands and cream. In this region of Italy, known locally as Puglia, there are a lot of cheese maker’s shop in which to buy or eat a fresh burrata, for example in Bari, Martina Franca, Andria or Corato. This amazing type of cheese was born in Italy in the Apulian city of Andria at the beginning of the 20th century. Other things to know? Due to its freshness, burrata should be consumed within 24 hours, 48 at most, from its production.
Trattoria Pugliese, Gioia del Colle:
- Where: Via Concezione 9, 70023 Gioia del Colle Bari, Italy
- Website: Trattoria Pugliese
- TripAdvisor: Trattoria Pugliese
Arancini - Sicily
Arancini are a traditional food or snack from Trapani, Palermo and Syracuse. There are several versions of these crisp ang golden rice balls, and certainly one of the best known is the one filled with ragout sauce, mozzarella and peas. Sicilian arancini is one of the most widespread culinary symbols of Southern Italy but also a famous Street Food.
Savia Pastry, Catania:
- Where: Via Etnea 300, Via Umberto, Catania, Italy
- Website: Savia
- TripAdvisor: Pasticceria Savia
Gelato - all over Italy
As with the words pasta and pizza, gelato has become a universally-recognised term for a specific type of artisanal ice cream. The taste of the gelato, either in a cup or in a cone, is one of those undeniable pleasures of life that goes hand in hand with the magical atmosphere of all of Italy. You can choose from many different tastes, from the original pistachio from Bronte, the Stracciatella or the classic Buontalenti Cream.
Gelateria Pasticceria Badiani, Florence:
- Where: Viale dei Mille 20/R, Florence, Italy
- Website: Gelateria Badiani
- TripAdvisor: Gelateria Badiani
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