What to eat in Italy

Halloween is increasingly popular in Italy, especially in larger cities and historic towns. Expect costume parties, ghost tours and some neighbourhood trick‑or‑treating, alongside long‑standing traditions around All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.

Slip off the main drag and Rome softens into villagey corners, street art pockets and leafy hillsides.

Piedmont is a fascinating corner of Italy, a place where grand, elegant cities sit against a backdrop of snow-dusted alpine peaks. But deciding what to see in Piedmont is about more than just ticking off the sights.

Sat in the northwest of Italy with the Alps providing a magnificent backdrop, Turin is a city of elegant architecture and grand squares. As the first-ever capital of a unified Italy, its royal past is evident in the palaces and wide, arcaded streets.

Florence is where it all began back in the Renaissance, supposedly first whipped up for the Medici court. Forgetting the bright green pistachio and fluffy mounds piled high in shop windows is the first step, and understanding the real difference between gelato and ice cream is key to the hunt.

Hunting down the best gelato in Italy is one of those essential things you have to do when you're here, but it's good to know that gelato is so much more than just ice cream. It's a proper daily ritual, a treat that's taken very seriously and is seen as a true art form.

Strolling through a sunny Italian piazza, it’s easy to think that gelato is just the local word for ice cream. The debate of gelato vs ice cream, however, goes far beyond a simple translation.

Trieste might surprise you with just how much there is to do, no matter how long you’re around, or what the weather’s up to. You can happily while away a sunny afternoon on the seafront, dip into grand old cafés, or hunt out relics of the city’s literary past.

The Italian region of Lazio boasts a vast array of traditional products, but cheeses undoubtedly play a central role in the region’s food and wine culture. Cheesemaking in this part of central Italy has ancient origins, dating back to Ancient Rome.