A food tour isn’t just about food. This is about the customs of the people, their mentality and way of life. That is why when traveling, you should pay special attention to the culinary culture of the country. Especially if it’s a trip to Italy.
People say: fine cuisine is a kind of art. And Italy is a place where the best culinary samples are collected.
Choose what you like: an organized group food tour or an independent trip to Italy. However, in both cases, do not forget to purchase health insurance for traveling abroad. According to insurance companies, food poisoning is one of the most common insurance cases that customers face while traveling.
Lombardy
A region of Italy known for the European fashion capital of Milan and the lakes of Como, Garda and Maggiore. Milanese cuisine is famous for its rice dishes, because in the Padana Valley there is the largest plantation that supplies rice to the whole country. A popular dish is Milanese risotto with saffron. In Bergamo and Brescia, traditional dishes include 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 Negroni Sbagliato cocktail. It is one of the top 30 cocktails in the world that every bartender should be able to make. Visit the fishing village of Peschiera Maraglio and enjoy a lakeside lunch at Trattoria del sole with fresh caught fish and local wine. Then go 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 processes of wine, olive oil, jam, and balsamic vinegar, which is made according to a family recipe.
Average prices in Milan:
- Lunch for 2 people in a three-course middle-class restaurant — 70 €
- Local cheese (1 kg) at the bazaar — 13.15 €
- Bottle of wine (medium level) on the market — 5.5 €
Apulia
Part of Italy is located on the Adriatic coast and is known for its unique culinary traditions. It was here that burrata cheese from corvee milk was “born”. This region produces olive oil, which is one of the best in the world. They also make delicious cheeses: ricotta, stratachella, scamorza, mozzarella, cacciocavallo and others. Go to the local cheese shops and choose the one that you like.
Be sure to try the Ciambotto seafood saute with tomatoes, onions and peppers, the best Taranto baked mussels in Italy, and tiela with rice, potatoes and mussels.
Meat lovers should try lamb baked in a clay pot with potatoes and onions, as well as salami and dried meat.
It is worth remembering the” orecchiette ” — a paste that is made by hand and only in Apulia. Its shape resembles small ears.
This region produces 17% of the wine in all of Italy. The most popular are Castel del Monte, Vino di San Severo, Moscato di Trani and Primitivo di Manduria. Take a tour to the winery located in Gioia del Colle, 40 km from Bari. There you will not only taste the wine, but also learn how and how much 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 people in a three-course middle-class restaurant — 47.5 €
- Local cheese (1 kg) at the bazaar — 10.83 €
- Bottle of wine (medium level) on the market-4.5 €
Sicily
An Italian island that will definitely leave a mark on your taste buds. And the point here is not so much in a unique recipe, but in natural and environmentally friendly products that are produced in small factories according to old family recipes.
Here you can try potato crackers and rice balls to warm up the apetite. And then you can choose any dishes of traditional Sicilian cuisine. So, in the city of Catania in the restaurant Trattoria di De Fiore, be sure to try Pasta alla Norma. The main ingredients are pasta, tomatoes, eggplant, grated cheese and basil. Pasta con le sarde is also popular. Just imagine: spaghetti with sardines, seasoned with white fennel, pine nuts, raisins, sprinkled with soft cream cheese.
Don’t forget to try the traditional Sicilian pizza Sfincione. Unlike Neapolitan, this one has a square shape and a thick layer of dough. For this dish, pecorino cheese is used, which is placed under the sauce, and anchovies are used for the filling.
A traditional street food is Pane con la milza. Bun stuffed with boiled meat, sprinkled with grated cream cheese and drizzled with lemon juice. Sicilians must eat it every December on the eve of a major religious holiday – the Day of the Immaculate Conception.
Wine lovers in Taormina should head up to the village of Castelmola, where they can taste local almond wine at the popular bar. You can also visit Etna’s wineries-Benanti, Barone di Villagrande, Cottanera and others.
Average prices in Catania:
- Lunch for 2 people in a three-course middle-class restaurant — 50 €
- Local cheese (1 kg) at the bazaar — 7.60 €
- Bottle of wine (medium level) on the market — 5.5 €
Sardinia
The island of the Mediterranean Sea, which attracts gourmets and those who have already enjoyed the Italian mainland to their heart’s content.
Here you should try the Sardinian Pan carazau bread in the form of thin round crunchy disks, as well as Guttiau bread with olive oil and salt. Popular in Sardinia, bottarga is dry or dried pressed tuna or mullet roe, which is added to dishes: pasta, pizza, risotto or sauces. Costs from 80 euros / kg.
In Cagliari, we recommend trying sea urchin caviar. Hunting them is allowed from December to May, and they cost from 80 euros / kg. Eat it fresh along with local Kannonau wine. Also popular are risotto or pasta with artichokes and sea urchin caviar, or just hot caviar sandwiches. Alternatively, try fregola with seafood and pasta with clams and bottarga.
In the Orestano area, try an eel. In Alghero – lobster Catalan style with tomatoes, onions and sauce with lemon juice and olive oil. In Gallura – octopus and sea devil salad.
Meat lovers are advised to try Porceddu-piglet cooked on a spit with myrtle (spice) and rosemary, as well as wild boar meat.
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:
- Lunch for 2 people in a three-course middle-class restaurant — 50 €
- Local cheese (1 kg) at the bazaar — 12.25 €
- Bottle of wine (medium level) on the market — 7 €
Tuscany
Gastronomically attractive region of Italy, where the cooking process is aimed at preserving the unique taste qualities of the product. That is why almost no seasonings and spices are used here, only garlic, rosemary and sage.
There is a popular combination of different types of bread with olive oil and rosemary. A slice of bread is fried, rubbed with garlic and generously spread with olive oil.
At the local market you will find artichokes, canellini (white beans), fresh and dried tomatoes, capers and black cabbage. In Tuscany, meat dishes predominate over fish. The king of Tuscan cuisine is Bistecca alla fiorentina. This is a steak that is prepared from veal of the highest grade. Fry it to a ruddy, almost burnt crust, and in the middle the meat remains raw.
The most popular restaurant in Tuscany is Trattoria Toscana in Florence. This establishment preserves ancient Italian traditions. Dishes are served there in clay and terracotta dishes, and everything is prepared mainly in a clay oven. Cool but not so popular places in Florence are Da Burde, where you can try pappa al pomodoro soup, ll latini – order their signature Florentine steak, and Trattoria Cibreo-Cibreino.
Visit the wineries of Tuscany: Castello di Verrazzano, famous for its dry red Chianti wines, and Montefioralle Winery – a small family-run winery that produces Chianti Classico and Santo wines.
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:
- Lunch for 2 people in a three-course middle-class restaurant — 60 €
- Local cheese (1 kg) at the bazaar — 14.72 €
- Bottle of wine (medium level) on the market — 5.2 €
Choose a region that you like or go to all of them in turn. Explore the gastronomic culture with pleasure and be sure to try to cook something yourself. In Italy, you will find many master classes: making cheeses, risotto and pasta, authentic Italian pizza, tiramisu, gelatto and much more.
However, remember about your stomach: be sure to bring a first-aid kit and apply for travel insurance in EKTA. It takes about 4 minutes, because the company has introduced chatbots in Viber and Telegram. You can scan your personal data from your passport photo, pay for the selected package in Apple Pay or Google Pay. It’s fast, easy and comfortable.