Italy has it all, which is why I consider it one of my favorite countries. The art, the history, the natural beauty, and of course the food are all fantastic attributes to il bel paese. The nation has such a wealth of food options that a typical Italian-American restaurant does not reflect.
Each region of Italy has its own “menu”. While Carbonara may be amazing in Rome (trust me, it is) you won’t find fantastic Carbonara in Naples. You’ll probably taste the best pizza of your life there, however. If you’re planning a trip to Italy, make sure to eat by region and not just by the overall country.
SO, If you’re visiting…
1. Piemonte
Feed your blood with raw, cured meats such as prosciutto. If raw meat scares you, try a hearty meat like rabbit or veal braised in red wine local to the region. The capital city of Turin is also the birthplace of Nutella so make sure to try their unique chocolate.
2. Lombardia, Italy
Here, indulge in carbs with a dish of risotto or polenta. The region is known for these grainy plates. Lombardy, much like Piemonte will serve up fantastic veal served braised in wine. Panettone is where fruit cake spawned from, however unlike this dense version Panettone is much lighter and includes aromatic dried fruit. Much like fruit cake, both are traditional Christmas dishes that can be enjoyed year round.
3. Friuli Venezia Giulia
This region is known for beer! In Friuli Venezia Giulia you’ll find your share of craft beers known as “farmers ale” which is all home hopped and unique to the rest of the world. If you’re looking to soak up all of the alcohol definitely try their lasagne or potato gnocchi created with unique ingredients like one including poppyseeds, winter squash, or even plums.
4. Valle d’Aosta, Italy
The smallest region of Italy certainly packs big flavor. You’ll find hearty foods and views in this Alpine region bordering Switzerland. Indulge in thick soups like minestrone or a barley soup to warm your soul in the chilly mountains and rich cheeses to spread on local rye bread. If cheese isn’t your dairy of choice, try their locally made sweet butter made alpine-cattle-range-to-table. Have a sweet tooth? Try a desert made with freshly grown pears and apples simmered in red wine.
5. Trentino Alto Adige
Hiking is popular in the mountains of this region, so be sure to pack yourself a snack that won’t spoil fast! This region is known for it’s cured meats such as speck (cured and lightly smoked ham) or mortadella, both of which make an amazing panino. If you like some cheese with your meat be sure to try trentingrana, a locally made hard cheese similar in texture to parmigiana. Since this region has many Austrian influences, be sure to try some apple strudel if you want something sweet after your hike.
6. Liguria, Italy
Liguria is a region on the sea and therefore is famous for their fantastic seafood dishes. Squid stuffed with lamb is an interesting dish of the region, but Liguria is also known worldwide as the birthplace of pesto and limoncello. Lemons grow along the steep seaside cliffs and truly make the best limoncello in the world. A classic pizza of this region is a margarita drizzled in pesto.
7. Veneto
Veneto is another region on the sea and the home of the city on water – Venice. It is well known for their fantastic rice production, in fact the rice grown along the River Tartaro is an IGP Protected product. Shellfish like mussels, crabs, and clams are popular in Veneto as well as salty fresh anchovies. Big fish also dominate the Venetian Lagoon such as sea bass, black goby, and bream and are a must try in the region. Locally produced wine is also a must in Veneto.
8. Emilia Romagna, Italy
Emilia-Romagna is home to the food capital of Italy – Bologna! Bologna is world famous for their bologna as well as bolognese sauce. This region is also home to the town of Modena so be sure to indulge in plenty of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and Modena wine. You’ll want to fill up on hearty meats in this region like veal and pork.
9. Toscana
Wine, wine, wine! Tuscany is home to rolling hills and the most lustrous wines of the Italian countryside. A glass of Chianti Classico is a must and packs bold flavors only known to this region. Truffles are also cultivated here. These mushrooms are flavor powerhouses difficult to find but easy to add to dishes. This region is also home to rich pecorino cheese which is fantastic alone or mixed into pasta dishes.
10. Marche, Italy
Marche is the place to try a unique pasta known as lumachelle, with a dough made from eggs, cheese, and bread crumbs. Oven baked pasta dishes are also popular here, so make sure to try fresh baked lasagna. If you’re on the coast fish soups such as brodetto are quite popular. This soup is made with any kind of fish blended with ingredients such as vinegar, flour, garlic, and saffron.
11. Abruzzo
Abruzzo packs a unique flavor, often incorporating lamb and sheep from the mountains into its regional dishes. Lamb ragu is a must try in Abruzzo, but if you’re high in the mountains the rich lamb dish (and I mean the entire lamb, the meat is often cooked alongside the innards) cortello is cooked and often has an earthy flavor. Lamb skewers, mountain greens and artichokes are other local favorites
12. Umbria, Italy
If you’re staying in Umbria, pasta served with black truffles or a sauce made from spicy tomatoes is a must. Umbria heavily relies on seasonal produce such as mushrooms and wild asparagus. Chicken liver, especially made into a pate with truffles and served on crostini is another local specialty. cured meats and cheeses are often marinated with black truffle, creating a pleasant and bold flavor unique to the region.
13. Lazio, Italy
Being right next to the pizza capitol of the world, Lazio is well known for it’s white pizza. If you’re visiting the capital city of Rome, pasta carbonara is a must. Carbonara is a spaghetti dish made with egg, chili pepper flakes, guanciale (pigs cheek), and garlic. Artichokes are another popular Roman dish. Bucatini is a local pasta that must be tried in Lazio.
14. Molise, Italy
Molise is most famous for Baccala Arracanto. It is a dish made from cod cooked in fireplaces under ash or ovens to substitute and seasoned with breadcrumbs, pine nuts, walnuts, raisins, olives, and cherry tomatoes. A unique fruit to the region that must be tried is tortalalli. Tortalalli is a melon meets cucumber – melon like in flavor but shaped like a cucumber. It is often served in salads and is an important flavor in Molise cuisine.
15. Puglia, Italy
The heel of the Italian boot is yet another seafood capitol of Italy. Particularly, salted cod is a must here. To make this popular and unique dish, cod fish is dried in a thick pack of salt which is then broken when it is ready to be served. Puglia is also the home of orecchiette, the internationally recognized ear shaped pasta often served in an olive oil based sauce. Any local fish is also a good Puglian choice.
16. Campania, Italy
Campania is home to Naples, the pizza capital of Italy! Any pizza is good here, but it is the birthplace of the famous Neapolitan style pizza. Pizzas are often popular street foods in the heart of Naples. Deep fried dough is stuffed with ricotta and cheese, creating an amazing fried pizza unique to the region. Caprese salad, especially with buffalo mozzarella is a popular starter in Campania.
17. Basilicata, Italy
Red peppers, both fresh and dried are incredibly native to this region and are used to spice up just about anything, especially the peppers of the regional town Senise. Bread dishes like Pane cotto and strazzata are often served in this region. The U shaped cured meat Lucanica is another must try in Basilicata.
18. Calabria, Italy
Calabria is the toe of the Italian boot and packs tons of unique flavors. Nduja is a must try in this region and is a spicy version of salame. It is spreadable and typically made with pork shoulder and belly. Caciocavallo is the most popular cheese of the region. You may also want to try swordfish along the coast.
19. Sicilia, Italy
Sicilia is known for the three S’s: Seafood, sorbet and sardines. Sardine pasta is a must try here. Sicilia is also the birthplace of the world-famous desserts cannoli as well as other dessert ricotta dishes, plenty of fried sweet breads resembling donuts like pignolata, and sorbet. This island off the coast is perfect to indulge your sweet tooth. With its proximity to Africa, Sicilia is also home to popular international dishes such as couscous.
20. Sardegna, Italy
Sardegna is miles off the coast of Italy and therefore has some of the most unique regional dishes in the country. This region is known for its lobster and dogfish which the rest of Italy tends to feign away from as it is solely local to Sardegna. You may also come across suckling pig on this island.
Although each region borrows flavors from each other once in a while, no two regions are the same when it comes to cuisine. Make sure to try everything that Italian food has to offer on your next trip to Italy.
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