A Culinary Journey Through Italy

There is no single Italian cuisine. There are twenty regional ones, each fiercely loyal to its own pasta shape, its own cheese and its own opinion of everyone else's. That is exactly why Italy is the best country in the world to eat your way through — and why a good food trip is built on depth, not distance.

Eat the region you are in

The simplest rule of eating well in Italy is to order what the place is known for, and nothing else. In Emilia-Romagna that means fresh egg pasta and slow-aged ham; in Liguria, basil and olive oil; in Sicily, citrus, seafood and the sweetest pastries you will ever have for breakfast.

In Italy nobody asks what you want to eat. They ask what you would like to try from here.

A region-by-region primer

Where to eat

• Family-run trattorias with a short menu and a long lunch

• Agriturismi, where the farm supplies most of what is on the table

• Local markets, early:

  • Buy cheese, bread and fruit for a picnic

  • Stand at a counter for a coffee and a pastry

  • Watch what the locals carry home

• Enotecas for wine by the glass and plates of cured meats

How to spot a trattoria worth trusting

1. The menu is on a chalkboard or a single printed page.

2. The waiter asks if you would like the specials before you ask.

3. Tables are filled with locals at 1pm.

4. There are no pictures of the food on the wall.

Vineyard days

A day among vines is the best way to understand why Italian wine tastes the way it does. Book a tasting, but stay for lunch. Producers often cook at long family tables, and the dishes are chosen to match the wine in your glass.

Words to know

DOC and DOCG mark the country’s protected wine regions. Agriturismo means a working farm that serves its own food. Coperto is a small table charge, and digestivo is the thing you will be offered after dinner whether you want it or not.

Cooking classes worth taking

A good class is a morning in a home kitchen, a market visit beforehand, and a long table afterwards. You learn two or three dishes properly instead of ten superficially, and you leave with something to cook at home.

• Fresh pasta in Bologna or Modena

• Pizza and mozzarella near Naples

• Lemon-grove cooking above the Amalfi Coast

• Olive oil and bread in Puglia

A sample ten-day food route

1. Days 1–3: Bologna and the Emilian countryside

2. Days 4–6: Florence and a Tuscan vineyard stay

3. Days 7–10: the Amalfi Coast, with a cooking class and a boat day

The best itineraries leave room for lunch to run late. Browse the Amalfi Coast Retreat or ask a consultant to plan a route around the dishes you most want to try.