Planning your dream holiday in Italy? Well, that has to include delicious food and we've been putting together a guide to the unmissable culinary delights that you should make a point to try in a previous post. Book your villa in Italy, read on for the rest of our picks, and start looking forward to some of the best meals of your life...
Milan
If you find a vacation rental in Lombardy then be sure to pay a visit to the region's cosmopolitan capital and fashion hot-spot. Explore Milan’s endless chic bars, restaurants, and coffee shops and you will find not only endless tasty Italian delights but wonders from all over the world. However, if you’re after something distinctly Milanese, then we recommend their minestrone (using rice unlike the pasta used throughout the rest of Italy), ossobuco (the city’s signature veal dish prepared with vegetables in white wine and broth), and gorgonzola, which hails from the nearby town of the same name. If you’re about at Christmas? Try the panettone as Milan is one of the places that claims to have been its birthplace.
Modena
Modena is another gem to visit on holiday in Emilia-Romagna; famous for her supercars and balsamic vinegar. While the former might not be within your budget or the easiest souvenir to bring home in a suitcase, we do suggest stocking up on some incredibly delicious balsamic vinegar if you are in town – you’ll thank us later!
Naples
Venturing back down south to a perfect villa in Campania, you might head to Naples for a day and, of course, the city has lots of history and so much to offer culturally as well as when it comes to food. However, as the birthplace of pizza, it would be silly not to sample the real deal! Handy to have on the go as you explore the city and both delicious and inexpensive, it’s the perfect snack.
Parma
Emilia-Romagna’s lovely towns and cities really are synonymous with famous and beloved foods. Parma is inextricable from its globally-renowned ham. So, if you have booked a vacation rental in Emilia-Romagna and plan to visit Parma then be sure to sample it at its best on its home ground.
Perugia
In our recent post about Italian chocolate on our sister site, Italy Villas, we discussed various towns that are famous destinations for those with a sweet tooth. Among them, Perugia is intimately connected to its world-famous chocolate brand Perugina and even hosts the largest international chocolate festival in the world, Eurochocolate, each November. In addition to all of this, if you are in town or have booked a holiday rental in Umbria at all, be sure to try the region’s other famous kind of truffles – the kind that grows – one of the most celebrated delicacies in the globe. While truffles can be readily found through much of central and northern Italy, Umbria does also host the Mostra Mercato Nazionale del Tartufo Bianco in November, a truffle festival that is celebrated for selling some of the best examples on the market internationally.
Rome
As the capital and a city with an incredibly long and rich history, Rome, of course, has plenty to offer on all fronts and culinary offerings are no different. In fact, Rome is where many beloved dishes hail from including carbonara, cacio e pepe, bruschetta (although Tuscany contests this!), and more. Other local classics and specialities include pecorino romano (the local equivalent of parmesan), carciofi alla giudia (“artichokes cooked in the Jewish style” – a tradition from the city’s ancient Jewish community), fiori di zucca (“zucchini flowers”), fava beans, gnocci alla romana (usually served on Thursdays), and the famously paper-thin Roman pizza. So, book a villa in Rome and expect to eat very, very well – giving you the energy necessary to dart all over the city.
Turin
Like many places, the elegant city of Turin (a must-see for those who book a holiday rental in Piedmont) has many other culinary delights to offer but one of the stand-outs in a region already famous for chocolate is her chocolatey coffee, bicerin. Available all over the city but best enjoyed in the place in which is was probably invented in the 1700s, Caffè al Bicerin, it is a perfect pick-me-up for a coffee-loving tourist.
Venice
Finally, wining and dining is a key element to any romantic escape in Venice and there are plenty of incredible things to sample. Of course, to drink there is prosecco, from the wider region of Veneto. Then, when it comes to food, the coastal location means that there are plenty of delicious dishes like bigoli in salsa (pasta in a sauce of onions and sardines or anchovies) and risotto al nero di seppia (risotto in squid ink). Be sure to do like the Venetians and enjoy an aperitivo of cicchetti, the local equivalent to tapas, and a spritz out in a sunny piazza – the dream!
So, be sure to read our previous post with the first half of our list of must-try foods in Italy and plan a perfect culinary getaway in Italy today.
