Italy is acclaimed by tourists for the beauty of its landscapes, its rich historical heritage, the hospitality and kindness of its inhabitants, especially to children, its incredible cities such as Venice or Rome, its legendary way of life but also for its gourmet and generous gastronomic cuisine.
From Italy, we are all familiar with pasta and pizza but a little less with its other culinary specialties, which are just as tasty. Similarly, pasta in Italy is never "simple" pasta because there are so many varieties and recipes to accompany it, just like pizzas, which are totally different from those we can taste elsewhere in Europe.
We would like to take you on a tour of Italy through some of its gastronomic specialties.
Risotto alla milanese
The term "risotto" comes from risottiera which is the round dish in which rice was served. Originally, risotto was a typical Sicilian dish. Over the years, it migrated to Lombardy where Risotto alla milanese is now a world-famous specialty. In this region of northern Italy, it is found made with mushrooms, truffles, meat...
Tiramisu
Here again, the famous Italian dessert made with coffee, mascarpone and marsala is found everywhere in the boot, but it originated in Venice. In the 15th century, Tiramisu, whose name means "pull me up" or "give me strength", was the Venetian prostitutes’ favourite dessert, but also much-appreciated by Venetians and their lovers for its aphrodisiac properties. Today, you don't have to be in love to enjoy this delicious dessert.
Lasagna
The dish comes from the city of Bologna, in north-eastern Italy, which also gave its name to the Bolognese sauce "el ragù alla bolognese". The term comes from the Greek word "lasagna" which means "kitchen tripod" and which characterizes the object on which the strips of dough were stretched and cut. Made with meat and tomato sauce, cheese, béchamel sauce and the famous pasta rectangles, this dish is a delight for the whole family.
The recipe for real Bolognese lasagna
Bruschetta
A specialty of the Abruzzo region, Bruschetta is traditionally served as part of antipasti assortments, the hors d'oeuvre served as an aperitif. It is a slice of toast with olive oil, rubbed with garlic and garnished with tomato and basil. There are many variations today, all over the country.
Neapolitan pizza
The pizzeria in Naples in which the first modern pizza was prepared in 1780 still exists. If you are going to Naples, don't forget to visit Pietro e basta cosi!
You should know that "the art of making traditional Neapolitan artisanal pizzas by Neapolitan pizzaïolos" has been listed on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 2017.
These are some of Italy's most iconic dishes, but we could have mentioned el parmiggiano, the famous cheese, carbonara pasta - in which there is no fresh cream - cappuccino, agnolotti... Italian cuisine is very varied, always made with fresh and seasonal products.
Why not make a road-trip to Italy to discover all its delicious specialties and good food?
In Italy, our vehicle pick-up and drop-off points are located in Rome and Milan, a great opportunity to visit the cities, which also have plenty of traditional recipes to discover.
