Food & Drink:

Though France is the gastronomic centre of Europe, Italy too has its own special delicacies to offer for the satisfaction of its tourists. Pasta is an essential part of Italian dishes, but every region in the country has its own unique dish. The wines of Italy come from twenty separate regions, from Valle d’Aosta on the French border to Sicily and Sardinia in the south. Table service is common in the café’s and hotels, and there are no licensing laws.

Wine is generally named after the region from where the grapes that go into its making are grown. The wines from the Chianti area, or the Chianti group of vineyards, governed by the Chianti Classico quality controls, denoted by a black cockerel on the neck of each bottle, is one of the most famous wines from Italy.

Denominazione di origine controllata wines come from officially recognised wine-growing areas (similar to Appellation Contrôlée in France), while wines designated Denominazione controllata e garantita are wines of fine quality. Vermouths from Piemonte vary from dry and light pink to dark-coloured and sweet. Aperitifs such as Campari and Punt e Mes are excellent appetisers, while Italian liqueurs include Strega, Galliano, Amaretto and Sambuca. Examples of wine from each region are listed below.
Rome: Food: abbacchio (suckling lamb in white wine flavoured with rosemary), cannelloni (pasta stuffed with meat, calves’ brains, spinach, egg and cheese), broccoli romani (broccoli in white wine), salsa romana (sweet-sour brown sauce with raisins, chestnut and lentil purée served with game) and gnocchi alla romana (semolina dumplings). Of Rome’s cheeses the best include mozzarella, caciotta romana (semi-hard, sweet sheep cheese), pecorino (hard, sharp sheep’s milk cheese) and gorgonzola. Wines: Frascati, Albano, Grottaferrata, Velletri, Montefiascone, and Marino (whites); Marino, Cesanese and Piglio (reds).
Piemonte: Food: bagna caoda (a traditional anchovy soup, served with vegetables), fritto misto piemontese (fried meat, vegetables and fruit), bonet (a chocolate cake made with coffee and local biscuits).
Valle d’Aosta: Food: fonduta (a hot dip with Fontina cheese, milk and egg yolks sprinkled with truffles and white pepper), lepre piemontese (hare cooked in Barbera wine and sprinkled with herbs and bitter chocolate), zabaglione (hot dessert with beaten egg and Marsala wine). Wines: Barolo, Barbera, Barbaresco, Gattinara and Grignolino.
Lombardy: Food: risotto alla milanese (rice with saffron and white wine), zuppa pavese (tasty clear soup with poached eggs), minestrone (thick soup with chopped vegetables), osso buco (shin of veal cooked in tomato sauce served with rice), panettone (Christmas cake with sultanas and candied fruit). Wines: Valtellina, Sassella, Grumello and Inferno.
Trentino and Alto Adige: Food: some excellent sausages and hams come from these regions. Wines: Lago di Caldaro and Santa Maddalena.
Veneto: Food: fegato alla veneziana (calves’ liver thinly sliced and cooked in butter with onions), baccalà alla vicentina (salt cod simmered in milk), radicchio rosso di treviso (wild red chicory with a bitter taste). Wines: Soave, Bardolino and Valpolicella.
Friuli-Venezia Giulia: Food: pasta e fagioli (pasta and beans), prosciutto di San Daniele (raw ham). Wines: Tokai, Malvasia, Pinot Bianco and Pinot Grigio (whites); Merlot, Cabernet and Pinot Nero (reds).
Liguria: Food: pesto (sauce made of basil, garlic, pine nuts and pecorino cheese with pasta), cima genovese (cold veal stuffed with calves’ brains, onions and herbs), pandolce (sweet cake with orange flavour). Wine: Sciacchettra.
Emilia-Romagna: Food: parmigiano (parmesan cheese), prosciutto di Parma (Parma ham), pasta con salsa bolognese (sauce of meat, cheese and tomato served with pasta), vitello alla bolognese (veal cutlet cooked with Parma ham and cheese), cotechino e zampone (pigs’ trotters stuffed with pork and sausages). Wines: Lambrusco, Albana, Trebbiano and Sangiovese.
Tuscany: Food: bistecca alla fiorentina (thick T-bone steak grilled over charcoal, sprinkled with freshly ground black pepper and olive oil), minestrone alla fiorentina (tasty vegetable soup with slices of country bread), pappardelle alla lepre (pasta with hare sauce), tortina di carciofi (baked artichoke pie), cinghiale di maremma (wild boar from Maremma region near Grosseto) with dishes of ham, sausages and steaks. Sweets include panforte di Siena (confection of honey, candied fruits, almonds and cloves), castagnaccio (chestnut cake with nuts and sultanas) and ricciarelli (delicate biscuit of honey and almonds from Siena). Wines: Chianti, Vernaccia, Aleatico and Brunello di Montalcino.
Marche: Food: brodetto (many varieties of fish on toast, garnished with carrot, celery, tomato, laurel tips and white wine), pasticciata (pasta baked in oven, a method preferred by Marches). Wine: Verdicchio.
Abruzzo-Molise: Food: the favourite pasta in this region is known as maccheroni alla chitarra because it is cut in thin strips. Lamb is a favourite ingredient in many dishes. Desserts include parrozzo (rich chocolate cake) and zeppole (sweetened pasta). Wines: Cerasolo di Abruzzo, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo (red); Trebbiano d'Abruzzo (dry white). The district is also home of a strong liqueur known as Centerbe.
Umbria: Food: Extra virgin olive oil, black and white truffles, spaghetti, porchetta alla perugina (suckling pig), carne ai capperi e acciughe (veal with caper and herb sauce) and good-quality local sausages, salami and prosciutto famous throughout Italy. Local ingredients used in Umbrian cooking include pork and beef, cheeses, lentils from the Valerina, fish from Lake Trasimeno and the River Nera, mushrooms and potatoes from Colfiorito. Wine: Orvieto (white, sweet or dry) and numerous red and white wines (including Rubesco from Torgiano and wines from Sagrantino and Montefalco).
Campania: Food: pizza (the culinary pride of Campania) served in a great variety of recipes, bistecca alla pizzaiola (steak with sauce made from tomatoes, garlic and oregano), sfogliatelle (sweet ricotta cheese turnovers) and mozzarella cheese (originally made with buffalo milk). Wines: These come from the islands of Capri and Ischia.
Puglia: Food: coniglio ai capperi (rabbit cooked with capers) and ostriche (fresh oysters baked with bread crumbs). Wines: Sansevero, Santo Stefano, Aleatico di Puglia.
Calabria and Basilicata: Food: sagne chine (lasagne with artichoke and meat balls), zuppa di cipolle (onion soup with Italian brandy), sarde (fresh sardines with olive oil and oregano), alici al limone (fresh anchovies baked with lemon juice), melanzane Sott’Olio (pickled aubergines), mostaccioli (chocolate biscuits) or cannariculi (fried honey biscuits). Wines: Agliatico and Cirò.
Sicily: Food: pesce spada (swordfish stuffed with brandy, mozzarella and herbs, grilled on charcoal), pasta con le sarde (pasta with fresh sardines), caponata (rich dish of olives, anchovies and aubergines), pizza siciliana (pizza with olives and capers) and triglie alla siciliana (grilled mullet with orange peel and white wine). Excellent sweets are cassata (ice cream of various flavours with candied fruit and bitter chocolate) and frutti di marturana (marzipan fruits). Wines: Regaleali, Corvo di Salaparuta (both red and white, a highly aromatic wine ideal for fish), Marsala.
Sardinia: Food: the coastline offers a wide selection of fish, including lobster which is served in soup, stews and grills. Main dishes include burrida (fish stew with dogfish and skate) and calamaretti alla sarda (stuffed baby squid). Wines: Vernaccia, Cannonau, Piani, Oliena and Malvasia.