The Food of Italy

Bakery case of Feliziani, a Pasticcerie in Rome

I vividly remember the moment I first saw a European bakery like I had been dreaming of for the past year. I was trailing along behind the group--like a family of ducks--on our way to Vatican City and from the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of the most beautiful cakes and pies I had ever seen. They were picture perfect and they were so close I could actually smell them. I had to go in. Never mind the fact that I was supposed to be diligently following my two professors to the world's center of Christianity where the pope himself lives. You probably don't understand, and I doubt my professors did either, but I had to buy one of the delicious pastries and I had to do it right away.

Mesmerized like a child walking into a toy store I stepped in, almost zombie-like with an enormous grin on my face and eyes open wide taking in every pastry, loaf of bread and cake. I then snapped out of my trance as I realized the group was continuing on down the street and I had to work fast. I whipped out my camera with the urgency of the paparazzi and began fervently taking dozens of photos. I then focused my attention on the problem at hand: I needed to pick something--only one something--to buy. I couldn't decide what to purchase so I settled on the first pastry I had seen, a perfect little cream puff with a dollop of whipped cream and a strawberry slice. I paid for it and ran out of my dream-bakery, back into the real world. But when I popped it in my mouth minutes later, I was back in heaven again.

One of the many delicious pizzas I devoured in Italy, This one is eggplant pizza

I just got back from the trip of a lifetime. I went with 2 professors and 19 other students to the beautiful countries of Italy, Austria, Germany and France. We spent three weeks on the academic pursuit of learning about the art, history and culture of these countries. However, I have a small confession to make...

I went for the food.

Shrimp from Il Casello Ristorante in Monterosso, Italy

Yes, my childhood dream has been to visit Paris and go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. And yes, I could not wait to see the ancient Roman ruins including the Colosseum. I was also very excited to step foot into many old and beautifuly ornate churches, and I could not wait to see great works of art such as the Mona Lisa and Michelangelo's sculptures like The David. But, as most of you know, my heart's true desire is food.

Waiting area outside a restaurant in Rome

After almost 14 hours of flying we finally made it to our first stop: Rome,  Italy. Other cities we visited include: Assisi, Florence, Naples, Monterosso and Venice. We checked into our hotel which was actually a convent ran by Italian nuns who didn't speak a lick of English (after four days of staying there the nuns still didn't understand that WE didn't speak a lick of Italian either, so they would just talk louder and louder hoping we would have an epiphany and miraculously understand Italian).

My first Italian meal was a modest sandwich, which I soon learned were sold on every corner. There were two main varieties: sandwiches with focaccia-type bread, or childish-looking sandwiches on white bread with the crusts perfectly taken off. I usually went for the more rustic looking ones on the focaccia. My first sandwich was made with tomatoes, basil and mozzarella.  Other varieties included sandwiches with cheese and meat, such as ham, salami and bologna.  Wraps were also available, and most sandwiches could be warmed or toasted upon request.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Italian sandwiches, but my weakness has always been desserts. Before going to Europe I made the goal of eating gelato every day while in Italy, and I am proud to say I was quite successful.

Rome Gelaterie

Gelato is Italian ice cream and I was delighted to learn that it is actually healthier than American ice cream because it has a significantly lower butterfat content and slightly less sugar. While in Europe, I swore I would never eat regular ice cream again, but unfortunately have already broken that vow with Tillamook's chocolate peanut ice cream, which is, in my opinion, the next best thing to gelato.

Since we are on the subject of desserts, I must tell you of the best tiramisu I have ever had. Towards the end of our visit in Italy we were in Monterosso, which is a quaint little beach town on the Mediterranean. On a sunny beautiful day we decided to have a very nice dinner at a beach-side restaurant called Il Casello Ristorante. We sat outside under big yellow umbrellas and I couldn't wait to order seafood, since I hadn't had any yet in Italy. Of course, the seafood was great, but the tiramisu was even better. I tried so very hard to eat it as slowly as possible so as to savor every last bite.

Tiramisu at Il Casello in Monterosso

Before I even left for my trip I decided that I would do everything in my power to try as many different foods I could. I wanted to immerse myself in the Italian culture and eat like an Italian. I quickly learned that a very important aspect of Italian culture is daily espresso. I don't mean espresso like Americans think of espresso: grande white mocha, for example. No I mean espresso. Straight espresso. 

When walking past any restaurant or cafe you are almost guaranteed to see at least one Italian taking an espresso shot out of a small white cup. Most of the time these "shots" are taken standing up at the counter. It didn't take me long before I realized I must get over my sensitivity to caffeine and adversity to strong, black coffee, and just try one. I would not let myself leave Italy without taking a shot of espresso. Well, I'll have you know I did it. Of course, I dumped about two packets of sugar in first, but in the end it wasn't all that bad--however, I would choose an Italian cappuccino over espresso any day!

I had so many awesome meals in Italy, and took pictures of every single one. I wish I could talk about everything I ate, but if I did this blog post would be the length of a novel--if it isn't already... 

Check back soon because I will be blogging about the rest of my travels and all the great meals I had in Austria, Germany and France! Ciao!

 
10 Things Everyone Should Know about Eating in Italy

1. Water is never free. You will be given a water bottle and a glass and charged an obscene amount for this.
2. Salad dressing as we know it does not exist. Be prepared to be served a beautiful salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar to be drizzled on it.
3. You will often pay a service fee to sit and eat and/or drink at a restaurant.
4. Gelato is an amazing and inexpensive dessert. Eat as much of it as possible. 
5. Remember, euros are not equivalent to dollars. Believe it or not, I would sometimes almost forget this. Just because something seems like a good deal for 15 euros, does not mean it is a good deal when you realize you are paying about $21 for it (depending on the current exchange rate).
6. Do not expect to be served Olive Garden style bread sticks with your meal. Bread is usually not served (or is not free) and the bread sticks that are offered are skinny, hard, and crunchy sticks.
7. Decaf is usually not an option. If you ask for it and they actually understand what they are saying, they will look at you with disgust and wait for you to order a real espresso drink.
8. Sandwiches are NEVER served with condiments. I am convinced that Italians have never met mustard or mayonnaise.
9. Nutella is everywhere. Take advantage of this fact on every possible occasion. 
10. Italy has wonderful food, but make the effort to get off the beaten tourist path and discover the local favorites! 

**Fore more food-filled reading check out David Lebovitz's recent blog post about eating in Rome