As you travel around Italy, you’ll notice a difference in the cuisine from region to region—and it’s not all about pasta.  You may fall in love with one dish in Florence, but when you get to Venice or Palermo it’s nowhere to be found.  In the north of Italy, meals tend to be heavy and substantial—enough to pack on the extra layers needed during the harsh winter.  But as you travel south, you’ll notice that risotto and polenta are harder to come by, being replaced by sardines and anchovies with vegetables or lemons.  Fear not, what you crave in one place can easily be satisfied with a specialty dish of the next city.  Here is a list of typical dishes of some of Italy’s most gastronomically-inclined regions:

Liguria—Gnocchi and trofie with pesto, seafood, focaccia, easy-to-eat food that fishermen can take with them on-the-go.

Sicily—Seafood, arancini (fried rice balls fills with meats and cheese), caponata (stewed vegetables mixed with olives, anchovies, and capers), pasta alla norma with eggplant, pasta con le sarde (pasta with sardines).

Lombardy—Risotto, polenta, agnolotti (half-moon pasta), cotoletta (veal cutlet), osso bucco.

Piedmont—Vitello tonnato (veal in tuna sauce with capers); meat, egg, and cheese-filled agnolotti; dishes alla cacciatora, or hunter’s style.

Emilia Romagna—Ravioli and its relatives.  Meat and cheese-stuffed, spinach or chard with cheese, pumkin-filled, and chestnut-filled varieties of ravioli, tortellini, agnolini, cappelletti, tortelli.  Lasagna and tagliatelle are popular as well, but not as famous as Parmiggiano-Reggiano cheese, mortadella, or prosciutto di Parma.

Tuscany—Bruschetta is common throughout the region, but not just topped with tomato.  Sliced veal, anchovies, capers, liver, and clams can also be put atop a crunchy piece of bread.  While pastas such as pappardelle and Siena’s pici are widely-used, rich soups thickened with day-old bread are more common first courses—ribolitta and pappa al pomodoro are some.  Bring your appetite for tripe and bistecca alla fiorentina, about half a kilo of beef cooked rare.

Umbria is where you’ll find variations of hand-made spaghetti: strangozzi, strozzapreti, umbricelli, brignoli.  Black truffles grow rampant, so winter and fall dishes will feature these delicacies.

Lazio—Pasta amatriciana, gnocchi alla romana, and pasta carbonara.  There are also an abundance of greens in the area, including many variations of lettuce, radicchio, endive, and arugula.  Also produced is pecorino romano cheese; ricotta; and fior di latte, provola, and provatura mozzarellas.

Abruzzo—The spicy pasta arrabbiata and pasta carbonara, which is now also popular in Lazio.  Lots of lamb dishes as well as dishes spiced with saffron, which grows in the region.

Campania—Pasta puttanesca, spaghetti with clams, mozzarella in carrozza (fried mozzarella), plenty of seafood, including mussels and anchovies.  Then, of course, you have Naples’s famous pizza and calzone.

Which region has your favorite Italian food?

The Vatican glows during Christmas. (photo by Hello, I am Bruce via flickr)

Christmas in Rome is lively yet peaceful.  Italians bustle around the city preparing for the celebrations ahead of them while twinkling white lights along the city’s shopping thoroughfares add festive flair.  Vendors sell roasted chestnuts on nearly every corner and the capital’s main piazzas are overtaken with holiday entertainment, including nativity scenes, seasonal markets, Christmas trees at Piazza Venezia and the Colosseum, and even an ice skating rink at Castel Sant’Angelo.  Christmas day is usually quiet, as Romans gather with family for a traditional Christmas lunch.  With few tourists visiting at Christmastime, you will have Rome pretty much to yourself.  Here are some ways to celebrate Christmas—Roman style.

Zampognari
Keep an ear out for strolling zampognari.  These shepherds from the Abruzzo region dress in native sheepskin vests and felt hats and play bagpipes around the city—particularly near Via Condotti and the Spanish Steps.  So take advantage of this Roman tradition while getting in some last-minute shopping!

The Vatican
St. Peter’s is a no-brainer when it comes to places to explore during Christmastime.  A towering tree and life-size nativity scene are two main attractions, drawing thousands of visitors.  While you’ll need tickets to get into the Vatican  for the Pope’s Christmas Eve midnight mass, you can observe it on giant screens in St. Peter’s Square for free.  Arrive before noon the next day to catch a glimpse of the Pope in person as he appears at his apartment window to give a Christmas blessing.

Piazza Navona
Rome’s biggest Christmas market is held at Piazza Navona, as stands selling games, toys, candies, crafts, artwork, and ornaments circle the famous Fountain of the Four Rivers.  Children beam while riding the Christmas carousel and when Santa and La Befana visit.  Festive lights and music help transform the piazza into a winter wonderland.

Christmas at the Auditorium
To add some Christmas cheer to your evenings in Rome, take in a concert during Christmas at the Auditorium (December 8 – January 8). Arrive at Auditorium Parco della Musica early to explore the food stands, holiday market, and ice skating.

Autumn in Asti is beautiful and an afternoon of wine tasting during San Martino in Cantine is a great way to enjoy it! (photo by angelocesare via flickr)

There are a handful of days left to enjoy warm autumn afternoons, and the Feast of Saint Martin on November 11 tends to be one of those savored days. Marking the end of field work and the beginning of the harvest, Saint Martin’s Day is celebrated with feasting all across Italy.  People enjoy the plethora of seasonal products like truffles, pumpkin, zucchini—all of which get sliced and diced into Italian cuisine.

While all of that delicious produce is available at markets and on restaurant menus, a different crop takes the spotlight on Saint Marks Day: the grape.  It’s on this day that the bottling of the year’s new wine, or Vino Novello, takes place and that samples from last year’s vintage are uncorked.

Wineries across the country from Chianti to Campania, Amalfi to Abruzzo, capitalize on this seasonal sensation and open up for San Martino in Cantina (this year on Sunday, November 13).  Pairing up last year’s wine with local, seasonal food, San Martino in Cantina is one of the biggest wine festivals in the country, particularly aimed toward those who want to learn more about wine and wine tasting.  So enjoy the last few days of fall, the crop of seasonal food, and the first taste of last year’s Vino Novello during San Martino in Cantina.

Tuscany's thousands of vineyards makes it one of Italy's largest wine-producing regions. (photo by rayced via flickr)

Every September, Italy moves from summer mode into wine mode, with la vendemmia, the annual grape harvest, during which time the country’s most beloved crop is gathered and turned into stunning red, white, rosé, and sparkling wines.

With nearly one million vineyards throughout the country with perfectly parallel rows of grapevines everywhere from the flat lands of Tuscany to the staggering cliffs of Cinque Terre, Italy is one of the largest and oldest wine producers in the world.  It may come as no surprise, then, that the country also leads the world in wine consumption.  So when you go, it’s only right to join the locals.

Italian wines are classified under four categories: Vino da Tavola (basic table wine made in Italy), Indicazione Geografica Tipica or IGT (simple wine made from a specific Italian region), Denominazione di Origine Controllata or DOC (wine made under government regulations to preserve a its unique identity), and Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita or DOCG (a small number of the highest quality wine produced under government regulations)—the most being produced in Tuscany and Piedmont.

With the grape harvest right around the corner, here is a region-by-region look at some of the most sought-after wines from around Italy.  Keep it handy during your vacation so you’ll know what kind of wine to sip in every city you visit.

Abruzzo DOCG: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Colline Teramane; DOC: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Controguerra, and Trebbiano d’Abruzzo

Basilicata DOCG: Aglianico del Vulture Superiore; DOC: Matera and Terre dell’Alta Val d’Agri

Calabria DOC: Bivongi, Ciró, Greco di Bianco, Pollino, and Verbicaro

Campania DOCG: Aglianico del Taburno, Fiano di Avellino, Greco di Tufo, Taurasi; DOC: Campi Flegrei, Capri, Cilento, Penisola Sorrentina, and Vesuvio

Emilia–Romagna DOCG: Albana di Romagna and Colli Bolognesi Classico Pignoletto; DOC: Lambrusco, Sangiovese di Romagna, and Bosco Eliceo

Friuli–Venezia Giulia DOCG: Ramandolo, Colli Orientali del Friuli Picolit, and Rosazzo; DOC: Friuli Aquileia, Collio, and Lison Pramaggiore

Lazio DOCG: Cesanese del Piglio and Frascati Superiore; DOC: Castelli Romani, Colli Albani, Montecompatri-Colonna, Est! Est! Est! di Montefiascone, Velletri among others.

Le Marche DOCG: Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi; DOC: Bianchello del Metauro, Rosso Cònero, Lacrima di Morro d’Alba, and Falerio dei Colli Ascolani

Liguria DOC: Cinque Terre Schiacchetrà, Colli di Luni, Colline di Levanto, Golfo del Tigullio, Riviera Ligure di Ponente, Rossese di Dolceacqua, Val Polcevera, and Pornassio

Lombardy DOCG: Franciacorta, Moscato di Scanzo, and Valtellina Superiore; DOC: Garda Classico, Cellatica, and Botticino

Molise DOC: Biferno, Molise, and Pentro di Isernia

Piedmont DOCG: Asti, Barbaresco, Barbera d’Asti, Barbera del Monferrato Superiore, Barolo, Brachetto d’Acqui, Dolcetto di Diano d’Alba, Erbaluce di Caluso, Gavi, Gattinara, Ghemme, and Roero; DOC: Barbera d’Alba, Freisa d’Asti, and Freisa di Chieri

Puglia DOCG: Primitivo di Manduria; DOC: Aleatico di Puglia, Cacc’e Mmitte di Lucera, Salice Salentino, and Rosso di Cerignola

Sardinia DOCG: Vermentino di Gallura; DOC: Malvasia di Bosa, Moscato di Sorso-Sennori, Moscato di Cagliari, Vernaccia di Oristano, Cannonau di Sardegna, Nuragus di Cagliari, Carignano del Sulcis, and Mandrolisai

Sicily DOCG: Cerasuolo di Vittoria; DOC: Moscato di Noto Naturale, Moscato di Pantelleria, Moscato di Siracusa, Marsala, Malvasia delle Lipari, and Sambuca di Sicilia

Trentino-Alto Adige DOC: Alto Adige/Südtirol which has six subzones, Valdadige, Teroldego Rotaliano, Casteller, and Lago di Caldaro/Caldaro

Tuscany DOCG: Chianti, Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Carmignano, Vernaccia di San Gimignano and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano; DOC: Bolgheri, Vin Santo del Chianti, Bianco della Valdinievole, and Ansonica Costa dell’Argentario

Umbria DOCG: Sagrantino di Montefalco and Torgiano Rosso Riserva; DOC: Rosso Orvietano, Colli del Trasimeno, Assisi, and Colli Altotiberini

Val d’Aosta Blanc de Mordex et de la Salle, Petit Rouge de Enfer d’Arvier et Torrette, Petite Arvine; DOC: Val d’Aosta

Veneto DOCG: Amarone di Valpolicella, Recioto di Soave, Prosecco, and Bardolino;  DOC: Valpolicella, Lessini Durello, and Bianco di Custoza

There is more to Italian souvenir shopping than just stocking up at a corner kiosk. (photo by garycycles6 via flickr)

Shopping for souvenirs in Italy is easy.  Head to any market and you’ll find the standard David aprons, pope calendars, Leaning Tower of Pisa statues, and striped Venetian gondolier shirts.  And then there are the edible souvenirs like olive oil, cheese, wine, and chocolate.  But finding a more, shall we say, quality souvenir can be difficult.  Here are a few authentic souvenirs to ensure that your Italian vacation won’t be forgotten.

Italy is known for its leather and there’s no better place to snag a nice wallet, bracelet, or purse than at the leather school at Santa Croce in Florence.  Almost hidden near the end of a hallway off of the basilica, the leather school has a variety of genuine leather products made on site.  You can even watch the talented students in action!

Love Italian coffee?  Afraid of those big Starkbucks-style machines?  Pick yourself up a moka pot, or Italian stovetop espresso maker, at any homegoods store.  And to create your own, at-home Italian caffetteria, pair it with a nice set of espresso cups.

You can find “Murano glass” nearly everywhere in Italy, but buyer beware—it may not be from the Venetian island.  While locals are trying to diffuse the situation, the tiny island is having a huge problem with products labeled as Murano glass actually being made in China.  Support the traditional art by heading over to the charming island to pick out a true piece of Murano glass—you may even see some glassmakers at work.

Like everything in Italy, tickets to events (especially big soccer matches like Roma vs. Lazio or opera performances at Milan’s La Scala) tend to be works of art.  While you’re in Italy, pick up a nice frame to showcase the ticket so you can constantly relive the event.

Siracusa, Sicily, still keeps the art of papyrus alive, making the ancient paper by hand and using it as a canvas for beautiful paintings.  After checking out the Papyrus Museum, head to Ortigia where you’ll find papyrus shops along Via Capodieci near the Duomo.  Whether it’s a bookmark or wall hanging, you can’t get more original than hand-painted.

Ceramics are a great way to add color to your home, be it numbers for your house, a piece for the garden, or a serving dish.  Stay away from the generic lemon-shaped plates and go to a ceramic capital like Deruta (Umbria) or Castelli (Abruzzo) to pick out a locally-made piece.

But the best souvenir you can possibly take home is the pounds you’ll put on as you eat your way across the country.

What’s the best souvenir you brought home from Italy?

Bright colors, glitter, and bows abound at Easter time. There are different ways to spend the holiday in Italy. (photo by albissola.com via flickr)

In Italy, it seems as though there is always a reason to celebrate—from saints’ days to birthdays, street fairs to food festivals—but the biggest and most festive of them all is just over a month away: Easter.

There are two ways to go about celebrating Easter in Italy.  The first is to partake.  Every town and city across the country pays homage in a different way, be it a solemn mass, a parade, an open-air feast.  With the entire town coming out to celebrate, this is a great time to see locals in their element and to take part in authentic traditions.  Whether it’s a parade of angels chasing away devils in the Dance of the Devils in Sicily or a personification of the Virgin Mary during La Madonna che corre in piazza in Abruzzo, there are plenty of places to interact with locals and celebrate the holiday.

The second way to go about celebrating Easter in Italy is to take advantage.  With entire city populations and the majority of tourists participating in religious and cultural festivities, it’s the perfect time to sneak in a few attractions where you’d otherwise have to wait in line or run the risk of someone photo-bombing your family portrait.  For example, while the masses are celebrating with the pope at St. Peter’s, head over to the Spanish Steps, which you’ll find nearly deserted.  Or, while fireworks are going off in Florence’s Piazza del Duomo during its annual Scoppio del Carro (Explosion of the Cart), take your time exploring the masterpieces at the Uffizi and Accademia galleries.

In either scenario, be sure to end your day with a typical Easter feast of lamb or goat—and seeing as though it falls so late in April this year, you’ll most likely be able to dine al fresco!

Though this sunset over a Tuscan vineyard is breathtaking, there are many other regions in Italy known for their wines. (photo by echiner1 via flickr)

If you asked, many locals and visitors alike would tell you that autumn is the best time to visit Italy—temperatures are becoming more pleasant after the heat of summer, the number of tourists is lessening, and the harvest of grapes and olives means fantastic wine and olive oil.  And with the wine harvest comes wine festivals.  Lots of them.

During late September and early October, grapes around the country are plucked from their vines and crushed with methods old and new to bottle up what will become some of the world’s best wines.  While you may not drink the benefits of la vendemmia, or grape harvest, for a few months, or in some cases a few years, Italians still use this time of year to celebrate the possibilities. 

La vendemmia is not only a good time to taste wines, it’s also a perfect opportunity to learn about wines and the winemaking process.  Whether red or white, sparkling or still, the time and effort put into harvesting, preparing, and fermenting wine is truly a process.  And at some vineyards throughout the country, you can try to get in on some of the action.  But if manual labor isn’t really your thing, then sit back, relax, and enjoy a glass (or two) of the best wine that Italy has to offer during these fantastic wine festivals.

La Festa dell’Uva in the town of Impruneta in Chianti takes place on the last Sunday of September.  Said to be the oldest harvest festival in Italy, Festa dell’Uva gives people the chance to take part in the harvest of this beautiful Tuscan town—the reward is being able to sip on some fine Chianti Classico.  And then there’s the Pigio—a grape-pressing competition in Poggibonsi, where the seven districts of the towns have a stomp-off to see who can crush the most grapes.

But it’s not just Chianti and Tuscany that are famous for Italian wine. The Veneto region, home to Venice and Verona, also produces some fantastic vino, as does Piedmont, home to the city of Asti—famous for its Asti Spumante.  It’s there that the annual Douja d’Or, or Golden Glass, wine festival takes place (September 10-19), featuring over 500 wine producers offering tastings and lectures. 

Here are some of the other wine festivals to check out this fall while you’re sipping your way through Italia:

Bardolino Grape Festival (Veneto)
Festa del Lambrusco (Emilia Romagna)
Festa del Vino Spoltore (Abruzzo)
Festa dell’uva e del Vino (Lombardy)
Sagra dell’uva e del Vino (Liguria)
Il Vicolo del Vino (Alto Adige)

The name “Castelli” represents two things: a small, hillside town in Italy’s Abruzzo region and the colorful ceramics for which the village is known.

Settled in pre-Roman times, the town only has 1600 inhabitants but is often frequented by art collectors and those who are looking for a small retreat in the Appenine Mountains area.  Serving up Abruzzo’s fine cuisine, the town is also home to The Art Institute and Museo delle ceramiche—both featuring exhibits on the creation and history of ceramics, not to mention displays of some of the most gorgeous local pieces.

So what’s so special about this Castelli form of ceramics?  One of Italy’s best-known crafts, Castelli is like England’s blue and white cottage-ware china in that it is a blend of ceramics and traditional art, depicting scenes, landscapes, coats of arms, animals, flowers, astrology—anything and everything you might see on a canvas.  But unlike the muted cottage-ware, these pieces are bright, busy, and colorful. 

Some of the custom Castelli commissioned by the Orsini family (photo via Wikimedia)

Most popular between 1500-1700, Castelli ceramics are made out of local clay and then topped in the majolica style with a clear, colored glaze.  But what makes Castelli special is that it is also coated with a tin glaze, creating a perfectly white surface on which to paint using a metallic paint, which is absorbed into the white with intense color.  It isn’t until the painting is complete that the clay is put into the fire—twice—to harden.

While some of the hand-painted designs on the vases, plates, tiles, and cups can lean toward the tacky side of the spectrum, others are elegant and refined, perfect for wall hangings or on display in any china cabinet.  In fact, over the centuries, some of Italy’s famous families commissioned custom Castelli dinnerware.

Today, any under par Castelli pieces that can’t be sold in one of the many shops throughout town or during the month long “August a Castelli” city-wide street market are disposed of in a dramatic manner.  On August 15, locals participate in the “Lancio del piatto,” smashing unfit pieces near the Leomogna River. 

So this August, visit Castelli, buy some Castelli, and then help break some Castelli!

Get ready for some Abruzzo heat with pasta all'arrabbiata! (photo by Sebastian Mary via flickr)

As you can probably imagine, Italian cuisine varies throughout the country.  While each region has its own specialties, you’ll notice one commonality amongst them all—the use of local, fresh ingredients unique to that part of the country.  Along the coast, you’ll get plenty of seafood, while areas inland might specialize in prosciutto or veal.  Even the pasta, which you will find anywhere you go, varies across the peninsula.

Luckily, the province of Abruzzo has it all.  Spanning the land in between the Adriatic Sea and the Apennine Mountains means fish from the ocean and vegetables, herbs, and animals on land.  So what’s the region’s specialty?  Some would say the seafood, some the scrippelle (crêpes), others the virtu soup.  And all would say the wine, the maccheroni alla chitarra (guitar pasta), or spicy agnello all’arrabbiata (“angry” lamb ragù). 

Maccheroni alla chitarra got its name from the guitar-like tool used to cut the flat egg dough into thin strips—a wooden box strung with metal wires.  The pasta is typically served with tomatoes, beans, local Pecorino cheese, or the aforementioned agnello all’arrabbiata, a lamb ragù doused with so many spicy peperoncino chili peppers that the only word to describe it is “angry.”  In fact, whenever these diavolini (little devils) are used, the dish is deemed “all’Abruzzese.”

Abruzzo’s wine—particularly the red Montepulciano—has made the region Italy’s largest producer of wine.  And thanks to the mountainous terrain, Abruzzo is a great spot to grow grapes—the region’s most important crop.  Its most famous wines are Controguerra (the red a dry blend of Merlot and Cabernet or the dry, fruity white version), Trebbiano d’Abruzzo (a fruity, acidic white), Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (a red wine—the most notable of the region), and Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Colline Teramane (a red wine with smoky hints of cherry and plum).

Hungry yet?  Let us know what Abruzzo specialty you’re craving!

One of Abruzzo's many hilltop towns, with the Apennine Mountains in the background. (photo via Wikimedia)

Last week, the region of Abruzzo—particularly the L’Aquila area—went Hollywood as actor George Clooney and his fellow cast members returned to shoot some additional scenes for the upcoming movie The American.  Based on the Martin Booth novel A Very Private Gentleman, the movie features Clooney as a semi-retired assassin seeking refuge in a secluded Italian village.  

And in Abruzzo, there are plenty of small villages to choose from.  Located just 50 miles east of Rome bordered between the Adriatic Sea and the Apennine mountains, Abruzzo is technically considered a part of Southern Italy.  Though the region is often overlooked by travelers, both Europeans and Italians are slowly realizing that Abruzzo makes for a great vacation spot since it offers the best of both worlds: beaches and mountains.  With over 90 miles of coastline, 21 ski areas, five national parks, and some of the best-preserved medieval and Renaissance hill towns in the country, the region has something to offer everybody.  

In Abruzzo National Park, take in some of the most rare flora and fauna in the Mediterranean, including chamois, wolves, bears, and golden eagles.  In the Apennines, ski mountains at the same height as many Alpine resorts—with more snow.  Or do some climbing or hiking at Corno Piccolo.  Then, sample some locally produced wine, olives, vegetables, fruit, saffron, and liquorice.  

With so many options in this unique region barely touched by modernization, get to Abruzzo while it’s still a secret Italian destination.