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?

Traveling to a country with its own set of customs, way of life, and, of course, language can be daunting.  Getting accustomed to Italy, with its foreign signs, ancient cobblestone streets, small cars, cover charges at restaurants, and Euro conversions may throw your mind into a tizzy.  Whether you’re in Rome or Florence, Verona or Milan, knowing some basic Italian can get you pretty far.  While chances are the locals you interact with will be able to speak English, and certainly your tour guide will, it’s still important to know a few key words and phrases to get through your trip.  Even in places like Venice, Naples, and Sicily, where dialects are heavily spoken, the more Italian you know, the more authentic you’re experience will be.  So, practice away—soon you’ll be able to sing the captivating song of Italian.

There are two descriptors that apply to all of Italy, but the Southern region of Campania perfects them: breathtaking scenery and guilt-inducing gastronomy.

Campania’s nearly 220 miles of glistening coastline along the Tyrrhenian Sea is home to the jewels of the Amalfi Coast, Sorrento, and the Flegrean Islands of Capri, Procida, Nisida, Ischia, and Vivara, as well as their sandy and stone beaches.  The region’s capital city of Naples is a daunting mix of class and chaos, with gorgeous architecture, charming shopping districts, and esteemed museums dissected by zooming cars and thousands of the warmest residents the country has to offer.

The region balances a Greco-Roman history with historical sites like the ghostly ruins of Pompei and Herculaneum a short drive from the best-preserved Doric temple in the world in Paestum.  Fast-forwarding a few centuries, Campania is also home to the royal palace in Caserta, whose elaborate gardens and expansive mansion give Versailles a run for its money.

And then there’s the food.  Many of the dishes we consider Italian mainstays in this country come from Campania: calzone, spaghetti, tomato sauce, buffalo mozzarella, fiordilatte mozzarella, ricotta cheese, zeppole, sfogliatella, struffoli, countless seafood dishes, and, of course, pizza.

Sip on Amalfi Coast-made limoncello while watching the sunset in Salerno; be a part of the glitterazzi in Capri; grab a real slice of pizza in Naples; and step back in time in Pompei.  Campania has it all covered.

Christmas Eve dinner in Italy is a seafood-lover's dream! (photo by Matteo Paciotti Photography via flickr)

When asked about holiday traditions, most Italians’ first response will be about food.  Alongside some everyday staples, special plates of fish, delicate side dishes, and hearty meats are paired with regional wines and bubbly prosecco to round out the traditional holiday menu.   But it’s not just about feasting—the most important thing about the holidays is gathering around a table with family and friends to reflect on the year that has past and to share in a meal that has been prepared with love.  So put some Italian flair on your holiday meals this year by adding some of these specialties.

Christmas Eve
The most well-known Italian Christmas Eve menu has seven fish, but, depending on the town, it can contain nine or thirteen!  This menu, mainly found in Naples and Southern Italy, is fairly strict: drowned broccoli rabe, vermicelli (either with anchovies, clams, or just olive oil and garlic), eel, fish salad, and dessert.  The other fish dishes are served around the eel, and can include lobster, baccala, mussels, shrimp, or whatever fish the chef can get.  In other parts of Italy, like Rome, expect some fish dishes on Christmas Eve rounded out by fried antipasti like mozzarella and artichokes.

Christmas Day
The mid-day Christmas feast centers around turkey, or in some cases pheasant, rooster, or pork.  The primi piatti consist of baked pasta like lasagna or the soup cappelletti in brodo, which features pasta stuffed with meats, cheese, or pumpkin. Small plates and sides include crostini, sometimes with chicken liver or rabbit paté; boiled spinach; and roasted potatoes.

New Year’s Eve and Day
Capodanno meals are just as elaborate as those served at Christmas and usually focus around lentils, their round shape representing coins and therefore riches for the coming year.  You’ll also find stuffed pig’s foot, called zampone, and, obviously, plenty of prosecco.

Dolci
Of course, these meals finish with a dolci, or dessert.  The most commonly served is the panettone, a dome-shaped sweet bread from Milan that traditionally contains candied fruit.  Other sweet tooth favorites include struffoli, fried balls of dough and honey; cenci, fried dough sprinkled with powdered sugar; panforte and pandolce, sweet breads from Siena and Genoa, respectively; rococo, almond rings; toasted almond ice cream; and dried fruits and nuts.

Buone feste e buon appetito!

New Year's Eve turns Italy into one giant celebration.

There’s only one way to sum up how Italians celebrate the holidays: “Natale con i tuoi, Capodanno con chi vuoi,” Christmas with family, New Year’s with whomever you want.

New Year’s Eve is one of Italy’s biggest celebrations, rung in with fireworks across the country, swanky parties, dancing, music, and, of course, food.  The traditional New Year’s Eve menu consists of lentils, pork, and sausage, symbolizing prosperity and richness of life in the coming year.

After dinner, there are plenty of places to see and be seen on New Year’s Eve in Italy: the gala at Florence’s Uffizi Gallery, the Concerto di Capodanno at the legendary La Fenice Theater in Venice, the world-famous fireworks display over Naples, or staying up until the sun rises with thousands of concert-goers in Rome’s Piazza del Popolo.

Ring in the new year in style with any of our customized New Year’s itineraries:

Concordia Tour—a week of exploring Sicily, spending New Year’s Eve in the island’s capital, Palermo.

Fantasia Italiana: Southern Italy—12 days in Italy’s breathtaking southern region, spending New Year’s Eve in the mountaintop perch of Taormina, the Pearl of the Mediterranean.

A Luxurious New Year’s Eve in Florence—a relaxing stay at the five-star mansion Villa Cora, just steps from Boboli Gardens, with a 6-course grand gala dinner to celebrate the new year.

A Five-Star New Year’s Eve in Rome—four days at Rome’s exclusive Hotel D’Inghliterra near the Spanish Steps with day tours and an indulgent 6-course New Year’s Eve dinner.

Dinner and Music for New Year’s Eve in Rome—Be in the center of Italy’s New Year’s Eve celebrations with this 4-day stay at the Regina Hotel Baglioni near the Trevi Fountain.

No matter where you end up this New Year’s Eve, but sure to pop open the prosecco as the clock nears midnight!

Milan's Duomo is even more beautiful during December. (photo by angelocesare via flickr)

With winter arriving early to the northeast and across many other parts of the US, it’s time to start thinking about the holiday season.  Falling snow, jingling bells, and twinkling lights help make the season brighter here in the States, but Italy has its own holiday wonder that lasts for a month, starting in early December.

With elaborate Nativity displays, gorgeous light shows, and charming markets occupying many of the country’s bustling piazzas, Christmas in Italy is a magical time.  After slipping into a food coma for a few days, the celebration starts up again for New Year’s Eve and then once more for Epiphany.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll bring you information about holiday activities in all of Italy’s major cities, as well as off-the-beaten-path celebrations, traditional holiday menus and recipes, and, of course, ideas on how to see the best of Italy during the holidays and every day.

From Rome to Florence, Torino to Palermo, Venice to Naples, learn the holiday traditions of the cities and regions across Italy, and ready yourself to go home to Italy for the holidays—be it this year or next.

Do you have any tips for spending the holidays in Italy?  Share them with us!

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.

In the past couple of days, some newsworthy items about travel inItalyhave come across our radar.  Because we like to keep you informed about current events both travel- and Italy-related in addition to scheduled goings on in the boot-shaped country, we thought we’d give you a quick recap.

Through October, you can take a night tour of Pompei.  The 90-minute guided tour, Le Lune di Pompei, starts at the gate near the amphitheater and continues through the ancient city’s main entrance near the necropolis, giving you a sense of how it felt to enter the city in Roman times.  The nighttime atmosphere lends a magical quality as actors dressed in period clothing appear to give information about various sights.  The tour concludes in the amphitheater with a re-enactment of Mount Vesuvius’ eruption.  While a reservation is required for this special tour, it still makes for a great excursion from Naples or the Amalfi Coast and we’ll be happy to arrange your hotel accommodations and transportation.

Moving north to Florence—the city has recently started offering the FirenzeCard, which gets you into over 30 of the Renaissance City’s historic museums, villas, and monuments for one flat fee of 50 Euro.  Over the span of three days, skip lines and booking fees while taking in the best of what Florence has to offer.  The FirenzeCard is the perfect companion for one of our Independent Tours and Packages.

And in Venice, expect to see an extra hospitality tax added onto your hotel bill.  The amount will be based on the star-rating of your hotel and will be a per-night charge for up to five nights.  The fee for a 5-star hotel, for example, will be five Euro per night.  The revenue generated by the new tax will be put toward restoring the precious City of Water.

Italians love their saints, but there’s one whose face you’ll see constantly, from street corner shrines to the sides of mac trucks: Padre Pio.

Born on May 25, 1887 in Pietrelcina in Campania, Francesco Forgione, or Padre Pio as he later came to be called, made his home in San Giovanni Rotondo across the boot in Puglia and lived and worshiped there until his death on September 23, 1968.  Padre Pio would preach for hours atSanta Maria delle Grazie church, where he is now buried, and would take care of the sick throughout town and the country.  It can’t go without saying that the saint also bore the marks of the stigmata—for which he is famously known.

These days, over seven million pilgrims make their way to San Giovanni Rotondo to pay homage to the miracle worker—so many that a new church was built by famed Genoa-born architect Renzo Piano in order to house the worshipers.  The modern building, completed in 2004, stands in stark contrast to the age-worn architecture around it, accommodating 6,500 people inside and an additional 30,000 outside.

Every September 23, Padre Pio’s saint day, San Giovanni Rotondo, a town of just over 26,000 people, is overtaken by pilgrims, celebrating the saint with a torchlight procession and religious ceremonies.  Hundreds of stands selling religious souvenirs fill the streets as locals and visitors alike pay tribute to Padre Pio.  In addition to visiting the saint’s tomb, chambers, and the area where he greeted followers, which you can visit throughout the year, special events and services take place on and around the 23^rd.

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