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Posted: 8/17/2022 9:46:22 PM EDT
[#1]
I found the food very fresh but bland compared to what most of us are used to. You will notice the lack of sugar and salt in everything pretty quick. Like I said it will taste fresh! If you go to a Florence you need to do the steak for sure. They are huge and quite good but again different from what we are used to here. We did the Amalfi coast, Sorrento, Florence and Rome. Florence and Sienna were my favorite of the trip. Rome is huge and you could spend weeks there looking at stuff and trying places to eat. If you go to Florence visit the American WWII cemetery just outside of town.
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Posted: 8/17/2022 9:48:25 PM EDT
[#2]
My family got off the boat form southern Italy and settled in east Harlem. Grandma was an artist in the kitchen. The big difference, in my opinion, is that they keep every ingredient tasting fresh. When you go to an American Italian place everything kind tastes like it's been stewing together for an hour
Her pizza was basically some dough, a thin layer of some sort of crushed tomatoes and mozzarella with herbs. Doesn't sound special but it was dynamite, it seemed every ingredient kept it's individual flavor through some sort of magic. All of her dishes where like this. Still plan on visiting the family left in Italy to see for sure.They speak zero English, I only know Italian curses. 
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Posted: 8/17/2022 9:48:31 PM EDT
[#3]
Fattening. Big carbs!
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Posted: 8/17/2022 9:49:52 PM EDT
[#4]
The minimum quality is much higher than in the US. I had really good pizza in a gas station. With a plate and real silverware
Its hard to find shitty food. For really awesome high end food, it’s also easier to find than in the US, though in general food here has come a long way in the last 30 years so it’s not like everything you have there will be better than here. For example, I didn’t have any pizza that would have made the top 5 places that I’ve had in the US, but I didn’t go to Naples and I’m kind of obsessed with pizza so I search out great places in the US. The most memorable meals I had was some truffle pasta I had in the middle of nowhere in Tuscany that was like 18 euros and was fucking incredible, a sea urchin pasta I had in a beach town south of Rome that was life changing, and a Michelin starred place in Como that was one of the most gorgeous places I’ve ever been to. Highly recommend the Michelin guide, they have non-starred places all over that are very affordable and will not disappoint. |
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Posted: 8/17/2022 9:50:41 PM EDT
[#5]
I was really impressed and enjoyed visiting Italy. If you're thinking about going, you should.
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Posted: 8/17/2022 9:51:20 PM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Had a pizza in a small town outside of Salerno. I did my best to order in Italian but was not proficient at all. The owner of the place shushed everyone sitting there, asked for someone who spoke English, brought them up and had them translate. The place was a dive, but the pizza was better than in Naples. 6 euros. Awesome people awesome food. Man I can’t wait to go back. Tempting to buy one of those $35k abandoned homes just to have a place there. |
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Posted: 8/17/2022 9:52:09 PM EDT
[#7]
Always get the house wine.
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Posted: 8/17/2022 9:53:28 PM EDT
[#8]
If I had to choose between a Greek or Turkey foodie trip.... Italy is the last choice. Brazil is my 1st.
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Posted: 8/17/2022 9:53:39 PM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Always get the house wine. That’s another thing that has a great minimum quality for way less than in the US. |
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Posted: 8/17/2022 9:54:12 PM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryQuoted: That's another thing that has a great minimum quality for way less than in the US. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Always get the house wine. That's another thing that has a great minimum quality for way less than in the US. |
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Posted: 8/17/2022 9:57:17 PM EDT
[#11]
OP
Save your money and come to the state of Youngstown. We make the best Italian food here. |
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Posted: 8/17/2022 9:58:06 PM EDT
[#12]
Yeah but, can you get a good hamburger?
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Posted: 8/17/2022 10:00:15 PM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Man I can’t wait to go back. Tempting to buy one of those $35k abandoned homes just to have a place there. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Had a pizza in a small town outside of Salerno. I did my best to order in Italian but was not proficient at all. The owner of the place shushed everyone sitting there, asked for someone who spoke English, brought them up and had them translate. The place was a dive, but the pizza was better than in Naples. 6 euros. Awesome people awesome food. Man I can’t wait to go back. Tempting to buy one of those $35k abandoned homes just to have a place there. Me too. Want to spend time in Rome and then head to Sicily. |
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Posted: 8/17/2022 10:01:19 PM EDT
[#14]
The food in Florence is absolutely fantastic. Especially at the steak houses.
Pro tip, tip like your in America and they will give you lemon cello to get you on your way. I would seriously cut a bitch to get back in that steak house. |
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Posted: 8/17/2022 11:00:02 PM EDT
[#15]
In short - much different than American-Italian. And obviously it's an opinion about what is "better".
I don't get people saying it's less meat than American-Italian..they must have never been to Italy but instead "know a guy" who has? In Italy it's actually more about the pasta and meat and ingredients, and less about drowning everything in sauce that typical American-Italian does. If you don't believe me, go take a cooking class in Italy and see what their bolognese looks like. It's more meat than tomato. Don't get me wrong - I grew up on sauce soaked dishes as much as the next paisano....but that is not Italy-Italian. |
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Posted: 8/17/2022 11:05:03 PM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryQuoted: My brother's first ex-wife is French, his second is Italian, his current girlfriend is Brazilian. He's a Million Miler with Delta thanks to his work and leisure taking him all over the world. His go-to place to eat whenever he's traveling? McDonalds, of course.  Quote HistoryQuoted: My brother's first ex-wife is French, his second is Italian, his current girlfriend is Brazilian. He's a Million Miler with Delta thanks to his work and leisure taking him all over the world. His go-to place to eat whenever he's traveling? McDonalds, of course. lulz I can vouch for the coffee at the McDonalds across from the Florence train station when you wake up in the middle of the night/morning with a group of cops and Africans staring at you and a river of puke running downhill. Good coffee circa 1998 |
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Posted: 8/17/2022 11:11:54 PM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Anywhere. If it's that good, I'll add to my bucket list. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Italy is big. Where in Italy? Anywhere. If it's that good, I'll add to my bucket list. Da Cesare in Rome. I actually think there’s two with similar names, I don’t remember which. But the veal saltimboca was amazing. In Manarola (Cinque Terre), we had an awesome meal at Ristorante Marina Piccola. The place had an awesome view, the fried mixed shrimp whatever entree was tasty, but the best part was the pesto gnocchi. It had never occurred to me to put pesto on gnocchi, so I had to try it and was very happy I did. I can’t say we really had any bad dinners. Even the place in Milan that served the red wine cold was good. As a general rule, avoid restaurants in plazas, especially touristy areas. They cater to the tourist and you’re likely to get better Italian food in West Virginia. |
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Posted: 8/17/2022 11:12:08 PM EDT
[#18]
There are like 18 regions and each one has more history than the US. Their dietary evolution is all over the place.
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Posted: 8/17/2022 11:39:01 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Don't go to places that advertise a "tourist menu." It tastes better because of all the fresh ingredients, depending which area you visit. If you visit Florence (and you should), try the Bistecca alla Fiorentena. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/6163/Florentine-steak-experience-1024x768_jpg-2492864.JPG Seafood in the coastal areas, porcini risotto in the north, etc. Yes! The food, wine, and gelato were had in Rome, Florence, and Venice were incredible! 
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Posted: 8/17/2022 11:40:49 PM EDT
[#20]
Go to Volterra. Get the wild boar stew. Thank me later.
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Posted: 8/17/2022 11:44:21 PM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted: But why is it better? Most EU places don't process the food and dump as much sugar in their food as they do here. Less artifical crap makes it taste like real food. That being said, get out your fucking checkbook. It's quite a bit more expensive. |
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Posted: 8/17/2022 11:52:04 PM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Go to Volterra. Get the wild boar stew. Thank me later. Had wild boar Bolognese in Greve that was really good. Also had the best balsamic vinegar I've ever tasted that day at a castle/winery. |
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Posted: 8/17/2022 11:58:02 PM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Had wild boar Bolognese in Greve that was really good. Also had the best balsamic vinegar I've ever tasted that day at a castle/winery. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Go to Volterra. Get the wild boar stew. Thank me later. Had wild boar Bolognese in Greve that was really good. Also had the best balsamic vinegar I've ever tasted that day at a castle/winery. |
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Posted: 8/18/2022 12:07:49 AM EDT
[#24]
Years ago I was in Milan on business. A colleague and I went walking and found a little place down a side street. It was so good we went back a couple of times. The staff were tickled that 2 Americans kept coming back to their place.
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Posted: 8/18/2022 12:08:41 AM EDT
[#25]
It’s amazing. I’m an Italian food snob.
Spent 2 years as a Mormon missionary in Sicily and Puglia. Some of the best areas for food. As others have said the touristy areas are okay. The better are off the beaten path or downright eating in peoples homes. Italians bond over food so if you make some friends and or speak Italian you will not go hungry. Walking into a restaurant outside the main tourist squares and being able to speak Italian/making it about getting to know THEM rather than a transaction usually results in getting fed their very best at low cost. So many missionaries didn’t care and wanted to eat at McDonald’s. While it was nice to have a taste of the states I made sure to learn how to cook well. My non-Italian family has an entire heirloom book full of secret Italian recipes that I learned from grandmothers in Sicily. There are restaurants in the states that do it pretty well. Even a few out here in Utah. Boston has great Italian food in the little Italy district. One street north of Paul revere’s house is amazing. I walked in and spoke Italian and we ended up with a table full of street food (easily $50 worth in the menu) for almost nothing. He just kept bringing us things to try. Fresh ingredients and care for the process matter. You aren’t going to get that at Olive Garden. |
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Posted: 8/18/2022 12:32:46 AM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted: In short - much different than American-Italian. And obviously it's an opinion about what is "better". I don't get people saying it's less meat than American-Italian..they must have never been to Italy but instead "know a guy" who has? In Italy it's actually more about the pasta and meat and ingredients, and less about drowning everything in sauce that typical American-Italian does. If you don't believe me, go take a cooking class in Italy and see what their bolognese looks like. It's more meat than tomato. Don't get me wrong - I grew up on sauce soaked dishes as much as the next paisano....but that is not Italy-Italian. What we call Bolognese sauce here is a simplified version of Ragu Al Bolognese. A quality Ragu Al Bolognese takes many hours of slow cooking that builds layer after layer of flavor. I worked at high level nationally awarded place where we made It with ground Rabbit, let me tell you, the prep for it alone took a fair amount of time, much less actually cooking it, which, is a more complex process. I think what makes the Euro traditions of cooking so top notch is the freshness and heart they put into it. Unlike in the US, meals are seen as a celebration of culture/national identity that trace back historically quite some time. Being Italian, for example, means a bit of pride knowing that you are part of a culture that traces back to the Roman Empire, great explorers like Marco Polo(or the people that name is based on), Da Vinci, etc, So, eating a meal made with that passion for culture is not just a “stuff your face”, it is made with respect to that past. BTW, if you want Tomato sauce in Italy, ask for Pomodoro. If you ask for Marinara, you will get Tomato sauce with Fish in it. Another one of those differences. |
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Posted: 8/18/2022 3:02:53 AM EDT
[#27]
Going out to eat was great. You can spend hours at dinner.
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Posted: 8/18/2022 3:12:48 AM EDT
[#28]
I've only been to Rome, but everything I had was amazing other than a pizza that I got at some classy restaurant. It was the worst pizza I've ever had.
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Posted: 8/18/2022 3:23:30 AM EDT
[#29]
I’ve only been in Milan and Southern Switzerland (Locarno, on the Italian border). LOVED it! Especially the wine and the bottle of homemade / help yourself Limoncello on the table at the conclusion of the meal, and also the glass of Prosecco when you walk in! You’ve been given great advice go to the locals places. I wanted to learn about Italian wines…Dino y Christina’s Wine Bar was right down the street from our hotel. Dino was awesome! Found my favorite type of wine, Amarone!! He brought out the wheel of pecorino Romano and sliced off a bunch of it…oh my! One of his patrons, a quite lubricated regular, came out with a crate of freshly picked mushrooms. Yes please! What can we make for you? My Dad went with Fungi pasta, myself with Fungi Bisteca (mushrooms n steak), so amazing!!
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Posted: 8/18/2022 3:31:45 AM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Years ago I was in Milan on business. A colleague and I went walking and found a little place down a side street. It was so good we went back a couple of times. The staff were tickled that 2 Americans kept coming back to their place. Same experience here! At the end of our trip we brought some customers to the same place - we had a table in their courtyard. So amazing! It was Osteria Fara. |
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Posted: 8/18/2022 3:40:50 AM EDT
[#31]
When I was in Florence the food was amazing. On my last day there I found a wood fired pizzeria behind our hotel that was off the chart good. It was behind the Hotel Bagaloni
We went to a very nice restaurant called Il Latini and they essentially bought out a 12 course meal farm house style. I remember everything being very farm to table fresh. The steak and pork was melt in your mouth good. The street food was good, especially the biscotti and gelato. Il Latini |
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Posted: 8/18/2022 5:17:18 AM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryNo gravy? ...stupid American gavone. Commendatori is a great episode. |
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Posted: 8/18/2022 5:50:59 AM EDT
[#33]
stayed in an agriturismo (working farm open to visitors ....a hotel and restaurant ) in Apice, outside Benevento
we were there for a week, just as the season was starting, so we were the only ones there 50 euros for the bed.....per person.....an extra 10 for meals.....we had no car so we took the deal all the food and wine was from the farm: aglanico dry red wine unlimited, farm fresh veggies, meats and eggs all the salumi, olives, olive oil, cheese was made right there.... no menu....just show up in the dining room and they brought you food....as much as you wanted it was spectacular....only complaint: the bed/mattress was terrible, but a small price to pay for an amazing week we were treated like family.....it was an mind boggling experience |
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Posted: 8/18/2022 6:05:27 AM EDT
[#34]
Not much to add on what's already been said.
Food is fucking amazing but try to stay away from places that border the more touristy areas in areas like Rome and Florence, in my experience they sucked and were low effort. But there's tons of history, tons to see, people are friendly for the most part as long as you don't act like a typical entitled American douchebag tourist. Go visit there - it's worth it. |
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Posted: 8/18/2022 6:14:59 AM EDT
[#35]
I have been a handful of times to each Venice, Rome, Naples. I find their food to be similar to any good US Italian restaurant, just without any flavor.
Sauces are very watered down, much less meat, etc. We have significantly improved on Italian cuisine in the US. There is plenty to appreciate in Italy, but the food wasn’t it. Shortly someone will be along to say you need to get out of the tourist areas and get “real” Italian food. They are right to push you out of the tourist areas, but the food doesn’t improve. -Mike |
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Posted: 8/18/2022 6:21:33 AM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryQuoted: True Neapolitan pizza is vastly different from what's typical here in the states. If you go to Naples give it a try (Antonio & Antonio right by the water is a good choice). Topping choices were a surprise because rarely was there any meat. I expected sausages and pepperoni's and ham and what not, but for the most part there was a maybe a single salami choice to be had. Nonetheless, a good Pizza Margherita with just sauce, buffalo mozzarella, and basil is amazing. It is a downright amazing choice. In Rome you must eat pizza at 320 Gradi. |
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Posted: 8/18/2022 6:21:40 AM EDT
[#37]
Quote HistoryQuoted: If I had to choose between a Greek or Turkey foodie trip.... Italy is the last choice. Brazil is my 1st. Greece has fresh fish like the rest of the med and well run restaurants but it is not a great foodie destination. Turkish is not much different. I was just there last month. French and Italian an are undoubtedly the two greatest food cultures in Europe. The best modern cooking is in Scandinavia, the Netherlands, the UK and Ireland. |
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Posted: 8/18/2022 6:34:15 AM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryEwwww. |
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Posted: 8/18/2022 7:02:48 AM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Go to Volterra. Get the wild boar stew. Thank me later. I ate Cinhiale all over Tuscany. I think Volterra is the only sizable town I didn’t stop in. Just passed through on the way to the coast from Siena. It is amazing how the food changes there vs the interior. I will be going back this coming Summer and will add to my list. Last 2 trips based in Siena. This one will base in Lucca. Only spent a day there but it was fantastic. |
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Posted: 8/18/2022 7:04:54 AM EDT
[#40]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Most EU places don't process the food and dump as much sugar in their food as they do here. Less artifical crap makes it taste like real food. That being said, get out your fucking checkbook. It's quite a bit more expensive. The exchange rate is 1:1 now or about 20% cheaper than in the past on average. |
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Posted: 8/18/2022 7:22:03 AM EDT
[#41]
Quote HistoryQuoted: OP Save your money and come to the state of Youngstown. We make the best Italian food here. Lol no kidding. Most restaurants are italian restaurants. Something like 30+ just in the city proper. |
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Posted: 8/18/2022 7:33:14 AM EDT
[#42]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I have been a handful of times to each Venice, Rome, Naples. I find their food to be similar to any good US Italian restaurant, just without any flavor. Sauces are very watered down, much less meat, etc. We have significantly improved on Italian cuisine in the US. There is plenty to appreciate in Italy, but the food wasn’t it. Shortly someone will be along to say you need to get out of the tourist areas and get “real” Italian food. They are right to push you out of the tourist areas, but the food doesn’t improve. -Mike Sorry but this is so wrong. Maybe you are missing sugar and salt? There are some great Italian restaurants in the US but they are the exception. In Chicago there are dozens of good choices from small neighborhood osterias to fine dining. Still not the same though. The people at many of these are off the boat but the ingredients are not. |
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Posted: 8/18/2022 7:35:31 AM EDT
[#43]
I ate in a waterfront restaurant in Venice when I went, and it was probably the best Italian food I have ever had
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Posted: 8/18/2022 7:49:10 AM EDT
[#44]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Fattening. Big carbs! BIG AMERICANS BURN BIG CARBS |
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Posted: 8/18/2022 7:53:18 AM EDT
[#45]
Much smaller portions than here in the US (that's why they aren't all fat), fresh ingredients, simple, authentic, and everything isn't soaked with butter and cheese.
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Posted: 8/18/2022 7:56:25 AM EDT
[#46]
Panini,panini,panini! LOL. I heard this slot from sidewalk places. Didn't eat much panini. I had one of the best seafood meals of my life on the south side of Capri. Our waiter , Costanzo, was one of the most genuinely likeable people I've ever met.
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Posted: 8/18/2022 8:06:10 AM EDT
[#47]
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Posted: 8/18/2022 8:09:55 AM EDT
[#48]
you are easting for enjoyment...locals are eating to survive
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Posted: 8/18/2022 8:10:54 AM EDT
[#49]
you are easting for enjoyment...locals are eating to survive
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Posted: 8/18/2022 8:25:17 AM EDT
[#50]
When I went several years ago I was thoroughly disapponted. We didn’t have a single decent meal while we were in country.
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