Katherine's Next Trip!

If you were to say, “Katherine, your next trip REALLY IS to Italy,” my mind would start dreaming of where I would eat on that trip. Having lived in Italy for two years and taken two other trips back to visit since then, I have some places I DREAM about when I am not there.  For me, food is a VERY important part of the trip, as it helps to experience the country and culture even more than just exploring the sites and cities.  If you find yourself in any of these places, BE SURE to visit and enjoy!

Pizzeria Trianon: Salerno (and Napoli)

Diavola

I’ll be honest, one of the best pizzerias for my FAVORITE type of pizza, the diavola at la Tombola, with spicy salame (along the lines of a pepperoni pizza here in the US) closed, so I need to find a new one.  Trianon might be it!  It is an outpost of the original one in Napoli and has the MOST delicious pizzas in town.  

My favorite pizza is the diavola, with fior di latte cheese, spicy salame, basil and chili pepper.  My friends also have loved their capricciossa pizza (with prosciutto, mushrooms and olives) but you can never go wrong with the margherita, the classic tomato basil and mozzarella pizza from the birthplace of pizza.   You can find it in Piazza Gioia Flavio, just a bit off the Corso, the main shopping street in town.  If you have good weather, it is wonderful to sit outside and watch the kids play around the fountain while you enjoy your delicious pizza.  

Nettuno: Salerno

Fragola e Limone

Perfect for an afternoon stroll under the sun or an evening stroll after an amazing southern Italian meal along the water, Nettuno is where Salerno enjoys their gelato.  They have amazing flavors from both the cream-based gelato and sorbetto sides of the spectrum, and you will be spoiled for choice after you pay for your gelato and bring the ticket to the gelato case (that’s the order, pay first and then pick your gelato!).  My choice is the PERFECT mixture of lemon and strawberry gelato to go along with an afternoon stroll along the water.  Remember, any gelateria worth its salt will have metal containers, natural colors, the top of the gelato will be below the rim of the container and will ABSOLUTELY let you get at least 2 flavors in one cup or cone (I’m looking at you, disappointing Venetian gelato shop).  If I am visiting after dinner for a perfect end to my evening, I will choose their Nutella flavor with almost any of their stellar flavors like fior di latte or stracciatella.  Their Nutella flavor is UNMATCHED in most of Italy with its dark brown color, where I have only seen Nutella mixed into a plain base flavor in most of the gelaterias in most of my travels.  If you want to level up your gelato game, I recommend selecting some of the most delicious looking cream-based gelato and getting it made into a brioche gelato sandwich (“gelato con brioche”), grab some napkins, pick a bench on the lungomare, and try to devour it before it melts away! 

il Forte dei Cappuccini: Peschiera del Garda 

            Gnocchi with Gorganzola and Meringue

My pick on Lake Garda is a whole meal experience that gets it on the list.  On a perfect weather day, take a walk along what I declared the “lungolago” which is just the pathway that leads you away from town and to il Forte dei Cappuccini. Once a fort to protect the region, it has now turned into a restaurant situated upon the ruins with a beautiful view of Lake Garda.  I am a “picky” Italian food eater, and it is hard to find dishes in the north that I will enjoy (I am spoiled by my Southern Italian education), so when I arrived at the restaurant, I was excited to find a wide variety of options on their menu.

I settled on the gnocchi gorganzola e ‘nduja, the potato pasta covered in a creamy cheese sauce enlivened by the spicy pork sausage from Calabria.  It was like nothing I had ever had before, the creaminess blended with the spicy meat perfectly.  

We then moved onto dessert, and when I saw the word “Meringata” on the menu, I said “just a meringue?”  and the waiter explained that it was a meringue frozen with gelato, and I said, “I MUST HAVE THAT!”.  It was all I had dreamed of and more with the fluffy meringue seemingly piped into a cup along with the gelato so that each spoonful included both delicious treats.  If you want a delicious meal along the lakeside, this is the place to go.  

Giolitti: Rome

Nutella gelato 

Few gelaterias have the fame of Giolitti, and in Rome, you need to step no further for a SMORGASBORD of amazing looking and tasting flavors of their handmade gelato.  I normally go with two cream-based or two fruit-based flavors whenever I eat gelato, and there are COUNTLESS options here.  Of course, I always opt for a “copetta” (cup) because I don’t need to waste gelato space in my stomach filling it with a cone.  On one trip I appreciated Nettuno’s Nutella flavor and then left Salerno, continuing traveling throughout Italy and much to my chagrin, I couldn’t find ANY Nutella flavor that wasn’t just Nutella mixed into a “vanilla” (probably fior di latte) type base until we ended our trip in Rome, and I walked through the doors of Giolitti.  I don’t like chocolate ice cream, but if I want some Nutella gelato, I MUST HAVE IT! Their Nutella flavor tastes like they took a spoonful of Nutella and somehow turned it into gelato.  There are so many other flavors that you can pair it with (because if you can have two, why not? Double the magic!), but Bacio (named after the famous Italian chocolate), stracciatella, and gianduja (a chocolate gelato with hazelnuts to complement the Nutella flavor) would be a HEAVENLY combination, and always get it “con panna” (with whipped cream)!  

La Contadina: Various Locations, headquartered in Campania

Mozzarella di Bufala

Never have I ever considered eating a ball of cheese for dinner before I moved to Italy.  The mozzarella di bufala from Campania which is famous worldwide is just THAT GOOD and everyone in the country knows it.  Any long-distance train trip you take originating in Campania most likely has a handful of Italians toting the Styrofoam boxes taped shut with “La Contadina” tape to create the handle with the precious mozzarella di bufala cheese inside to their friends and family who don’t get to experience this delicacy with the frequency of a southern Italian.  It usually comes in bags or tubs filled with whey (remember “little Miss Muffet” eating her curds and whey?) which keeps it moist.  When you travel to Italy, you MUST try some of this amazing cheese, and what better a reason to try it than in the famous Caprese salad, where it is paired with tomatoes and basil and drizzled with olive oil.  The last trip I took to Italy I stopped into a shop to buy some for an afternoon snack!  After trying it, you will never look at mozzarella the same way again. 

Trattoria da lucia: Trastevere, Rome

Spaghetti alla Gricia

As the saying goes, “When in Rome….do as the Romans do,” so of COURSE you need to visit Trattoria da Lucia in the lively Trastevere neighborhood to try some of the best Roman specialties around.  I didn’t even know that Spaghetti alla Gricia, lovingly explained as if cacio e pepe and carbonara had a baby, existed until that day when I was reading the Rick Steves’ guidebook in our apartment and I decided that I MUST try it.  We stopped by on a busy Friday night and luckily snagged the VERY LAST table for this amazing meal.  It has zipped up to the top of my favorite dishes list, so next time I am in Rome I will make a reservation in advance to be SURE I can dine with them again.  If spaghetti alla gricia doesn’t strike your fancy, their menu is filled with other Roman specialties such as spaghetti all’amatriciana, spaghetti cacio e pepe, and spaghetti all’arrabbiata, which are all amazing and delicious. 

Trattoria der Pallaro: Rome

            Everything on the menu

Another Rick Steves’ find, I was already excited when I walked in, asked for a table for two and they said I spoke amazing Italian, even though I said only one sentence!  They are famous for their fixed price menu, prepared for you as you were family, and it does not disappoint.  This multi course menu is NOT for picky eaters, as you eat what they give you.  If you are adventurous enough to not need control, it is WELL WORTH the visit.  Every time you go might be different, but you will come out satisfied no matter the menu.    

Sant’Eustachio il caffe: Rome

Un caffe (or cappuccino should you visit around breakfast time)

The New York Times once published an article about “The Best Coffee in New York City” and the author instructed the reader to take a plane to Rome to enjoy your coffee at Sant’Eustachio il Caffe.  It was my foray into REAL coffee after being scared to try it beyond a latte macchiato, which I cautiously drank for my first few months in Italy.  I was tricked into a cappuccino by some friends of mine (how dare they!) and I liked it, so there was no turning back.  I drink real coffee now (espresso to the outside world), and I NEVER miss stopping by Sant’Eustachio when I am in Rome for a quick caffe.  Always paying first and taking the receipt to the bar to get my drink, it’s a quick 2-minute immersion into real Italian life with the hustle and bustle of the baristas moving about to accommodate the high volume of this popular café.  Be sure to drink at the bar, as sitting at a table (and ordering at a table, no getting your drink from the bar and sitting down by yourself) incurs a higher charge.  I have only done that once, as I was meeting a friend and was prepared in advance to pay more and enjoy the scenery. 

Ristorante la Spada: Florence

            Pici Senesi Pepe e Pecorino

As I usually base my Tuscany trips in Florence, one trip we were going back and forth from the train station nonstop and kept passing this restaurant and every time it smelled delicious enough to make us want to try it.  “La Spada” means “the sword” in Italian and it is a nod to the skewers that they roast most of their meats on at the restaurant.  After I discovered the delicious cacio e pepe dish, I was amazed to find the pici senesi pepe e pecorino, which strangely sounded like cacio e pepe, but with a Tuscan twist (“senesi” meaning from Siena).  I was so impressed and satisfied with my dish that a few nights later when I couldn’t find a restaurant with an appealing menu that evening, my parents and I went back to Ristorante la Spada and I enjoyed my dish once again.  When I went back a few years later I didn’t see it on the menu, but when I asked nicely, they made it for me again!  I just checked and it is back, so feel free to go and enjoy next time you are in Florence. 

Ostaria Baralla: Lucca

Tordelli Lucchesi and Zuppa Lucchese

After a morning getting my blood flowing and enjoying the fresh air while walking and biking along the tops of the medieval walls surrounding Lucca’s historical center, I love strolling through town and admiring the historical architecture, numerous churches, and interesting shops. After taking my fill of the main square, Piazza dell Anfiteatro, built to follow the shape of the ancient Roman amphitheater from the first century, I walk out the north side to find Osteria Baralla.  As you step into the lively atmosphere of the restaurant, the friendly staff welcome you like they have known you for ages.  If you are in the mood for some authentic cuisine of this localized area of Tuscany, try the Tordelli Lucchesi, pasta filled with meat and covered in meat sauce, perfect to meet your protein quota for the day!   

Don’t forget to save room for dessert to sample the Zuppa Luchese, with a base of the buccellato di Lucca (the local sweet bread) topped with cream, strawberries and amazing vin santo.  You will be sure to have a more “Italian dinner time” after such a large meal for lunch to carry you through the afternoon. 

Trattoria ZaZa: Florence 

Pappardelle sul Chingiale, Filetto al Pepe Verde con Patate al Forno, and Crema di Mascarpone

When you’re in Tuscany, don’t miss a chance to taste some uniquely Tuscan dishes.  Hunting wild boar has a long history in Tuscany, and it is evident in my favorite dish at Trattoria ZaZa, the pappardelle sul chingiale.  The meat sauce piled on top of the fresh and wide pappardelle noodles makes me wish that this dish never had to end.  Since it is technically wild game, the meat sauce tastes different than what you would first expect, but it tastes more natural and REAL.  The customary pappardelle noodles that are the backbone of the dish give exactly enough surface area to bond with the sauce for a perfect combination.  

To continue with my perfect meal, I usually split the filetto al pepe verde with my dining companions.  Following the tradition of great steak in Florence, this steak covered in a perfectly peppered sauce and cooked to perfection.  

Just as we start to digest the large meal we just finished, the dessert menu comes out and I go for simplicity.  The crema di mascarpone is a light pudding like consistency made from mascarpone cheese and the strawberries that are layered throughout pair with it perfectly to finish your meal on a high note. 

ZaZa’s is located in the main market square that surrounds the Mercato Centrale.  It LOOKS like one of those tourist restaurants with plenty of outdoor seating in a tourist hotspot, as you see shoppers at almost any hour when the sun is up walking past with their bags filled with “Ciao Bella” t-shirts, leather goods, and pashmina scarves to bring home to friends and family.  I have been probably 10+ times over my visits to the city to see my friends as well as on vacation.  I know that most of the patrons that have surrounded me have been foreigners (but I also know that locals go there), but does it matter if it is stellar Tuscan food?  For the life of me I can’t figure out if it is strictly a tourist restaurant or not.  It has been around since 1977, and they have an extensive blog about their Tuscan food, and I also own two of their cookbooks.  I am going to believe them based on their amazing food I make a point to have each trip I make to Florence.  

Honorable Mention: Sadly. A dish I can’t find on the menu anymore! 

Pizzeria Trianon: Salerno 

            Wurstel e Patatine

My ABSOLUTE FAVORITE pizza from Trianon is their wurstel e patatine (hot dog and French fry pizza, often called the “Americano” or regarded as something for children) but it may not be on their menu anymore!  I love hot dogs and French fries already, add pizza and it’s heaven!  You can also find wurstel e patatine panini while you are out and about if you need a quick snack on the go too.  If you are adventurous when you visit a pizzeria and you know it’s a good one, branch out and try it if you find it on the menu! 

On my next trip when I go back to Italy, you can BET that I will be in one of these places eating one of my favorite dishes. Should you find yourself in any of these cities, I encourage you to try them as well!