Italy

The Eating Guide to Tuscany, Italy

Italy

More than a decade has passed since Under the Tuscan Sun was released, and Tuscany is still as breathtaking as ever. The plan to explore the region is simple – get a car and drive take the autostradas up to charming hilltop towns and wineries. When you head to the rolling hills, homemade pastas and meats rule the Tuscan palate. 

Look forward to: Ragu, handmade pasta and wine.

Gelateria dei Neri

Area: Florence
Where: Via dei Neri, 9/11, 50122 Firenze, Italy
What: Gelato
For: After meal sweets

The search for the authentic gelato in Florence is no mean feat, but Gelateria dei Neri is a household name amongst Florentines for the right Italian ice-cream. Traditional flavours like nocciola, pistachio and limone are golden. For a bite of something more unique, granita (Italian ice that originates in Sicily) comes in mandarin, pink grapefruit and mint flavours. 

Trattoria Sabatino

Area: Florence
Where: Via Pisana, 2R, 50143 Firenze
What: Anything
For: Cheap Italian fare

When it’s time to get off work, the Italians head to Trattoria Sabatino, a family-run eatery in Santo Spirito which seems to serve a locals-only crowd. You can hardly spot hordes of tourists in Sabatino, but instead find hungry Italians engaged in conversations over simple Tuscan fare. Food is dished out in small portions and prices start from €2. Try the mushroom salad, which are raw porcini mushrooms lightly drizzled with olive oil. 

La Schiacciateria

Area: Florence
Where: 42/31, Via Di Novoli – 50127 Florence (FI) – Italy
What: Panini
For: Breakfast 

La Schiacciateria is the accidental breakfast find that became a routine stop every morning. It’s hard to choose between a pizza or a panino, but either way you won’t be disappointed. Simple ingredients are what makes its panino top-notch. Just prosciutto, mozzarella, rocket and a drizzle of olive oil sandwiched between focaccia. 

Il Latini

Area: Florence
Where: Via dei Palchetti, 6R, 50123 Firenze, Italy
What: Florentine steak
For: Dinner

Almost anyone who is a Florentine steak aficionado knows that Latini is the place to go in Florence if you want one that’s done right. Before you order a Florentine steak, know this – Florentine steaks are cooked rare on the inside and fully seared on the outside. No exceptions. Any beef cooked more than medium rare is not a bistecca alla Fiorentina. Ordering to the minimum weight set by the restaurant is a requirement. Rest assured that this large piece of steak can be shared. 

Caffè Sant’Ambrogio

Area: Florence
Where: Piazza Sant’Ambrogio 7, Florence, Italy
What: Wine and anything on the menu
For: Drinks 

The Italian under-30 crowd can be found in Caffè Sant’Ambrogio in Piazza Sant’Ambrogio. After 8 pm, the piazza gets bustling, and the waiters at Caffè Sant’Ambrogio are busy handing out drinks to its patrons. This casual joint doesn’t burn a hole in your wallet and the menu satisfies a cosmopolitan palate – hamburger steak with melted cheese, and pasta with tuna pesto and olives. 

L’Altro Cantuccio

Area: Montepulciano
Where: Via delle Cantine, 1, 53045 Montepulciano SI, Italy
What: Steaks
For: Romantic dining 

Matthia and Monica opened L’Altro Cantuccio in 2013, and has since been known to serve some of the best Chianina beef in Tuscany. Varied cooking styles of the Chianina beef makes up most of the menu here. The chef serves it grilled, raw (tatare or carpaccio style) or as a meat sauce for pastas. To go with the beef is an extensive wine list which boasts the best of Montepulciano wines. 

Il Pozzo

Area: Montalcino
Where: Piazza Castello, 53024 Montalcino – sant angelo in colle SI, Italy
What: Homemade pici pasta with breadcrumbs
For: Tuscan cuisine

In Sant’Angelo, Il Pozzo serves really handmade pastas (as they emphasised) and a wine list that boasts the best of Montalcino. Its owners, sisters Franca and Paola, are born and raised in this part of Tuscany, and learned everything about Tuscan cooking from their grandmothers. Don’t expect modern Italian cuisine here, but rather, Tuscan dishes from a simpler time. Handmade pici pasta with breadcrumbs is a local specialty, and so are the pappardelle al cinghiale and acquacotta. 

Da Enzo

Area: Siena
Where: Via Camollia, 49, 53100 Siena SI, Italy
What: Ragu and truffle salad
For: Tuscan cuisine 

Push past the tourist crowds in the main square to get to the quiet street of Via Camollia, where truffles and ragu are found in Da Enzo. You can’t resist the traditional Tuscan ragu cooked with homemade pappardelle and topped with a generous sprinkling of freshly grated cheese. You’ll wonder if an Italian nonna resides in the restaurant’s kitchen. Since you’re in the region, go all out with the truffle salad, a dish jam-packed with a generous shavings of this iconic Tuscan ingredient. 

The Eating Guide to Cinque Terre, Italy

Italy

The Italian Riviera is bustling with tourists, and they are all in Cinque Terre – colourful villages atop steep cliffs where no cars dare venture. Life moves a little slower here. Locals carry their goods in hand drawn carts, fishermen go out to the sea for a fresh catch, and the lemon dressing from your plate is probably picked from the tree near the restaurant. These are the five villages, and they are beachy Monterosso, rugged Corniglia, beautiful Vernazza, traditional Manarola and calming Riomaggiore. Here, we seek out the taste of the Ligurian sea. 

Look forward to: Fresh seafood and Ligurian pesto

Ristorante Belforte

Where: Via G. Guidoni, 42, 19018 Vernazza SP, Italy
What: Codfish ravioli with pesto
For: Romantic dining

Fresh seafood, homemade pesto and a view of the sea puts Ristorante Belforte on the top of everyone’s list. Ligurian recipes dominate the menu here. Ligurian pesto is the region’s most celebrated dish, and Belforte’s version has a creamy texture with a zesty lemon aftertaste. The Vernazza seafood salad is a mixture of steamed seafood topped with olive oil, lemon and parsley – the perfect antipasti to whet your appetite. Chances are that sea view seats are not guaranteed for walk-ins, so book in advance to get that spot by the sea. 

Trattoria Locanda Il Porticciolo

Where: Via Renato Birolli, 92, 19017 Manarola di Riomaggiore SP, Italy
What: Roasted fish with vegetables
For: Variety

The casual Trattoria Locanda Il Porticciolo is hard to miss if you look out for the parked boats along Manarola’s main street. Local fish dishes are some of the restaurant’s top dishes. Dig into the pappardelle with swordfish, roasted fish with vegetables, and salted anchovies with peppers. 

Aristide

Where: Via Discovolo, 290, Manarola, Italy
What: Eggs
For: Breakfast 

Breakfast eggs can be hard to come by in Italy, as locals go for a pastry and a coffee to start their day. Aristide provides a good Italian alternative to the all American breakfast. Omelettes are made with stretchy Italian cheese and parma ham. For something sweet, there is always a crostata. If you’re staying in Manarola, make this place your pitstop for your morning pick-me-up en route to the train station. 

Il Pirata delle Cinque Terre

Where: Via Gavino, 36, 19018 Vernazza SP, Italy
What: Cannoli
For: Sicilian cuisine

We may be all the way up north of Italy, but the Sicilian palate is not lost in Cinque Terre. Massimo and Gianluca are the Sicilian brothers who opened Il Pirata delle Cinque Terre, which became a breakfast favourite in Vernazza. As expected from Sicilian cuisine, desserts and pastries are the extraordinary items on the menu. It gets busy during breakfasts, and a meal there is incomplete without trying the cannoli with ricotta cheese. 

The 24 Hour Guide to Eating in Venice, Italy

Italy

It’s mid day in Venice, and the Venetians are congregating in bàcaris, where alcohol is often paired with small plates of crostinis, deep fried seafood balls and mini sandwiches. Forget the overpriced restaurants along the Grand Canal. The heart of Venetian cuisine is in this street food – cicchetti. These bite sized pieces of food are the perfect combination of Italian ingredients served on a toothpick, each ranging from one to three euros. We round up the three places you need to know if you have 24 hours in Venice. 

Look forward to: Cicchetti

Al Merca

Where: Campo Bella Vienna, 213, 30125 Venezia, Italy
What: Panini
For: Cicchetti

Equipped with just a storefront, Al Merca is a haven for the mid afternoon wine and miniature panino. No seating areas? No problem, just blend in with the locals standing in front of the store, with food and drink in hand. The counter is stuffed with panino, some with gorgonzola cheese and others with parma ham. Amongst these, other cicchetti such as deep fried seafood can be found. Take your pick from any of these, but the Italian cheese and prosciutto panino always wins. 

Osteria Alla Ciurma

Where: Calle Galeazza, 406A, 30125 San Polo, Venezia VE, Italy
What: Crostinis
For: Cicchetti

The orders never stop at Osteria Alla Ciurma, and neither does the drinking. A glass of wine starts at €1.50, and ranges from friulano to prosecco. Seating areas are few, but you wouldn’t need that if you’re going for the drinks and finger food. The top item to try? The different types of crostinis. Owner Marco Paola is a whiz at experimenting with crostini toppings, such as stuffed eggplant, baccalà mantecato (creamed codfish) and anchovies. 

Pontini

Where: Fondamenta Cannaregio, 1268, 30121 Venezia, Italy
What: Seafood pastas
For: A sit down restaurant

Of course, it’s not all cicchetti in Venice. Fresh seafood in the Venetian markets always find their way inside this trattoria along Cannaregio. To avoid the queue at Pontini, dinner at 6 pm is essential. Pastas with any kind of seafood are exceptional, as the pastas are doused in a thick seafood stock, the result of a hearty combination  of shellfish and tomatoes. Every bite is filled with the flavours of the sea.