More than pizza, pasta and gelato: Italian cuisine offers a great variety of authentic dishes influenced by its history, culture, climate and geography. Join us for a culinary journey through the 20 regions of Italy!
Italian cuisine couldn’t be more diverse – from mountains and bordering countries such as Austria, France and Switzerland in the North, to the fantastic coastline and Arab, Greek and Catalan influences in the South. Every single of its twenty regions offers great local products and typical specialities. We picked one regional speciality each region – but of course there is much more than that!
Abbruzzo
Once in the region of Abbruzzo, a very tasty dish is “maccheroni alla chitarra” (guitar maccheroni) with lamb ragout. The name comes from the tool that is used to get the particular shape of the maccheroni: a wooden frame with thin strings – like a guitar.
Basilicata
Basilicata is the home of “salsiccia”, the typical Italian sausage. Highly recommended for barbecues!
Calabria
A typical, Arab-inspired Calabrian dish is “pasta ccu ri sarde” – a sweet and salty pasta dish made of fresh sardines, onion, raisins, pine nuts and breadcrumbs.
Campania
The home of “pizza napoletana” – a flat but thick-rimmed pizza from a wood-burning oven – is famous for it’s traditional “pizza Margherita”. Representing the colours Italian flag (red, white and green), it consists of tomatoes, mozzarella and fresh basil.
Emilia-Romagna
The region of Emilia-Romagna is famous for its “tagliatelle Bolognese”. Be aware that spaghetti Bolognese is a no go for locals!
Friuli Venezia Giulia
Once in the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, try “cjarsons”– sweet and salty ravioli made of potatoes and filled with a mixtures of ricotta, cinnamon, cocoa, raisins and wild herbs. It’s served with melted butter and grated smoked ricotta on top.
Lazio
If you travel to Lazio, a must eat is definitely “bucatini all’amatriciana”– a certain kind of pasta served in a sauce of pancetta and tomatoes.
Le Marche
The region of Le Marche if famous for its high variety of fish. Enjoy “brodetto”– a rich fish soup made of many different kinds of fishes, loads of garlic, onion and tomatoes.
Liguria
Liguria is all about basil: if you are keen to learn how to make the real “pesto alla Genovese”, attending a cooking class with a local chef is a must do.
Lombardy
Once in Lombardy, you should try the famous “cotoletta alla Milanese” – a fried breaded cutlet. For vegetarians we highly recommend “risotto alla Milanese”– rice with butter, saffron and cheese.
Molise
The region of Molise if famous for its “baccalà con le patate” – roasted codfish with potatoes.
Piedmont
Piedmont is all about truffles: Go for “linguine al tartufo” – delicious truffle pasta.
Puglia
Once in Puglia “orecchiette con cimi di rape” is a must! The little pasta “ears” (orecchiette) are made by hand are typically served with broccoli rabe – a bitter green.
Sardinia
A typical Sardinian dish with rich flavours is “malloreddus”– a pasta dish with tomato sauce, onion, saffron, salsicce (sausages) and pecorino cheese.
Sicily
If you go to Sicily, try “arancini” – deep fried rice balls with bread crumbs. There is a surprise in the middle: arancini are typically stuffed with mozzarella and bolognese sauce. However, you find lots of variety, such as aubergines or pistacchio.
Trentino-Alto Adige
The North of Italy is influenced by its bordering countries. “Canederli” – dumplings basically made of bread, eggs, milk, parsley with cheese, spinach or Speck – and “strudel”– traditionally with apples – represent the Austrian accent of the regional cuisine of Trentino-Alto Adige.
Tuscany
If you are a meatlover and in Florence, you should try the famous “bistecca Fiorentina” – a huge high quality veal steak. However, the Tuscan cuisine is caracterized by simple but extremely rich dishes, such as “ribollita” – a vegetable soup.
Umbria
Once in Umbria try a very delicious speciality: “pappardelle al cinghiale” – wild boar sauce with pappardelle pasta.
Valle d'Aosta
A typical dish of the hearty Alpine cuisine of Valle d’Aosta is “carbonade” – a beef stewed in wine with polenta.
Veneto
The Venetian cuisine is rooted in the cucina povera (peasant kitchen). A typical dish with rich flavours is “risi e bisi”– a rice and peas.
