Italy: Intro

Along with cycling, I spent a lot of time and focus making sure I was fed well, the result of which was an increase rather than a decrease in weight after 1400km of cycling and 9500m of climbing. This was no accident – making sure I tasted everything that came my way was an important goal of #pedaleatrepeat for my big tour of #italytoptobottom2022

I had never been to Italy before and people did warn me that the food would be very good; I was pleasantly surprised that it turned out as promised. Much gastronomic pleasure was had – Italy is a spectacular place for the food lover – and while I ate the occasional forgettable meal most were in the good, great or OMG categories.

There are a few broad trends that I can confirm. First; the regional variations are quite distinct, much more than you would expect from such small distances. What is everywhere in Milan will be hard to find in Florence less than two hours by train. What all of Rome calls pizza is nothing like in Napoli a mere 250km away. Even the fundamentals differ – pasta dough, meal components, breads, hams and so on.

A month of three meals and numerous daily stops, I also ate at quite a variety of places – fancy, street, casual, beautiful, ancient, modern, chain, farm, hotel buffet, food truck, teen hangout, worker favourite, village local, highway stop – even a McDonald’s. I tried out more than a few price points – from the ultra-expensive €90 streak in a fancy restaurant to to the humble €1 suppli off a street cart. Gelateria, pasticceria, enoteca, trattoria all roll effortlessly off my tongue now.

There are some quirks of getting food in Italy. First, nothing but pasticcerias are open till 11am, and no self-respecting restaurant starts a lunch service till 12:30 or 1. Then, most places shut at 3 and not another peep till 7:30. Bakeries and sandwiches will sometimes be open from 9 to 9, sometimes they take lunchbreaks. Many restaurants are attached to a trattoria, serving a more casual version of the menu at much lower prices. Fresh sandwiches appear at coffee shops only at 11am or so, till then you’re stuck with yesterday’s leftovers. Espresso at the counter (which you can then take to your table) is much cheaper than table service espresso at a coffee shop; some coffee shops, however, reserve some tables for table service only. In most of Italy, a table will come with a flat cover charge “coperto” – usually a few euro per person – covering basic table service and bread (which, strangely, comes in a brown paper bag). This is illegal in Rome but they just call it a bread charge; if you’re feeling particularly graceless you can fight to take it off by not eating the bread (but only in Rome). This is not the same as a tip or a service charge though that’s not so common in Italy.

I’ve decided after some thought that the best way to write about my food experiences are in four parts – ingredient, region, dish and restaurant. And of course something on the drinks – wines cocktails etc