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| Italy
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Food
and Drink
Table service is common in most restaurants and bars. There are
no licensing laws in Italy.
Pasta plays
a substantial part in Italian recipes, and nearly all regions have
developed their own special dishes. Examples of special dishes from
each region are listed below.
Italy has over twenty major wine regions, from
Valle d’Aosta on the French border to Sardinia
and Sicily in the south. Wines are named after
grape varieties or after their village or area of origin. The most
widespread is the Chianti group of vineyards, governed
by the Chianti Classico quality controls and known by the black
cockerel on the neck of every bottle. The Chianti area is the only
area in Italy with such quality controls. Denominazione di origine
controllata wines come from officially recognised wine-growing areas,
while wines designated Denominazione controllata e garantita are
wines of fine quality. Vermouths from Piemonte
vary from dry and light pink to dark-coloured and sweet. Aperitifs
such as Campari and Punt e Mes
make excellent appetisers, while the Italian liqueurs include Amaretto,
Galliano, Sambuca and Strega.
Examples of wine from each region are listed below.
Rome
Abbacchio (suckling lamb in white wine flavoured with rosemary),
cannelloni (pasta stuffed with meat, calves’ brains, cheese,
spinach, and egg), broccoli romani (broccoli in white wine), salsa
romana (sweet-sour brown sauce with raisins, chestnut and lentil
purée, served with game) and gnocchi alla romana (semolina
dumplings).
Of Rome’s cheeses the best include mozzarella,
caciotta romana (semi-hard, sweet sheep cheese),
pecorino (hard, sharp sheep’s milk cheese)
and gorgonzola.
Wines:
Albano, Frascati, Grottaferrata, Marino, Montefiascone and Velletri
(whites); Cesanese, Marino and Piglio (reds).
Piemonte
Bagna caoda (a traditional anchovy soup, served with vegetables),
fritto misto piemontese (fried meat, vegetables and fruit), bonet
(a chocolate cake made with coffee and local biscuits).
Valle d’Aosta
Fonduta (a hot dip with Fontina cheese, milk and egg yolks sprinkled
with truffles and white pepper), lepre piemontese (hare cooked in
Barbera wine and sprinkled with herbs and bitter chocolate), zabaglione
(hot dessert with beaten egg and Marsala wine).
Wines: Barolo, Barbera, Barbaresco, Gattinara and Grignolino.
Lombardy
Risotto alla milanese (rice with saffron and white wine),
zuppa pavese (tasty clear soup with poached eggs), minestrone (thick
soup with chopped vegetables), osso buco (shin of veal cooked in
tomato sauce served with rice), panettone (Christmas cake with sultanas
and candied fruit).
Wines: Grumello, Inferno, Sassella and Valtellina.
Trentino and Alto Adige
Some excellent sausages and hams come from these regions.
Wines: Lago di Caldaro and Santa Maddalena.
Veneto
Ffegato alla veneziana (calves’ liver thinly sliced and cooked
in butter with onions), baccalà alla vicentina (salt cod
simmered in milk), radicchio rosso di treviso (wild red chicory
with a bitter taste).
Wines: Bardolino, Soave and Valpolicella.
Friuli-Venezia
Giulia
Pasta e fagioli (pasta and beans), prosciutto di San Daniele (raw
ham).
Wines: Malvasia, Pinot Bianco, Pinot
Grigio and Tokai (whites); Cabernet, Merlot and Pinot Nero (reds).
Liguria
Pesto (sauce made of basil, garlic, pine nuts and pecorino
cheese with pasta), cima genovese (cold veal stuffed with calves’
brains, onions and herbs), pandolce (sweet cake with orange flavour).
Wine: Sciacchettra.
Emilia-Romagna
Parmigiano (parmesan cheese), prosciutto di Parma (Parma ham), pasta
con salsa bolognese (sauce of meat, cheese and tomato served with
pasta), vitello alla bolognese (veal cutlet cooked with Parma ham
and cheese), cotechino e zampone (pigs’ trotters stuffed with
pork and sausages).
Wines: Albana, Lambrusco, Sangiovese and Trebbiano.
Tuscany
Bistecca alla fiorentina (thick T-bone steak grilled over charcoal,
sprinkled with freshly ground black pepper and olive oil), minestrone
alla fiorentina (tasty vegetable soup with slices of country bread),
pappardelle alla lepre (pasta with hare sauce), tortina di carciofi
(baked artichoke pie), cinghiale di maremma (wild boar from Maremma
region near Grosseto) and dishes of ham, sausages and steaks. Sweets
include panforte di Siena (confection of honey, candied fruits,
almonds and cloves), castagnaccio (chestnut cake with nuts and sultanas)
and ricciarelli (delicate biscuit of honey and almonds from Siena).
Wines: Aleatico, Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti and Vernaccia.
Marche
Brodetto (many varieties of fish on toast, garnished with carrot,
celery, tomato, laurel tips and white wine), pasticciata (pasta
baked in oven, a method preferred by Marches).
Wine: Verdicchio.
Abruzzo-Molise
The favourite pasta in this region is known as maccheroni alla chitarra
because it is cut in thin strips. Lamb is a favourite ingredient
in many dishes. Desserts include parrozzo (rich chocolate cake)
and zeppole (sweetened pasta).
Wines: Cerasolo di Abruzzo, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
(red), Trebbiano d’Abruzzo (dry white). The district is also
home of a strong liqueur known as Centerbe.
Umbria
Extra virgin olive oil, black and white truffles, spaghetti, porchetta
alla perugina (suckling pig), carne ai capperi e acciughe (veal
with caper and herb sauce) and good-quality local sausages, salami
and prosciutto famous throughout Italy. Local ingredients used in
Umbrian cooking include pork and beef, cheeses, lentils from the
Valerina, fish from Lake Trasimeno and the River Nera, mushrooms
and potatoes from Colfiorito.
Wines: Orvieto (white, sweet or dry) and numerous red and
white wines (including Rubesco from Torgiano and wines from Montefalco
and Sagrantino).
Campania
Pizza (the culinary pride of Campania) served in a great variety
of recipes, bistecca alla pizzaiola (steak with sauce made from
tomatoes, garlic and oregano), sfogliatelle (sweet ricotta cheese
turnovers) and mozzarella cheese (originally made with buffalo milk).
Wines: The wines comes from the islands of Capri and Ischia.
Puglia
Coniglio ai capperi (rabbit cooked with capers) and ostriche (fresh
oysters baked with bread crumbs).
Wines: Aleatico di Puglia, Sansevero, Santo Stefano.
Calabria and Basilicata
Sagne chine (lasagne with meat balls and artichoke), zuppa di cipolle
(onion soup with Italian brandy), sarde (fresh sardines with olive
oil and oregano), alici al limone (fresh anchovies baked with lemon
juice), melanzane Sott’Olio (pickled aubergines), mostaccioli
(chocolate biscuits) or cannariculi (fried honey biscuits).
Wines: Agliatico and Cirò.
Sicily
Pesce spada (swordfish stuffed with brandy, mozzarella and herbs,
grilled on charcoal), pasta con le sarde (pasta with fresh sardines),
caponata (rich dish of olives, anchovies and aubergines), pizza
siciliana (pizza with olives and capers) and triglie alla siciliana
(grilled mullet with orange peel and white wine). Excellent sweets
are cassata (ice cream of various flavours with candied fruit and
bitter chocolate) and frutti di marturana (marzipan fruits).
Wines: Corvo di Salaparuta (both red and white,
a highly aromatic wine ideal for fish), Marsala and Regaleali.
Sardinia
The coastline offers a wide selection of fish, including lobster
which is served in soup, stews and grills. Main dishes include burrida
(fish stew with dogfish and skate) and calamaretti alla sarda (stuffed
baby squid).
Wines: Cannonau, Malvasia, Oliena, Piani and Vernaccia.
Nightlife
Nightclubs, discos, restaurants and bars with dancing can be found
in most major towns and tourist resorts.
In the Rome, English-language films can be found at the Pasquine
Cinema, Vicolo della Paglia, just off Santa Maria in Trastevere.
Cafes and restaurants throughout Italy have tables outside and in
Rome, the Massimo D’Azeglio is a hotel restaurant
famous for its classic food.
Open-air concerts in summer are organised by the Academy
of St Cecilia and the Opera House, while
there is open-air theatre at the Baths of Caracalla.
Jazz, rock, folk and country music can all be heard at various venues.
Shopping
Italian products are world-famous for their style and quality. Care
should be taken when buying antiques since Italy is renowned for
skilled imitators. Prices are generally fixed and bargaining is
not common practice, although a discount may be given on large purchases.
Florence, Milan and Rome
are famous as important fashion centres, but smaller towns also
offer excellent shopping. It is advisable to avoid hawkers or sellers
on the beaches.
Some places are known for particular products, eg Carrara
(Tuscany) for marble, Como (Lombardy)
for silk, Deruta (Umbria) and
Faenza (Emilia-Romagna) for pottery,
Empoli (Tuscany) for the production of bottles and glasses
in green glass and Prato (Tuscany) for
textiles. Alghero (Sardinia) and
Torre Annunziata (Campania) are centres for handicraft
products in coral, and in several parts of Sardinia
business cards and writing paper made of cork are
produced. Cremona (Lombardy) is famous for its
handmade violins. Castelfidardo
(Marche) is famous for its accordion factories,
and for its production of guitars and organs.
Valenza (Piedmont), has a large number
of goldsmith artisans, and Sulmona
(Abruzzo), which produces ‘confetti’,
sugar-coated almonds used all over Italy for wedding
celebrations. Vietri sul Mare (Campania) is one
of the most important centres of ceramic paving-tiles,
and Ravenna (Emilia-Romagna) is famous for mosaics.
Fashionable shopping areas are listed below:
Rome
Rome offers a wide variety of shops and markets. Shops in the fashionable
Via Condotti–Via Sistina area offers a choice
of styles, colours and designs rarely matched, but they can be very
expensive. Equally expensive are shops along the Via Vittorio
Veneto, a street famous for its many outdoor cafes. Old
books and prints can be bought from the bookstalls of Piazza
Borghese. Rome’s flea market is at Porta
Portese in Trastevere on Sunday mornings, selling everything
from second-hand shoes to ‘genuine antiques’.
Milan
The city’s industrial wealth is reflected in the many chic,
elegant shops of Via Montenapoleone. Prices tend
to be higher than in other major cities and towns.
Venice
Venice is famous for its beautiful glassware and there is a great
deal of both good and bad glass. The glass that is made on the island
of Murano, where there are also art dealers and
skilful goldsmiths, has a reputation for excellent quality. Venetian
lace is also exquisite and expensive; however, most of
the lace sold is no longer made locally (only the lace made on the
island of Burano may properly be called Venetian
lace).
Florence
Florence boasts some of the finest goldsmiths, selling from shops
largely concentrated along both sides of the Ponte Vecchio
bridge. Florentine jewellery has a particular quality of
satin finish called satinato. Much filigree jewellery can also be
found in many shops. Cameos are another speciality
of Florence, carved from exotic shells.
Southern
Italy
In southern Italy, there are still families handmaking the same
local products as their ancestors including pottery and carpets
in each region; filigree jewellery and products of wrought iron
and brass in Abruzzo, products in wood in Calabria,
corals and cameos in Campania, a variety of textiles,
including tablecloths, in Sicily and Sardinia.
In Cagliari, it is possible to find artistic copies
of bronze statuettes from the Nuraghe period of
the Sardinian Bronze Age. In the larger towns, such as Bari,
Cagliari, Calabria, Naples,
Palermo and Reggio, there are
elegant shops with a whole range of Italian products. Many smaller
towns have outdoor markets, but souvenirs sold there are sometimes
of very low quality, probably mass-produced elsewhere.
Tax Free Shopping
Shopping hours
Monday-Saturday 0830-1230 hrs and 1530-1930 hrs, with some variations
in northern Italy where the lunch break is shorter and the shops
close earlier. Food shops are often closed on Wednesday afternoons.
Special Events
Traditional festivals are celebrated in most towns and villages
in commemoration of local historical or religious events. For further
details, contact ENIT, the Italian State Tourist Board (see Contacts).
The following is a selection of special events occurring in Italy
in 2005: |
|
| Jan
- Mar |
Ivrea Carnival |
| Jan 6 |
Epiphany Celebrations,
nationwide (particularly Piana degli Albanesi and Bordonaro) |
| Jan 20 |
San Sebastiano in Mistretta
(religious procession) |
| Jan 25 |
Naviglio Grande Antiques Fair,
Milan |
| Feb |
Baroque Carnival, Palermo;
Mandorlo in Fiore (spring festival), Agrigento |
| Feb - Mar |
Florence Carnival |
| Feb 2 - 8 |
APT Tour (tennis tournament), Milan
|
| Feb 8 |
Viareggio Carnival (famous
for its puppets); Ravel Evening, Milan. |
| Feb 14 - 24
|
Venice Carnival (traditional
masked balls and elaborate costumes) |
| Feb 15 - 24
|
Carnival in Acireale |
| Feb 19 |
San Corrado Festival, Noto |
| Feb 19 - 24 |
Sciacca Carnival |
| Feb 20 |
Verona Carnival |
| Feb 23 |
Ski Marathon (nightime
skiing race), Trento |
| Mar |
Carnival of the Deer Man,
Castelnuovo del Volturno; Masque
of the Devil, Tufara |
| Mar 1 - 9 |
Eurochocolate, Rome |
| Mar 18 |
Village Race (nightime
skiing race), Sondrio |
| Mar 28 |
Rome Marathon |
| Apr |
Milan Furniture Fair; Dance
of the Devils, Prizzi; Scoppio del Carro
(Explosion of the Cart), Florence; Formula One San
Marino Grand Prix, Imola; Greek Byzantine
Easter Ritual (Orthodox Easter event), Piana degli
Albanes |
| Apr 11 - 18 |
Holy Week, Rome |
| Apr 21 |
Birth of Rome Celebrations |
| Apr 22 - 29 |
18th Turin International Gay &
Lesbian Film Festival |
| Apr 27 - May 6 |
Bacchanalia, Campagnano |
| May 1 |
San Filippo Apostolo (religious
festival), Aidone; Tomato Festival, Scicli |
| May 1 - 4 |
Italian Open (tennis) |
| May 1 - 6 |
Festival of the Tatarate
(dancing festival), Casteltermini |
| May 4 - 5 |
San Angelo Festival (religious
festival), Licata |
| May 6 |
The Procession of the Snake Catchers,
Cocullo |
| May 9 - 26 |
May Antiques Fair, Rome |
| May 9 - Jun 29 |
Maggio Musicale Fiorentino,
Florence |
| May 15 |
Corsa dei Ceri (traditional
race and revelry), Grubbio |
| May 15 - Jun 1 |
World Press Photo Exhibition
(photography competition), Milan |
| May 16 - 18 |
Inforiata: Noto in Bloom |
| May 25 |
Vogalonga (boat race),
Venice |
| May 27 |
Medieval Battle, Scicli. |
| May 29 |
La Sfilata dei Turchi (religious
parade), Potenza |
| May 30 |
Crossbow Tournament, Grubbio |
| Jun |
Heineken Jamin Festival
(rock festival), Imola |
| Jun - Jul |
Expo Tevere (arts and crafts
fair), Rome |
| Jun - Aug |
Arena di Verona (opera
festival) |
| Jun 11 - 24 |
Festival of Saint John
(religious festival), Florence |
| Jun 21 - 22 |
Battle of the Flowers,
Ventimiglia |
| Jun 24 |
Calcio Storico (football
game played in costumes), Florence |
| Jun 27 - Jul 13 |
Spoleto Festival |
| Jun 29 |
Il Gioco del Ponte (The
Battle for the Bridge), Pisa |
| Jun 30 - Jul 12 |
San Remo Fireworks Championship |
| Jul |
Festino di Santa Rosalina
(parades, processions and fireworks), Palermo; Festa
della Madonna del Carmina, Naples |
| Jul 2 |
Palio of Siena |
| Jul 18 |
Festa del Redentore (fireworks),
Venice |
| Jul 26 |
The Christ of the Abyss
(aquatic religious ceremony), San Fruttuoso di Campiglio |
| Aug - Sep |
San Rocco Music Festival
(Baroque music), Venice |
| Aug 5 |
Madonna of the Snow (religious
procession), Francofonte |
| Aug 13 - 27 |
Rossini Opera Festival, Pesaro |
| Aug 27 - Sep 6
|
Venice Film Festival |
| Aug 28 |
Feast of the Madonna of the Letter
(religious procession), Palmi |
| Aug 28 - 29
|
La Perdonanza (day of plenary
indulgence), L’Aquila |
| Sep |
International Urban Theatre Festival,
Rome; Festa dell Nivola (religious festival),
Milan; Formula One Italian Grand Prix, Monza |
| Sep 7 - 19 |
Naples Pizzafest |
| Sep 21 |
Palio di Asti (medieval
tournament), Asti |
| Sep 23 - Oct 4 |
Milan Fashion Week |
| Sep 27 |
White Night, Rome |
| Oct |
Autumn Festival, Abbadia
San Salvatore |
| Oct 1 - 5 |
FIA World Rally Championship,
San Remo |
| Oct 5 |
Grape Festival, Marino |
| Oct 23 - Nov 6 |
Truffel Festival, Acqualanga |
| Nov 13 - 14 |
Festival del Cormeto, Rocco
Canterano |
| Dec |
Christmas Markets, nationwide |
| Dec 3 - 5 |
Art in Ice, Sondrio |
| Dec 6 |
Feast of St Nicholas, nationwide |
| Dec 26-Feb 24 |
Putignano Carnival |
|
|
Note: Accommodation
at festival times should be booked well in advance.
Clothing
Dress in most places is casual, though beachwear should be confined
to the beach. Conservative clothes are expected when visiting religious
buildings and smaller, traditional communities. Formal wear is usually
indicated on invitations.
Additional
information:
Smoking is prohibited in some public buildings, transport and cinemas.
Visitors are warned to take precautions against theft, particularly
in the cities.
The social structure is heavily influenced by the Roman Catholic
church and, generally speaking, family ties are stronger than in
most other countries in Western Europe. Normal social courtesies
should be observed.
Tipping
Service charges and state taxes are included in all hotel bills.
It is customary to give up to 10 per cent in addition if service
has been particularly good. |
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