Food and drink
Gelato, aperitivo, wine and where to eat.
24 Things to Know About Gelato
Y'know what I love? Gelato. I love eating it, making it, writing about it... It's an inexpensive culinary souvenir, an edible piece of Italian culture, and supremely refreshing during Italy's…
6 of the Best Places to Eat in Florence
I love hearing from people who have information to share about eating in Italy - especially if it comes in the form of a list packed with practical stuff like addresses that can be printed out and…
Italy Roundtable: Comfort Food is a Cultural Thing
This is the sixth installment of the Italy Blogging Roundtable I started with four amazing bloggers in May.
What to Eat in Italy: 7 Personal Favorites
Scan through any guide to Italy and you'll come across at least the polite suggestion (if not the outright command) that eating your way through the country is a good way to spend a vacation.
6 Sweet Treats to Eat in Rome: Sweet Tooth Survival Guide
Loyal WhyGo Italy readers may get tired of hearing me talk incessantly about how eating in Italy totally counts as sight-seeing, but rest assured I'm not the only one who's enamored with Italian food…
Special Diets, Food Allergies & Italy Travel: What You Need to Know
Italy is famous for its food - so much so that eating in Italy is considered a tourist attraction by many people.
Home Food in Italy [Videos]
You all know how much I love the food in Italy , right? And how I've talked on occasion about the fantastic Home Food organization in Italy ?
Chewing on the Heel: The Mediterranean Diet in Southern Italy
For many travelers in Italy, the food is one of the attractions. In fact, the so-called "Mediterranean Diet" is enough of an attraction that it's on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites.
3-Week Italy Itinerary: A Foodie Tour
You don't have to be a chef or so-called "wine snob" to be excited by the food in Italy .
Italian Wineries Open their Doors for "Cantine Aperte"
Italy is synonymous with many things, and one of them is great wines - and you really don't have to be a serious wine snob to want to experience a little bit of Italy's wine culture during a trip…
Indispensable Travel Guides to Italian Food
The book that spurred this original post back in April of 2007 is yet one more reason why I've come to love internet publishing so much.
What to Eat in Umbria: Food for Every Season
You know by now that one of the things I love most about Italy is eating there - so when I started talking with Rebecca Winke , an expat living in Umbria, about the foods that Umbria is famous for I…
Eating Cheap in Florence
Florence is one of those cities that's a must-do on most Italy itineraries - and if it seems to be full of students year-round, that's because it is.
Night as a Wine Lover in Florence
Today we're taking a bit of a detour on WhyGo Italy. Instead of an article about what to see or how to get somewhere in Italy, I'm featuring a guest post by a travel-loving friend of mine, Margo…
Best Rome Gelato Shops (Besides the "Eat Pray Love" One)
By now, many Italophiles have devoured both the " Eat Pray Love " book and the movie, and you probably won't be surprised to learn that any place mentioned specifically in the book is currently being…
Best Naples Pizza Places (Besides the "Eat Pray Love" One)
There's a lot of talk lately about the exact pizza place in Naples where " Eat Pray Love " author Elizabeth Gilbert (and consequently Julia Roberts, playing Gilbert in the "Eat Pray Love" movie) had…
Strawberry Gelato Recipe
When I'm at home during the summer months, I start each Saturday at my local farmer's market, and as long as my favorite stand has strawberries I typically come home with several containers.
Why I Didn't Like "Eat Pray Love"
You can hardly throw a cone of gelato these days without ending up on an article about or advertisement for the movie " Eat Pray Love ," which opens in theatres on August 13, 2010.
Italian Wine Labels Decoded & Explained
I love Italian wine - okay, I like all kinds of wine - but I'm so far from being an expert on what I'm drinking that I don't even bother trying to fake it.
WhyGo Italy Interview: Deborah Mele of Italian Food Forever
You probably know how much I love Italian food - so it's easy to see why I became acquainted online with Deborah Mele of the Italian Food Forever site.
An "Unforgettable" Forgettable Meal in Venice
As someone who is pretty content to eat the same thing day after day - at my desk, no less - and who's willing to admit that much of it starts out frozen in a cardboard box, I don't think it's right…
Candied Limoncello Lemon Peels Recipe
One of the most consistently popular posts on WhyGo Italy is the one about the limoncello recipe I use.
A Foodie Meetup (Tweetup?) in Rome
It's hard to be an Italophile and not also be a foodie. This country is one of the food destinations, so it's not surprising that the words "Made in Italy" on a label can help sell a food product.
Tiramisu Recipe
As you may know, I've got a major sweet tooth. I have never, however, made tiramisu. I know it's a simple recipe, but I've just never bothered to try it.
WhyGo Italian Recipe Box: Italian Classics You Can Make at Home
One of the things that can easily capture the heart of any traveler in Italy is the cuisine. Italian food is world-famous for being wonderful and also wonderfully simple to make.
Pasta alla Carbonara Recipe
Spaghetti carbornara might be one of my favorite pasta dishes ever - anything combining cheese and pork gets my vote - but I've never actually made it.
Fried Zucchini Flowers Recipe
This Italian recipe comes from my blogging friend Robin of My Melange , whose photos of this delicious recipe are almost making me drool on my keyboard. No joke.
Italian Food Markets: Rules, Vocabulary, & Market Days in Italy
If you're not a foodie when you get off the plane in Italy, you just might be one by the time you leave. This country can do that to you.
Lentil Soup Recipe
While lentils may be more closely associated with Indian than Italian cuisine, they've been fully adopted by many Italian cooks and are a quite common ingredient in central Italian cuisine.
Chocolate Gelato Recipe
Most of the gelato-philes I know have a signature flavor combination they get, most often when trying out a new gelateria, which they use to judge how good a place is.
Pasta Museum in Rome
I don't know about you, but sometimes the usual tourist-trail sights and attractions aren't enough to satisfy my soul.
Italian Coffee 101: A Guide & Vocabulary List
Italy made me a coffee drinker. It's true. >> To skip past the intro and get straight to the meat of this article, you can use these links to reach Italian Coffee 101 , the Italian coffee vocabulary…
Italian Hot Chocolate, or "Cioccolata Calda"
I'm a big fan of Italian gelato , and highly recommend consuming vast quantities of it while on your Italian vacation.
Pasta Aisle in Italian Supermarket Goes On Forever
You may recall the post I did recently about some of the different pasta names in Italy , and you may have marvelled at the fact that there are reportedly more than 350 different shapes of Italian…
Antinori Family of Florence: 600 Years of Winemaking
I can't remember the last time I watched "60 Minutes," but the other night the husband happened to be watching it when I got home - and I'm glad he was.
Different Kinds of Restaurants in Italy
In many parts of the world, it's easy to figure out which business storefronts are the local places to eat - the dining tables, menus on the wall, and yummy aromas usually make it a no-brainer.
Italian Pasta Names: Way Beyond Spaghetti
Back when I was teaching Italian language basics to people who were planning trips to Italy, I used to like to bolster their confidence from the start by saying, "Well, even if you forget everything…
Sicilian Granita: The Real Deal in Italian Ice
Semifreddo and gelato are all well and good, but for serious chilling out, Sicilians have another trick up their sleeves - granita !
Day Trip from Milan: Visit Vigevano for Pizza in the Piazza
This article was written and submitted for publication on the Italy Logue by Chris Bright.
Semifreddo: "The Fluffy Stuff in the Gelato Case"
So, you've studied your gelato flavors , learned the process for ordering gelato and even memorized the tips for finding the best gelato shops in Italy.
How to Order Gelato in Italy
If you've been paying attention, you've studied my vocabulary list of Italian gelato flavors and you've taken notes on my tips to finding good gelato in Italy .
Italian Gelato Flavors Decoded
One of my favorite things about visiting Italy, without a doubt, is the gelato. I like ice cream in all its forms, but the Italians have done something magical with their version.
Luini's Famous Panzerotto in Milan: A Quick, Cheap & Amazing Lunch
This article was written and submitted for publication on the Italy Logue by Chris Bright.
Trattoria 3 Torri in Bergamo
The alta città of Bergamo isn't exactly swimming in restaurants, so your choices are kind of limited from the second you decide to stay within the old city walls up there.
Vivoli in Florence: Can Famous Gelato Live Up to the Hype?
When I was planning my last trip to Florence, I checked my friend Sara's Tour del Gelato for a list of the gelaterie I should make sure to sample when I was there.
How to Find Good Gelato in Italy
I have a friend who lives here in Italy, an expat who's made the move I'm trying to make, who dutifully instructs all her visitors that they are required to have no less than two scoops of gelato…
Aperitivo in Italy: How to Eat for Free (Kind Of)
The concept of "Happy Hour" might not seem very Italian, and in fact it's not - but it's an idea that's catching on in some of Italy's bigger cities in the form of something the Italians call…
Menu Tips to Help You Order in Restaurants in Italy
Lucky for those of us who speak English as our native language, most menus in restaurants in Italy will have plenty of things that look completely familiar from the Italian restaurants you've eaten…
The Chef Died in Venice
Don't forget to enter our first Italy Photo Contest ! It's a very good thing that Venice is exactly the kind of place you'd want to get lost, because it's a bloody easy thing to do in this city.
Wine Tours in Italy
You don't have to be a wine snob to think about going on a wine tour in Italy . This is a country known the world over for the magical transformation from grape to vino , and the bottom line of any…
An Italian Food Gift Any Italophile Would Love
Stumped as to what to get the Italophile on your Christmas list this year? Or just looking for a little something extra to fill your own stocking? Look no further than the Ms.
Attending a Home Food Dinner in Milan
I've long wanted to try a Home Food dinner, but during my past trips to Italy it never worked out - I was never in one of the cities hosting a dinner during my time in the country.
Degu's Drinkeria in Milan
One thing the Italians seem very good at is adopting English words and giving them their own special twist.
Pizzeria in Rome
Naples is the birthplace of pizza, but most tourists never get further south than Rome - so if you're going to try pizza in Italy and you're not heading to Naples, Rome is your best bet.
Eurochocolate 2007: The Era of Chocolate
Perugia's famous chocolate festival, Eurochocolate, is going on this week in the capital of Umbria .
Going to Jail in Italy for the Food: Volterra's Prison Restaurant
Foodies looking for a seriously different experience to brag about will want to book a table at the Fortezza Medicea restaurants in Volterra, near Pisa.
Sicilian Gelato Sandwiches
I've been known to say now and again on this here Italy Travel Guide that it's all but mandatory (in my opinion, anyway) that you have gelato every day during your Italian vacation.
What does the "cover charge" cover in Italy's restaurants?
Some travelers to Italy are taken aback by the idea of paying a cover charge for eating in a restaurant. To many, the idea of a "cover charge" applies to night clubs but to restaurants? Not so much.
How to Eat Well in Venice
While Venice is a beautiful floating city, a wonderland for romantics, it is notorious for its sub-standard food.
Eating Well in Italy With the Help of Two Great Books
Anyone who's traveled to Italy and been able to get off the beaten path has likely experienced some of the food bliss that keeps people talking about (and returning to) the country which has given us…
An Italian Inventor Creates Gelato for Dogs
Italians love their pets, and they also love their gelato . Put the two together, and you have the newest line of European doggie treats - Dogissimo, gelato for dogs .
Anti-Wrinkle Pizza Stirs Controversy in Italy
What's the best way to combine the very Italian love of not-always-good-for-you food (are you listening, carbs?) with the also very Italian love of looking younger than your age?
Limoncello Recipe in Pictures
After posting the Limoncello Recipe a couple months ago, I was inspired to make some for the members of my Italian conversation group.
Eating a Sandwich in Venice Could Get You Fined
Showing a lack of respect for Venice could net you more than an embarrassing finger wag or "tsk tsk" from the decorum police - it could net you a €25 fine .
How to Travel in Italy with Disabilities or Food Allergies
Sometimes traveling overseas and diving head first into a foreign culture can be intimidating, even in the best of circumstances.
Dancing Vegetables Sell Parmigiano Reggiano
I wouldn't think these dancing vegetables and hunks of cheese would do much to sell Parmigiano Reggiano, but obviously someone thinks they'd work.
Garlic in Italian Cooking - Yes or No?
A gal I know who happens to have unhappy reactions in her stomach every time she eats garlic was wary about a trip she had coming up in Italy.
Cool Beverages for Hot Days
Regular readers might think I'm overdoing it a bit with the constant posts about how friggin' hot it's going to be in Italy this summer , but I can't help it - it's what I'm reading and hearing.
Limoncello Recipe
I'm not much of a cook - I leave that to the husband, who actually enjoys it (I don't) - but there are a few things which I like to make.
Reach for a Bottle at Rome's Aqua Store
Picture, if you will, a hot summer day in Rome. You're a tourist, and you're visiting Rome's big sights, many of which are outdoors or require long waits in outdoor lines, with little to no…
Happy Hour in Italy Makes Your Money Go Further
Americans are generally quite familiar with the idea of Happy Hour. It's usually a great thing - you get huge portions of good food for pennies on the dollar, as long as you buy a drink.
Where to Eat in Venice
Venice isn't known for its good places to eat. It is, in fact, known for the exact opposite - it's one of those cities that even non-foodies complain about, because of the high prices and mediocre…
Home Food: Italian Cooking at its Best
When people go to Italy, one of the things they're usually expecting is great food.
Saucing the Perfect Pizza
You might remember this video I posted awhile ago, courtesy of Jeff in Puglia , of his local pizzaiolo making a pie . In that video, we saw the formation of the dough into perfect rounds.
Italy's Version of Confetti: Hooray, It's Candy!
You might imagine Italy to be a land of traditions - the kind of traditions you don't mess with if you know any better - and you'd be right.
Eating Sweet in Perugia: Eurochocolate 2007
If you've ever had a Baci* chocolate - those little chocolate hazelnut treats that come in silver and blue foil and have cute sayings in four languages on a little "fortune" inside - you've had…
Thirsty in Italy? Belly Up to the Blog.
As I was browsing my Italy news feeds this morning, a pattern began to emerge... So rather than fight it, I'm giving in to it.
Potluck: A foreign concept in Italy
Last weekend my Italian conversation group got together for a potluck at our house. We do this periodically because, in addition to being fans of the Italian language, we're all sort of foodies.
Throwing Pizza Dough - Caught on Video
While much of what's available on sites like YouTube is pretty ridiculous, there are occasional gems. You might disagree with me that this particular video is a gem, but I happen to really enjoy it.
Siena's Confection Contribution to the World: Panforte
There are a million regional food specialties all over Italy, some of which make up what we think we know as Italian food in America.
Celebrate World Nutella Day with a Visit to a Nutelleria
In celebration of World Nutella Day , I'd like to talk about something the husband and I spotted in Bologna last September.
The "At Home in Rome" Food Week: Restaurants to Try In & Around Rome
I've slowly been finding more and more blogs written by expats in Italy, and I'm adding many of them to the list of blogs I check in with every day.
Gelato: It's Not Just for Dessert Anymore
When I first visited Florence in 2001, I remember seeing a gigantic menu outside what was supposed to be the best gelateria in the city.