When I think of Italy, the things that come to mind are the historical significance (sites like Pisa and the Colosseum), the incredible wine, and the delicious food, heavily centered around pasta and pizza. With so many incredible foods to enjoy, it can get kind of hard to pick and choose. Below, I'm providing a guide to every meal (and snacks) so you can get all the flavors of Italy in one day! (Warning: this is not low calorie or low fat, but it is DELICIOUS)
Breakfast: When I travel, I try to keep my breakfasts light- just enough to wake up and get me going. Especially in countries like Italy, that aren't known for their breakfast foods, I tend to keep breakfast light and fruity, with a small pastry. Most of the time, I had a few slices of cantaloupe, a croissant with a tablespoon of either Nutella or jam (YUM), and a cappuccino. When I'm home, I don't usually drink coffee, but in Italy, I just couldn't resist!
Lunch: I don't usually eat anything between breakfast and lunch because it makes me a bit sluggish- I keep my snacking towards the end of the day, so I'm pretty hungry when lunch time comes around. When you think of Italy, one of the foods that people think of the most is.... you guessed it.. PIZZA. Pizza in Italy is different than pizza in the US for a few reasons. 1) the crust is not crunchy. At all. In fact, you need a knife and fork to eat this pizza. 2) All of the ingredients are much fresher, leading to a completely different taste experience, I swear- you can taste the fresh basil. 3) You do not get a slice of pizza. You get a pizza. It's wonderful.
Anyway, for lunch, pizza is definitely the way to go. Make sure to add a small drizzle of the extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar that's on the table (I know, I know. Oil on PIZZA? Trust me, it adds a whole new depth of flavor). Also, if you're so inclined, a nice glass of white wine is perfect in the middle of the day.
Afternoon Snack: Ok. So you're in Italy, it's hot, and you want a snack. The obvious choice here is gelato. I LOVE gelato. If you haven't had it, gelato is a thicker, creamier, and more intense version of ice cream. It's delicious, and with so many flavors to choose from, you can't go wrong! There are so many gelato shops all over Italy, and I highly recommend that you take advantage of it! The tour group I went even had a competition to see who could eat the most flavors in the time we were there. My favorite flavor was called Crema (kind of an orange cream), but theres a flavor to match anyone's palate: from plain vanilla to Twix, there is a gelato flavor for everyone.
Dinner: So you had pizza for lunch and you want something else for dinner. Something authentic... pasta. You want pasta. My favorite was a cavatelli pasta in a cream sauce with pancetta, spinach, and broccoli. It was absolutely delicious and I wish I remembered the name of it. It was amazing paired with a red wine.
Dessert: There are so many amazing dessert choices in Italy that it's hard to choose just one! You could go for gelato again (which I did... a few times), but you can also go for some other delicious classics like tiramisu and cannoli. Or, you could sit down for some wine with friends after dinner, drink a bottle (or two), and eat your way through all three of these desserts!
Please keep in mind that I am not advocating for this diet every day. However, if you are on vacation in Italy, you're walking a lot through the historical sites, and you want to splurge a little (or a lot. A lottle.) you can and should! After all, how often are you gonna be in Italy?
