Italy 2018– It’s not all about the Pizza, Pasta & Bread
Originally I decided to travel to Italy to experience the culture, food and countryside with a little bit of city life thrown into the mix. I hadn’t visited Europe in a long time and thought it would be neat to explore the Tuscany wine region, olive groves and Italian food. I was less interested in the history, art, architecture and the numerous world renowned landmarks and monuments that this beautiful country has to offer… Yep, just the food, wine and culture… so I thought! Did I mention food yet? Yes, I literally couldn’t wait to experience firsthand real authentic Italian food. It’s definitely NOT all about the pizza, pasta and bread when it comes to food in Italy.
I started off by booking my flight about 5 weeks in advance and then loosely filling in the blanks with what to do, where to stay and how to get around. I decided on Florence as my arrival and departure point, as it seemed like the perfect location to bop around from and to (without renting a car), as well as to spend a little time in. It actually worked out in my favor to wait until the last minute to finalize my itinerary because I ended up finding much better options and deals than the month prior, but I definitely would not recommend trying this during peak travel season.
My itinerary was set: 3 nights in Florence, 2 nights in Cinque Terre and 1 night back in Florence.
I decided on this itinerary based on a lot of input from friends, coworkers, and local wine and olive oil stores. I also did some research on the internet and factored in my passions for the earth, healthy food, culture, nature and landscape. I realized pretty quickly that I could not see ALL that Italy has to offer in a single trip but I certainly managed to cram in a lot. Also, I don’t think I talked to anyone who had traveled to Italy and did not visit Rome. Apparently Rome is one of the top 5 most visited cities in the world, but somehow it still didn’t make my initial list of must see places. But no worries, I did end up making it to Rome and I am so glad I did! In fact, I ended up traveling to 4 cities in 6 days – Florence, Rome, Cinque Terre and Pisa. 5 cities if you make a distinction between Florence city center and the Chianti Region. And to my surprise, I ended up falling in love with absolutely everything about Italy, including the monuments, architecture and all the other things I said I wasn’t interested in. It was all quite fascinating and breathtaking! I am still in awe.
Traveling to Italy in February, during off peak travel season definitely has its pros and cons. Flights and hotels are more affordable, it’s considerably less crowded and congested, with fewer lines. There’s also more availability for scheduling transportation, tours, and other accommodations. But, the downside is some businesses, tours, and lots of restaurants and other attractions catering to tourists, particularly in the coastal cities, have limited hours or are closed. The weather is also much cooler during this time of year.
During my 4 cities in 6 days adventure, I managed to eat like a pig and overindulge – at least for the first half of my trip. But I had more options than I ever dreamed of to eat healthy and stick to my pretty restrictive diet (if I chose to do so), which is basically gluten free, dairy free, soy free, sugar free and grain free (and in that particular order of importance).
After doing some experimenting with food eliminations over the past several years, I had learned (on my own without official testing) which foods wreaked havoc on me. It was obvious that gluten was the main culprit, so I decided to permanently eliminate it from my diet (or avoid it as much as possible) about 5 years ago. I also did some experimenting with dairy in more recent years and noticed some general overall improvements in my health, skin and mood, but was not willing to entirely give it up until about 8 months ago (along with soy, sugar and grains). Soy, sugar and grains were never really a significant part of my diet to begin with but the idea of eating entirely holistic is what prompted me to eliminate those as well.
The reason for giving you a little background on my diet is so you better understand where I am coming from when I tell you that I had to make a big decision before visiting Italy on how I was going to eat. The decision was to either eat my current holistic diet (or try to at all costs) or to go all in and follow the ‘when in Rome’ philosophy and just eat whatever I wanted. The definition of ‘whatever I wanted’ being healthy but not necessarily holistic. I chose the latter.
I had also done some research on gluten free options in Italy prior to making my decision. I happened to stumble across many articles written by people with a gluten intolerance who said they had no issues eating gluten in Italy. I found that surprising and figured if I did partake in gluten foods in Italy that I would treat it as a bit of an experiment. And, to my surprise, I had little to no reaction to gluten in Italy – even after 6 days of it. Maybe it has to do with how the flour is milled and/or the fact that basic fresh Italian pasta is made with eggs and flour vs. US pasta, which is never fresh, always prepackaged and has who really knows what in it? This doesn’t mean that I will ever return to a diet of gluten – one because I know my body doesn’t react well in general to it and two because I don’t really see the nutritional benefits of most gluten products.
What I learned very quickly about Italian food is it really isn’t all about the pizza, pasta and bread. And even the pizza, pasta and bread is on a whole different level from such places as the US. Italian pizza and US pizza are so vastly different that they shouldn’t even be referred to with the same word or in the same context. Speaking of pizza, I just had a flashback of the fresh slices of mozzarella. Yum! In Italy, everything is prepared fresh, with quality, wholesome ingredients and effortlessly. That’s the norm. Most restaurants serve a variety of vegetables, vegetable dishes, salads, fruits along with various meats, pastas and pizzas. Every meal I had, no matter where I was, including the train stations, was made to order. Whether you are vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, dairy free or whatever, I believe you have way more dining options and access to fresh produce at local markets than you generally do in the US. I also noticed that gluten free options for things like pizza and pasta were available throughout Florence.
Beef is one of Italy’s mainstay foods and I ordered it as a main dish on several occasions. I was told by numerous Italians that Italians love their beef. I guess you could say the same for Americans. I found Italian beef to be of high quality and savory, with lots of flavor depth and richness, but there was not much of a distinction between well done, medium well, medium rare and rare. Most of the beef dishes I requested to be well done still seemed to be cooked medium rare. However, not raw like the pics below, haha!
I never tried fish or sardines for which I saw everywhere. Nor the gelato. Nor any of the other decadent looking homemade desserts or sweets that laced many of the coffee shop store fronts. I did take a lot of pictures though. I guess I’ll call it eye candy! As I mentioned before, sugar is not really my thing.
I was thrilled to be able to find a little market on pretty much every corner filled with fresh fruits and vegetables. I was enamored by the loose olives in bins for sale. I had never seen olives outside of a can or that hadn’t been sitting in (or maybe I should say marinating in) a pan of oil at the supermarket. I loved being able to hand pick fresh fruits and vegetables, fill up a small bag, and be on my way for a few Euro.
Another thing I appreciate about Italy (and Europe in general) when it comes to food, nutrition, food supply, and food consumption is that they give consumers the right to know what they are eating through labeling, they have much more robust laws and regulations that are in favor of the consumer AND they do not support the production of GMO crops.
Also I learned you can pretty much go to any restaurant, bakery, gelato shop or café and order coffee. When you order, you are not going to get it in a to-go cup and it’s going to be more like a shot of espresso that is the equivalent of a few tablespoons. They will add water if you request an Americano. I found myself ordering both styles depending on my mood and whether I wanted to chill for a bit or have it Italian style – get a quick fix of caffeine and be on my way. Most Italians take coffee standing, and only plan to spend about 2 minutes total, if that, on the event. Order, drink it, and leave. I almost forgot to mention it’s the best coffee I’ve ever had. I like my coffee strong and black and that’s exactly what it was.
I also realized that tipping is not common and that you always pay for your services after they have been delivered at the front of the store or wherever you see a cash register. I wasn’t really surprised by this because tipping at restaurants or for other services isn’t too common in any other country I have ever traveled to.
Keep reading if you would like to hear about my experience and recommendations for Tuscany Tours with cooking classes and organic lunch as well as where to eat when visiting Italy – mainly in Florence. I had limited time in Rome so I don’t have food recommendations, but if you do arrive in Rome via Roma Termini train station, you can eat there like I did. You can shop there too. You can pretty much do everything there. I couldn’t find much food in Cinque Terre – the village of Riomaggiore either, but if you keep reading you will learn why. I also only stopped in Pisa very briefly, and saw a glimpse of the city via a quick bus ride from the Pisa Centrale train station to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa. If you are interested in reading all about my solo travel adventure and exactly how I visited 4 Italy cities in 6 days, then check out my book recently published on Amazon.com by clicking on the book icon below.
Chianti Region – Tuscany tour with cooking classes and organic lunch on a farm
What inspired me most about my trip to Italy was the idea of being able to visit olive groves and vineyards. As a recent self-proclaimed travel & food blogger, I just knew this would be the perfect and most amazing experience. Even though the harvest season for olives/olive oil is in October-November, I thought it would still be neat to have a private tour of the popular area with some cooking classes plus lunch and a behind the scenes look at the olive oil (from hand-picked olives) and wine making processes. Wow, was I in for a treat! I spent the day with Sergio who offers several different Tuscany Wine/Olive Oil Tours in Tuscany. For more information or to schedule a tour you can visit his website at www.tuscanywinetoursflorence.com.
I did quite a bit of research to find all of the olive/wine tours available. I decided on Sergio based on his reviews on Trip Advisor, our back and forth communications for a month straight on exactly how and what I wanted to do, and his willingness to create a custom trip for me! This was the greatest decision ever! This was THE best tour I have ever experienced. It was comfortable, safe, fun, informative and thorough. All that I could have ever asked for, plus more. This tour was pretty much the only thing I actually had concrete plans for before arriving in Italy.
The day was filled with a scenic ride through the chianti region, a stop at a local farm, where Samuela and her husband Paulo welcomed me into their ecofriendly, sustainable and organic operation and explained to me their process for producing wine and olive oil. Also, I had the best made from scratch meal ever! I was able to partake in the preparation of the meal while enjoying organic wine and homemade organic bread dipped in organic olive oil!!!! The meal consisted of Chianti chicken, spinach, hand rolled noodles with fresh tomato based pasta, homemade jellies of all sorts, prepared specifically for the homemade focaccia and the best coffee ever. I was even able to enjoy a glass of sparkling water from their special ecofriendly water system.
I was in heaven that whole entire day. I ended up ordering a few dozen bottles of olive oil and some wine to have shipped back to the states. I have never had olive oil as fresh as this in my life. It makes the stuff sold in stores taste like rubber. I also learned a great deal about food and cooking in general from this quite awesome and dynamic duo. We had great discussions about sulfites in wine, food regulations and how they vary between US and Italy, why you should never cut herbs with metal, olive oil properties and nutritional benefits of real olive oil vs most of the world’s supply (which is heavily processed and overheated, causing it to retain no antioxidants or nutritional value), and so many other things. To learn more about their products or for scheduling cooking classes or farm tours, you can visit their website at http://www.altieroinchianti.it/. They also ship their olives oils and wines globally.
Florence – Where to Eat
Ristorante Pizzeria Le Antiche Carrozze
http://www.leantichecarrozze.it/en-index.php
The first restaurant I attempted to enter upon my arrival in Florence’s city center was Ristorante Pizzeria Le Antiche Carrozze. I pulled the door to open and it made the loudest sound ever. I assumed they were closed for business even though I saw plenty of people eating inside! I returned to Le Antiche Carrozze about 15 minutes later and decided to try again, after reading the business hours on the door indicating they were open. Thinking there must be a trick to getting in that I wasn’t aware of. It was like magic when I PUSHED the door and it opened! So glad I tried again because it was one of the best meals I had in Florence! I definitely recommend giving this place a try. I thoroughly enjoyed my salad and freshly made pizza. It was heavenly. Even the basic side of potatoes that I ordered tasted delicious. I especially like the mixed greens served with arugula, which is a common green included in mixed salads in Italy. To my delight and utter satisfaction, I realized that salad dressing, as we know it in the states, doesn’t exist or isn’t common. Each and every salad I ordered (which I did for every meal) from here on out was served with a simple locally produced balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Definitely the way it should be.
MaMMaMia
MaMMaMia is a warm and cozy little restaurant and seemed like an ideal restaurant for a romantic dinner. It had a charming, authentic Italian feel about it. The food was delicious and service was great too. Because of the cooler temps I sat in doors, but they had a very nice sized outdoor patio. This restaurant is located just a couple blocks east of the Arno River near the Ponte Vecchio Bridge.
Ristorante Toto
Ristorante Toto was just a short walk from my hotel – The Berchielli, located along the Arno River. This was a casual style restaurant with a decent menu selection and the best prices I had paid for dinner in Florence. I ordered practically everything off the menu plus a bottle of wine. The food was good, the beef was great, and the service was fantastic!
Fratelli Cuore
Surprisingly, the restaurant Fratelli Cuore (located in the Santa Maria Novella train station) had some of the best pizza, salad and pasta I had while in Italy. I really enjoyed this meal! This happened to be my last supper… of my trip! I had originally planned to find a nice restaurant within walking distance upon my arrival to the train station in Florence from Cinque Terre, but the night was getting away and I was starving. Gluten free, dairy free and vegetarian options were widely available too.
La Bussola
http://www.labussolafirenze.it/index.asp?C=I
La Bussola was also one of my favorite restaurants, not only for the food, but also for the ambiance and the service. It had a modern Italian feel with dim lighting and chick, trendy décor. I sat in the bar area and was able to observe everything being prepared and cooked to perfection. They have a very nice wine bar too, though I didn’t have any wine with this meal.
Cinque Terre – Riomaggiore Village
Veciu Muin
Unfortunately due to the time of year (off peak travel season) and the inclement weather – record low temps and the first snowfall in 3 years, I wasn’t able to eat much of anything while in Riomaggiore. Thank goodness for the one restaurant that was open on one of the main town hills – Veciu Muin. Well, they were open one of the days of my stay, but not the other. Apparently, in the village of Riomaggiore there was a recent decision to close all businesses on Tuesday, which directly affected me, all other tourists, employees and locals. I wasn’t entirely sure what that was all about but that is what the owner of the hotel I was staying at tried to explain to me through a mix of Italian and English.
Hotel Gemelli
I am listing Hotel Gemelli here as an option for food, but it’s not a place you would seek out for food in Riomaggiore. It would not even be a place that you would seek out for food if you were actually staying at Hotel Gemelli. They do not have a restaurant, but they did have food and a small coffee/wine bar. They offered a nice breakfast for 5 Euros and more like a limited option deli menu – with a few salads, sandwiches, and premade pizzas. If it weren’t for what they had for food, I may not have eaten at all one of the days of my stay, so I was grateful. Separate from food, this is a great place to stay if you are looking for a beautiful view of the Italian Riviera. It’s about 2 miles into the mountains from the center of the town, so it would be ideal if you had a car. Otherwise, there is a shuttle during peak travel season, you could call a taxi, or the hotel will provide transportation for about 5 Euro.
