My search for the best foods in Italy [Guest Post]

October 02th 2012 by Giulia

I always put off a visit to Italy. I may be young, but I spent a lot of time in Europe and purposely avoided Italy each and every trip I took to Europe. Why?

Real gelato - The best foods in Italy by Adam

Well to put it simply, I thought if visited Italy, I'd never want to leave. The country has always fascinated me and the idea of spending just a short trip in Italy seemed impossible to me. How could I enjoy all the art and museums, the delicious foods, the Italian lifestyle in just a short weekend break?

Italian tomatos - The best foods in Italy by Adam

I couldn't. So I saved up and found a way to make a short first-time trip to Italy into a two-week holiday. The goal of the trip: to eat my way through Italy, trying and finding all my favorite Italian foods. I visited a handful of cities and found the following 3 food highlights:

Pizza in Venice
Venice was the first stop on my trip to Italy. Stepping off my City Night Line train into Italy, into Venice for the first time, was an experience I won't soon forget. Because it was my first time in Italy, I did the tourist thing and went for the first pizza I could find.
Pizza in Venice - The best foods in Italy by Adam

While it was good, I ended up using FourSquare to search for the local favorite pizzeria. That brought me to Pizza Al Volo which had a line out the door and cheap pizza by the slice. Plus it's located Campo Santa Margherita which was a fun piazza to hang out in.

Food tour in Rome
Probably the most foodie thing I did in Italy was a half-day walking tour in Rome sampling local foods. The walking and food tour was probably the best thing I did in Rome because not only did I get to sample some truly delicious meals (and finally learn what suppli' is), but they gave me a small map & guide to help me find more restaurants in Rome.

Even after leaving Rome I follow their blog with hopes of discovering even more Italian cuisines I never knew about!

Food Tour in Rome - The best foods in Italy by Adam

Piadinas in Rimini
One of the many foods I never really knew existed but quickly became addicted to was the classic piadina. The snack food quickly became my staple food of choice while enjoying the beach lounges in Rimini. Quick, easy and affordable, the piadina reminded me a lot of a quesadilla…but of course was a million times more delicious in Italy!

And to think I just scratched the surface of Italian cuisine… I can't wait to return and discover even more Italian foods!

This is a guest post written by Adam, travel blogger from Boston, about his recent trip to Italy. Did you like this post? Discover more about Adam and his travels in his blog.