Posts Tagged ‘italian cuisine’

Italian ice cream, called gelato, is smoother and creamier than its American counterpart thanks to the process and ingredients. 

Gelato is churned at a slower rate than ice cream so less air is mixed into the ingredients.  That leads to a denser product.  Plus, it’s stored differently and eaten at a lower temperature.  There’s a lower fat content, which along with the fresh ingredients, leads to a more intense flavor—particularly fruit ones. 

While the consistency is closer to soft-serve than hand-dipped ice cream, it’s never served from one of those big silver machines.  Similar to hand-dipped, flavors at the gelateria are laid out in a glass display case and are dished out with a flat spatula rather than an ice cream scoop.

Not all gelaterie are created equal (although, really, it is hard to find bad gelato in Italy), so look for “nostra produzione,” or “produzione propria” for homemade, quality gelato.

And that’s why having gelato is a “must” on any trip to Italy.

Image: Colosseum at Night, Rome, Italy, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from lightmatter’s photostream

Rome, the Eternal City. What is it that makes Rome one of the most visited cities in Europe? We’ve compiled a list of five reasons that Rome might be the top city to visit on your trip to Italy.

History

From the Colossuem to the Forum to the Pantheon to Vatican City, history is all around you in Rome. Dating back to the 8th Century BC and home to important structures and artifacts from the building of Western Civilization, you can’t throw a stone in the center of Rome without hitting something more than a couple centuries old.
Please note: We don’t recommend throwing stones at history.

Art

Some of the most famous works of art are housed in Rome, including the paintings on the Sistine Chapel, the rest of the Vatican collection, the works in the Galleria Borghese and the Capitoline Museums.

Romance

Before there was the phrase “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” there was the phrase “When in Rome, do as the Romans do,” a phrase that dates back to the fourth century. Rome has long been a destination for travelers who want to immerse themselves in local culture and traditions and for travelers looking for a little Romance. It’s no wonder that Rome is the romance movie destination of choice for Hollywood.

Cusine

We’ve already covered the basics of Italian cuisine (and I’m sure your mouth was watering just reading that). Is it any surprise that visitors flock to Rome on all sorts of Food and Wine tours of Rome?

Shopping

Many of the top Italian designers call Rome home to the flagship stores including Valentino, Hermès, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Gucci, Versace, Bulgari, Chanel, Armani, Dolce e Gabbana, Prada, Ferragamo and Campanile. All of those stores are on one street: the Via Condotti. Add to that other flagship stores, street vendors and the local merchants (with some of the most lovingly crafted leather goods in the world) and Rome is your power shopper’s paradise.

Starting today, you’ll notice a new feature on our blog: Ask Roberto. Driver in Italy owner Roberto G. Melaragno has spent his adult life in Italy and would like to share his knowledge of Italian culture, customs, tours of Italy and Italian travel with you. In Roberto’s own words:

I was born in Canada and moved to Italy when I was twelve, where I began to merge my North American upbringing with the beautiful culture and language of Italy.

Over 15 years ago, I started Driver in Italy, with a view to creating the most efficient, professional and personal private driver service in Europe. Meeting people from all over the world, helping them get the service they need and showing them our destinations is our focus, and part of what makes my company special.

Roberto is ready to answer your questions about Italy and beyond! Simply go to the Ask Roberto page and ask away. In addition to responding to each question, Roberto will regularly select a question from the submissions and profile the response in a blog post right here on the Driver in Italy Travel Blog!

Image: Gnocchi al Granchio, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from harshlight’s photostream

There are few countries in the world that can compete with the Italian love of food. Beyond being simple nourishment, food is a way of life for Italians and it’s not hard to understand why. With Italy’s Mediterranean climate making lands fertile for all variety of crops, Italians can trace their food history all the way back to the fourth century BC. While “Italian food” to you may be synonymous with spaghetti and pizza, there is so much more to Italian cuisine. There’s even a whole industry of Italy tourism dedicated solely to the food inclined (or beverage, if you’d like a wine tour of Italy).

The differences begin before the food is even on the table. Eating is a family event for Italians and a traditional dinner consists of at least 4 courses: Antipasto (appetizers), Primo (a first course, usually a starch), Secondo (second course, your meat or fish) and Contorno (side dish of vegetables, sometimes served alongside the Secondo). While a full traditional dinner may not be an every day event for an average Italian, the spirit of the feast lives on in the amazing restaurants you’ll no doubt visit during your tour of Italy.

You can stick to your old standbys of pizza and spaghetti during your Italy vacation, but it’s much more fun to try new things… you’re on vacation, after all! Gnocchi, potato dumplings in sauce (pictured above), are one of my favorites and you haven’t really had spaghetti or risotto until you’ve had a real Italian spaghetti carbonara or Seafood risotto in a coastal town. For a Secondo, try some ossobuco (braised veal shanks) or whatever the catch of the day is. If you’re really adventurous, have an Insalata di Mare (seafood salad, usually consisting of squid, scallops and octopus) for your Contorno.

We could really go on and on about the food in Italy (and probably will do more later). For now, if you want to know more about Italian cuisine (and see new mouthwatering pictures every day) check out the great Italian food blogs Parla Food and Not Only Pizza.