At the end of May 2024, I embarked on the vacation of a lifetime: I was headed to Europe for the first time to explore Italy for 16 days. In those 16 days, I visited four cities all with unique food options and stunning dishes, but every city had one standout restaurant that blew me away. From weird food combinations to creamy pasta dishes, Italian cuisine did not disappoint on delivering dinner, desserts, and espresso.Â
ROME: Roma Sparita
Our first stop on our food journey was in Rome. There were plenty of food options, and I wish I could have tried them all! On one of our early nights, we visited Roma Sparita where we experienced our first taste of Roman cuisine.Â
The staff was incredibly accommodating, as we realized our reservation was booked for the wrong month. Thankfully, they managed to squeeze us in as a party of six. During our time there I discovered my new favorite food combo, melon (cantaloupe) and ham. As weird as that sounds, everyone at the table loved this appetizer and we ended up ordering a second helping.
Moving on to the main courses, all of the pasta dishes were amazing including the spaghetti alla carbonara and tagliolini cacio e pepe. Amongst the pasta dishes though, there was an overall winner- the gnocchi with clams and zucchini. It was a perfectly cooked pasta dish with a beautiful mix of spice and creamy pasta sauce. It should be noted that I am not a gnocchi fan, but that pasta was so different from the ones I’ve had in the United States that Rome made me gnocchi’s number one fan.Â
To top off our main courses, we of course had to try the desserts. All desserts were amazing, but again there was a clear standout amongst them. We tried the homemade semifreddo, reminiscent of a frozen cake, and the tiramisu. The winner, though, was the plain vanilla ice cream. This ice cream tastes nothing like what is served in the United States. It was deliciously creamy and tasted delightfully homemade.
I would 100% recommend this place to those planning on visiting Rome. Although on the pricier side of restaurants, it is definitely worth it for the quality of food, level of service, and the sensation your tastebuds will experience.
CINQUE TERRE, RIOMAGGIORE: Nonna Vittoria
Our next stop we visited Cinque Terre along the western coast, comprising five small towns full of culture and spunk. We only stayed there for three days, so not too much time to explore. Nevertheless, the food was so good the first time at Nonna Vittoria that we returned to the restaurant the next evening.
This restaurant was super small and located along the main road in Riomaggiore. The waitress was incredibly kind to reopen her restaurant just so we could have dinner that first night and was so welcoming to us with her amazing personality. The first night we got pizza, a pasta dish, and lasagna. The second night all six of us got lasagna. Let’s just say that the lasagna was unlike anything I have ever tasted and I would go back to Italy just to have that specific dish again.Â
If I could recommend any dish from my trip, it would be this one over and over again. I cannot give the dish nor the service we received better praise and hope to go back soon!
MILAN: Caffe Napoli- Duomo
On a day trip to Milan, we of course had to get a coffee after hopping on a train at 7:30 in the morning. We decided to stop at a little shop with a bunch of specialty espresso drinks. This was hands down the best espresso that I had during my time in Italy. I got the Mergellina Coffee, which was espresso, Nutella, cream, chopped hazelnuts, and cocoa powder. My mom had the Pistachio Coffee, which was espresso, chopped hazelnuts, pistachio cream, and cocoa powder. Both were delicious and I would go back to Milan again just for those tiny espresso drinks.
VENICE: Al Vecio Marangon
As we came to the conclusion of our Italian summer, we visited the famous “floating city” known as Venice. Once again, the restaurant that stood out the most was the one we visited on our second to last day. Since the restaurant we originally wanted to go to was booked for the night, it was so good we went back to spend our last night there as well.Â
The waiters that took care of us were the best we had experienced. All three of them made our experience at their restaurant. They made room for us the first night in the overflow seating and then squeezed us in on a very, very busy night the next day, so we could eat there on our last night, and did it all with a smile.Â
The first night I had cannelloni with ricotta cheese and spinach. The second night I had the purple gnocchi with ricotta and courgettes. The purple gnocchi was my favorite between the two with a unique combination of flavors (still not better than the gnocchi in Rome, however).Â
The real treat was at the end with desserts. The mango panna cotta was amazing, but could not compare to the chocolate brownie that my mom got. We ended up liking the other’s dessert better and promptly proceeded to trade. This restaurant was not the best food we had tasted on our long trip in Italy, but was still delicious nonetheless. The staff made this restaurant experience worth it every time and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a hidden gem in Venice!
All in all, my experience with restaurants across Italy was nothing short of incredible. From tasty food, delicious drinks, and outstanding service, Italy’s food did not disappoint and I cannot wait to go back and try more!