Rick Steves'
Best of Italy in 17 Days
ABOUT US
Hotel
Amenities
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Free resident car parking
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Free high-speed internet
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Free Wifi access
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24 hour reception and room service
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Business services
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Conference facilities
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Laundry facilities
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DVD player
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Tea & coffee making facilities
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Bespoke toiletries
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Iron & ironing board
Who
We Are
A Tasteful Introduction To Italy...
REGIONAL FOOD OF CENTRAL ITALY
REGION
FOOD
WINE
What we in the United States consider Italian food actually comes from the central region of Italy. Robust tomato sauces, olive oil and cured meats form the basis of this region's specialities. It is not uncommon to find beef dishes on the menu here as well as wild boar in Tuscany and Umbria. Of the four administrative regions in this area, our tour travelled through three. Those along with their specialities are listed below:
While there are exceptions, the food of the northern region of Italy relys more on the use of butter, rice, corn (for polenta) and cheese for their cream sauces. Wild fowl and game are incorporated into main dishes and seafood is popular in the coastal areas.
TUSCANY
Florence
Lucca
Pisa
Siena
It has been said that this is where Italian
cooking originated. This area is noted for its excellent olive oils, sheep milk cheeses and roasted meat dishes. Seafood is also
popular here as well and Siena is famous for its almond, honey and candied fruit cake called panforte.
RED
Chianti
Brunello di Montalcino
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano
WHITE
Vernaccia di San Gimignano
UMBRIA
Assisi
Orvieto
LAZIO
Rome
RED
Torgiano Rosso
Montefalco Rosso
WHITE
Orvieto
WHITE
Wines of Montefiascone
Frascati
Do I Have To Eat All Of This?
or...understanding Italian dining
Umbria produces much of the pasta consumed throughout Italy. The town of Norcia grows the best black truffles (tartufo nero) in the country and is also known for its excellent prosciutto and salame.
Look for pasta specialties in Rome: bucatini all'amatriciana, spaghetti alla carbonara and gnocchi alla Romana. However, Rome may be
best known for its bruschetto. Thought to have originated here, it is made from a slice of homemade toasted bread that has been rubbed with a clove of garlic and sprinkled with olive oil and salt.
If you've never experienced Italian fine dining, you'll want to glance at the section below. Italians take their food very seriously. Be prepared to enjoy a full, leisurely meal the way they do...a one to two hour experience with up to five courses possible.
Not knowing this, we were caught off-guard our first night in Milan. Our hotel concierge was kind enough to recommend a wonderful family restaurant. Not understanding our options (or maybe we missed that part in Rick's book), we gave our waiter permission to order what he thought best. He did a wonderful job, but a five course meal was a little more than we could consume at the time. It was our good fortune to experience this at the outset as from then on we knew which courses worked for us.
Traditional Italian menus have five sections: appetizer (antipasti), first course (primo), second or main course (secondo), side dish (contorni) and dessert (dolce). You are by no means obligated to consume all five courses. Mix and match...antipasti and first course, or first course and side dish, second course and side dish, etc.
After dining you may want to aid digestion with an after dinner drink called a digestivo. Limencello, grappa, nocino and galliano are examples.
APPETIZERS (antipasti)...............These are served before the main meal and can
include cured meats, cold cuts, vegetables, cheeses and olives.
FIRST COURSE (primo)...............The first course is pasta, soup or rice dishes (risotto).
The pasta choices may have less sauce than we are
used to as the pasta is often the main focus of the dish.
SECOND COURSE (secondo)....The second course, or main course, usually consists of
meat, poultry or fish and most often does not include
a vegetable or potato. Some menus include vegetarian dishes in this course.
SIDE DISHES (contorni)...............A side dish such as a vegetable, potato or salad (insalata)
is usually ordered with a main course.
DESSERT (dolce)............................Dessert may be as simple as fruit or cheese. If your
meal consisted of only a few courses, you may want to
try delicious tiramisu or panna cotta.