Eat, Pray, Love: Best locations to indulge in Italian cuisine

In her bestseller memoir, after her bitter divorce, Elizabeth Gilbert flew to Italy to eat large amounts of pizza, pasta and gelato. Italian holiday may be popular for its rich history and architecture, but tasting authentic Italian cuisine is definitely part of the itinerary.

Italian holiday specialist Citalia has created a guide to 90 of the best experiences around the country with all of the unique reasons to visit them – whether you want to take in the Siena Palio or the Venice Regatta, go island hopping off Sicily, or even scuba diving.

One of Italy’s greatest draws is its universal love of food. If you’re going on a trip to try the best the country has to offer – or if you’re stopping off to grab a bite to eat – make sure you try food from:

Alba

Alba is world-famous for the Festa dei Tartufi – the White Truffle Fair – but gourmands can sample local wine or take advantage of the fact that the town is home to the Ferrero group, who produce the popular Ferrero Rocher chocolates.

Bologna

The culinary capital of Italy, Bologna isn’t only the origin of Bolognese sauce (though the local version is remarkably different and primarily served with tagliatelle), but also of Bologna sausage and a variety of fine wines.

Minori

Pasta-lovers should head to Minori to try scialatielli, a short and thick pasta similar to linguini, which is highly popular in the seaside town.

Procida

If you’re looking for a sharper taste, Procida’s “bread lemons”, so-named for their large amounts of pith, are used to create a local dish, lemon salad, in which the lemons are flavoured and garnished with garlic and mint.

Helen Adamson, Citalia Brand & Commercial Director, said: “Many visitors to Italy enjoy visiting popular relaxing resorts like Sardinia’s Costa Smeralda, or cities that offer something new every time, such as Rome. However, there’s also much more to Italy for anyone looking for something further off the beaten track.

“With our 90th birthday celebrations, we want to make it clear that Italy has something for everyone – authentic food locations, historical sites from any time in the last 3000 years and busy local nightlife options. We created this tool so that Italy lovers can find something that suits their tastes, both in the popular tourist hubs and in destinations few think to visit.”