Welcome to your Italian food tour

Abruzzo

Discover the food, drink and dishes Abruzzo is best known for with our food lover’s guide to the region. Expect pasta dishes heavy with meat and cheese; sweet treats dating back to the Romans; fish and seafood from along the coast and liqueurs flavoured with local wild herbs and flowers. With these natural riches, the region’s gastronomy stands proud against its culinary heavyweight neighbours Lazio and Le Marche.

Basilicata

Wild, rugged and mountainous, Basilicata is a hidden gem of southern Italy. Between its two coastlines and among its hills, southern Apennine mountains and forests you’ll find some serious history and wonderful examples of cucina povera at its finest.

We explore the region’s version of pizza (more like a pie than the Neopolitan version that you might know), along with plenty of other foods typical of the area and Basilicatan cuisine, like pasta mollicata made with anchovies and breadcrumbs, and ciaudedda, a side dish of broad beans, artichokes and pancetta that we fell in love with.

Calabria

The toe of Italy’s ‘boot’, Calabria is a sun-drenched, fertile, gloriously beautiful part of the country with 500 miles of coastline. Traditionally, however, it has also been one of the poorest parts of the country – and the cuisine reflects that.

Calabrian cuisine can best be summed up as simple, fiery and porky. ’Nduja is the poster child, but the vast majority of cooked dishes will include at least a little sprinkle of crushed chillies.

Campania

One of Italy’s most visited regions, Campania is home to the world-famous Amalfi Coast and the culinary powerhouse of Naples. It’s the birthplace of pizza, buffalo mozzarella, Caprese salad, and its lemons and anchovies are possibly the best in the world.

We explore all the wonderful ingredients and dishes that make Campanian food so unanimously adored…

Emilia-Romagna

Parmesan. Balsamic vinegar. Mortadella. Prosciutto di parma. Ragù alla bolognese. All these come from Emilia-Romagna, which is why it’s generally regarded as Italy’s culinary capital. The fertile farmland – much of which is given life by the River Po – provides the perfect environment for rearing animals, which is why cheese and salumi feature so famously in the local food.

The commitment to artisanal food production (and how fiercely traditional production methods are protected) is unparalleled in the countryside, while the cultural hubs of Bologna, Modena and Ravenna draw tourists far and wide. Come with us on a journey through the region…