5 Best Things I Ate in Italy,
a love story...
The most euphoric food moment I have ever had was eating this pasta outside in a small square in Pisa, Italy. I felt like a combination of Julia Roberts in Eat, Pray, Love and Guy Fieri in every episode of Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives. The pasta was freshly made in house and thick, a perfect combination with the square pieces of salty bacon. The cream sauce softly coated the pasta and was perfectly paired with grated cheese and pepper on top of everything. If you want to get the most perfect meal of your life, I would highly suggest going to a pasta house in Italy and ordering this (along with some red wine of course.)
Calamari, prawns, anchovies, local fish, cod fish, vegetables, and french fries are all snuggled up in this paper cone of wonder. Cinque Terre is known for it's amazing views along the coast, but I think their food should win the Oscar for best supporting attraction. The seafood was fresh and the fried coating was light, creating the perfect crunch and texture. The vegetables and fries were a nice surprise while eating the salty fish, balancing out the smell of seafood so it doesn't becoming overwhelming. A brief warning though, once you eat the fried calamari here, no other calamari in the states will ever live up to it again (it's worth the risk.)
That's it. Buy it fresh anywhere you can and it's a cheap fresh meal that makes you want to thank mother nature personally for creating it (also goes well with a bottle of red wine, like everything else.)
In Italy. Get it anywhere, everywhere, anytime, breakfast, lunch, dinner, a snack. Just eat lots of pizza when you're in Italy (and red wine.) You won't regret it.
Eating freshly crafted pasta covered in pesto where pesto was invented is something that I will tell my grandkids about. Much lighter than pesto I've had in America, the flavors of pine nuts and basil shine through in the most refreshing sort of way. This is a cheap and delicious way to experience Italy's cuisine at its finest.