One of the best parts of any trip to Italy is the food. The pasta, pizza, gelato and cheese all sweeten the experience of travelling in this Mediterranean country.
Because of its extensive coasts, Italy is also host to delicious seafood. It is where I discovered that I actually like mussels.
So, here are the food highlights of a week in Italy with my brothers.
Italian Food Highlights
For our first night in Rome, we went to the Ristorante Alfredo near our hotel. The speakers played nostalgic 2010s pop music and the streets were quiet and warmly lit.
I chose the seafood pasta which was perfect! There were no unopened mussels, the spaghetti was al dente and the sauce held so much flavour. I was still thinking about it several hours later.
During our trip, we stopped in Bologna a few times to switch buses while travelling between cities. Whenever we had time on our hands we would explore and town square and the narrow side streets lined with shops and restaurants. One of the places we stopped at was Gelateria Gianni.
Gelato is different from ice cream because it has a lower milk fat content. This gives it a soft but dense texture that can be easily spread by a flat gelato scoop. For three euros, (£2.75) you could get two scoops of any flavour. Personally, I think that pistachio and cream were the best at Gelateria Gianni.
Rome’s Gelateria Buccianti also shared a host of unique flavours like kiwi, pineapple, melon and mojito.
We also took a day trip to San Marino which was a short bus journey from the coastal city Rimini. After getting caught in heavy rain we stopped in a restaurant that quickly became full with other soaked visitors. Ristorante Pizzeria Con Forno A Legna, (Pizzeria restaurant with wood oven) had the best beef ragout I had ever had.
For our final night, in Pisa, we went to the Radici restaurant on Piazza Francesco Carrara. If you ever go to Pisa, which I cannot recommend enough, you must go there.
My brothers had steak and I chose another seafood pasta. First came the basket of bread and olive oil, and the server brought lemon scented wipes, and a little bowl to put the shells in.
The restaurant stands just next to the river Arno, giving us a beautiful view of the street lamps surrounding it.
Summary
Italy’s food ranges from fresh seafood to hearty pasta and sweet tiramisu. Going out to dinner and seeing the city as we looked for somewhere to go was one of my favourite parts of this trip.
Italy should be on every traveller’s list. If not for the pasta, then for the sights and beautiful weather.
Featured Image Credit: Isla Barker
Third year journalism student. 2025/2026 Lifestyle and Comment Editor at Brig. Published in The Yucatán Times, Mi Campeche and The Mourning Paper. Host of From the 40s with Air3Radio.
