As my fiancé and I travel the world in search of nooks, crannies, and beautiful food, Italy continues to hold a special place in my heart. The love affair began many years ago when I lived in Siena and Florence during college and has continued over the years as I traveled back with family, friends, and the love of my life. It is a country that continues to teach me lessens. Each time I visit, I get more and more accustomed to la dolce far niente, the sweetness of doing nothing. I am reminded how beautiful it is to slow down and appreciate the abundance in this world. Whether it be in a quiet caffé corner or a bustling piazza, I am able to reconnect with a more peaceful version of myself.
It is with great pleasure that I continue sharing culinary adventures from a month spent in Italy this past fall. My first Italy eat list covers Positano and Tuscany, including Florence, Siena, and Greve. Now we move north through Alba, the birthplace of the Slow Food Movement, to Venice, a city that never ceases to amaze me, and finally back south to Rome, a place where all roads lead.
As I mentioned in Part I, I did not know I was going to create a list like this before we left for Italy. The idea came to me in the middle of our trip while I was eating a sizzling, stone-cooked steak in the home of Chef Filippo (see Filippo Oste in Albaretto below). So I regrettably do not have photos of all these meals to share with you. I do, however, have many photos of the surrounding areas. So I will share a mix of photos this time and I promise to be more focused next time around. And there most certainly will be a next time around. Ci vediamo, Italia and buon appetito, my friends!
ALBA
•Wineries - The Piemonte region is not only known as the birthplace of slow food, but it is also home to some of the most beautiful wine this world has to offer. So, basically, heaven on earth. Here Barolo and Barbaresco wines reign supreme and the wine makers I met were less than impressed when I bragged about growing up on the border of the famed Napa and Sonoma valleys. In fact, one of the wine makers laughed and called Napa "the flatlands". If you are familiar with the rolling hills of Napa, this might be hard to wrap your head around. But I have never seen hills like those in the outskirts of Alba. I am not exaggerating when I say it is dizzying to look out at the cresting hills and the grapevines weaving their way up, down, over, and across. Photos will never do it justice. You will just have to go and see for yourself. You should know that this experience is very (very) different than what you would find in Napa or Sonoma. Most of the wineries are family-run and tasting rooms are often in the homes of wine makers. You cannot just show up for a tasting. The experience is far too intimate for that. My advice would be to reach out to a few families before your trip and let them know you are interested in visiting. You will have to do some relationship building. But trust me, your experience will be worth the effort.
View from Rivella Serafino winery
•Osteria dell'Arco - Michelin recommended and at the heart of the slow food movement. This place was doing farm to table long before it was cool. The food is simple and fresh - the kind of simple and fresh that only Italians understand. We opted for the chef's tasting menu, which included carne cruda (raw beef) and local coniglio (rabbit) from Turino. Make reservations.
•Filippo Oste in Albaretto - An intimate dining experience in the home of Chef Filippo. This was possibly my favorite dining experience to date. It is a quiet, slow experience and only for those who truly appreciate the culinary arts and the slow food movement. There was a fireplace with rabbit turning on a spit and all the charm of an Italian home that has cared for multiple generations of this family. On a cold evening in Alba, miles away from home, it is really hard to explain how truly special it was to be in this place. I recommend the chef's tasting menu and don't overlook the tajarin (egg pasta). Tajarin is a great way to cut down on gluten when you are eating pasta. It is made with a ratio of 40 egg yokes to every kilogram of flour. Reservations are a must and plan ahead because there are only a few seatings each night.
VENEZIA
•Osteria Antico Dolo - A family-run osteria and bacaro serving traditional Venetian dishes. We enjoyed this little spot so much, we came back a second time. Both times we had the pumpkin gnocchi. Not only was pumpkin in peak season while we were there, but it is a fantastic way to cut down on gluten while still enjoying a pasta-like experience. And if you ask me, it was much more delicious than regular gnocchi. We also enjoyed many of their cicchetti, which are essentially Venetian tapas. Think lots of seafood, olives, and cured meats.
•Osteria Antico Giardinetto - Another family-run osteria (are you sensing a theme here?) near the Rialto Market. Chef Virgilio makes all dishes himself and they are mostly fish-centric. The name comes from a charming garden that is covered and heated during the winter. So don't skip it if you are there in the off-season. Definitely make reservations if you want to sit outside.
Caffe Vergnano; Whole milk cappuccino
•Caffe Vergnano - This canal-side shop has been making espresso in Venice since 1882. Think about that for a second. That's well over a hundred years of coffee experience. I spent countless hours in this space - sometimes reading, sometimes drawing, and sometimes just sitting there. My fiancé and I both loved their cappuccinos. There is an indoor space as well as a large number of tables along the canal. But don't overlook the little nook upstairs. It is a perfect reprieve from the crowded fondamenti.
•Gelateria Alaska - As I mentioned in Part I of our eat list, while we have strong convictions for healthy eating, we always plan for a few thoughtful deviations. There was no way I was going to Italy and not eating gelato. We just find gelato that is made daily in-house and contains only simple ingredients like whole milk and fruit. For a description of Gelateria Alaska, I am going to use the words from my friends at Lonely Planet because I think they do a perfect job. "Outlandish organic artisanal gelato. Enjoy a Slow Food scoop of house-roasted local pistachio, or two of the tangy Sicilian lemon with vaguely minty Sant'Erasmo carciofi. Or perhaps you're more a star anise, cardamom or green tea kind of gelatista? Even vegans are spoiled for choice of flavors, including watermelon and rose." Yours truly was there in just the right season and enjoyed a scoop of plum and a scoop of fig. The two didn't necessarily go so well together, but I simply couldn't choose between the two. Magnifico!
ROMA
•Ginger - The "San Francisco" in me was completely geeking out/trying to figure out how to open one of these in the city I call home. Ginger is definitely a breakaway from the traditional Italian bistro, but still not to be missed. We enjoyed a colorful salad with smoked salmon, mango, and pumpkin seeds. We also had octopus carpaccio and some smoothies. Octopus is one of my favorite ways to test the quality of a restaurant. This octopus was raw (obviously) and still not the slightest bit chewy. Molto impressionante! The restaurant itself is covered in fresh, vibrant vegetables and cured meats hang seductively from the ceiling. It is bright, open, and simply gorgeous.
•This list for Rome is really short and there's a good reason for it. We cooked almost all of our food in Rome and not once did we feel like we were missing something by skipping the restaurant scene. I am a huge fan of shopping at markets while aboard and cooking in a way that is authentic to the area we are traveling in. I will touch on that in my next piece on marking shopping in Italy. It will highlight markets in Florence, Venice, and Rome. The photos below are a sneak peek from my dreamy day at Campo de' Fiori in Rome. Stay tuned for more musings and some of the best photos I think I've ever taken.
