This was my second big trip to the mecca of food, Italy. Unfortunately, they get so many visitors that “tourist traps” are all over the area, and it can be hard to spot them. I will avoid any gelato place where the colours are bright( not natural) or where employees are trying to reel you into their restaurant. If the food is good you don’t need that, locals and tourists will come.
Regardless of this, we had some of the best pasta, pizza, tiramisu and gelato one can have on this planet!
Roma
Is there something more cliché than the Colosseo when thinking of Rome? Probably not but while there are many other things to see there are a lot of gems in this city worth exploring.
Outside of the fear of getting pickpocketed in the subway or getting a “gift” bracelet from an African guy who will beg for money a few seconds later, Rome has some decent pizza game. They have their Roman-style pizza which is thin and more crusty, but in my opinion, Neapolitan-style pizza is king.
One of the best pizzas in Rome is Picollo Buco and I was heading straight for it, unfortunately, I got lost in time and forgot they were closed on Monday and we were leaving the following day… The owner was still there and talked with me and recommended we go to De Roma. While the pizza was good I am 100% convinced Picollo Buco was going to blow them out. Next time I visit Roma it will need to be on top of my list!
With the heat of the summer, can one have too many gelato`s? Well yes, if they aren’t good but Rome is home to Giolitto gelato and it’s famous for a reason. I think it’s the best gelato I have ever eaten. The flavour and texture were just perfect. The perfect balance of sugar and fat.
I haven’t counted how many flavors they have but they will have something you like. From all ranges of fruits to chocolates they will serve you something you will devour in a few minutes.
Firenze
After a quick 90-minute train ride we arrived in Florence with somewhat of a calmer vibe compared to Rome. We dropped our luggage and we were out on the hunt for a good pizza.
Gustapizza was #1 on the list and we had to wait 30 minutes to get a table. Was it worth it? Definitely! This is on par with Napoli Pizza. The dough was thin, the crust was soft and crunchy. We emptied all our plates and washed them down with Lemon Soda. I cannot recommend enough this place. If you like Neapolitan-style pizza and you are in Florence, go there.
It wasn’t enough to get the best pizza, now the kids wanted gelato to cool down from the scorching heat. A nice little place you must try is right around the Duomo ( La Strega Nocciola Gelateria Artigianale). The place is super tiny and only has 20ish flavours but they are as good as Giolitto in Rome. That is quite impressive for a small shop.
I took lavender and dark chocolate which is an odd combo but it worked well. Both flavours were amazing
To end the day we decided to try the “famous” Pompi tiramisu. Service is very fast as it’s all prepared in cardboard boxes. Verdict is its good but I think mine is slightly better.
Before heading to the train station we went for our casual pastry breakfast. Mò Sì caffetteria alla vecchia maniera served super fresh croissant and freshly pressed orange juice .
Venezia
2 hours train ride and we were in beautiful Venice. I fell in love with this city in 2019 there is just something romantic and relaxing to this city. If you are in a rush to get somewhere in the city it can be quite stressful as Google Maps more or less work and sometimes they will randomly start spinning so you have no clue where to head. If you take it easy and allow yourself to get lost, this is where you can enjoy this city to the maximum.
Don’t do Venice in a day, allow yourself at least 3 days and get a real feeling for the city and what it offers.
If you have the pleasure of going to Venice you have to eat at Bar Pontini in the Cannaregio district. They serve some of the best meals one can have. I highly recommend the spaghetti allo scoglio it is to die for. One can’t go to Pontini and not order the tiramisu, probably one of the best I have had in my life. Note that for dinner they don’t offer food before 17h30.
If you are looking for a quick lunch option, I recommend going for a fritto misto . It’s fried seafood/veggie served in a cone to go. One of the best places for this is WEnice. They offer several combinations of seafood and sizes, I took the calamari and shrimp for 16 euros and it was worth it.
Seafood is so fresh on the island you cant go wrong.
Burano/Murano
While in Venice one can take a vaporetto and hop islands like Burano and Murano. I recommend you take a day pass for this because you will save money in the end.
Burano is famous for its lace mastery, which I don’t care much for but is still skillfully done. One of the eye-catching things is all the houses are painted in vivid colours. This was a fisherman town and when they came back from the sea there was often fog so they couldn’t easily spot their houses. Painting them bright was an easy solution for sporting their home quickly. It’s super pretty and worth spending 60-90 on the island.
We headed to Murano where you can find all the glass factories. Unfortunately, it’s now very touristy and you get a free tour but you get pressured to buy glass after so we decided to skip it and just overlook the artist at work from outside. I liked De Biasi glass shop if you are looking to buy some glass, they have some nice pieces.
All of that got me hungry so we headed to Trattoria Valmarana a nice; somewhat fancy; restaurant right on the canal. We had some nice branzino (seabass) served with pickled carrots . Was very good but the carrots were a bit sour to my taste.
Recommendation :
Piccolo Buco ( Rome) – Best pizza, no reservation so expect lineup, closed on Monday
L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele (Rome) – Decent pizza
Giollito (Rome) – Best tiramisu
La Boutique del Limoncello (Rome) – Amazing limoncello shop
two size ( Rome) – One of the best tiramisu in Rome, note they are closed on Monday
Gustapizza(Florence) – Best pizza in Florence, expect a lineup
La Strega Nocciola Gelateria Artigianale (Florence) Best gelato next to the Duomo
Bar Pontini ( Venezia) – Could I dare to say the best pasta and tiramisu? Just go !!!
Wenice (Venezia) – For a quick lunch , really fresh and tasty