Tell Me About Italy

[Wormius]

Also, if your family has EU citizenship, kids get pretty substantial discounts on the tickets. You need the passport or id card though to prove it.

In Florence, check out the Galileo museum. No advanced tickets for that. Avoid the steak in Florence though, it’s overrated and overpriced, unless you like bland steak.

[afc wimbledon]

An hour or so out of Rome is Tivoli, sight of Emperor Hadrian's Villa, I wandered around it with my family, quite possibly one of the worlds great ruins, wholly empty, just me and my daughter and mum and stepdad and a few goats, peak Italy, the guy on the gate selling tickets was fast asleep in his hut, we just wandered in, Tivoli is a mountain town, medieval worth a visit without the ruin, there's a world class (2 star Michelin I recall) restaurant there on the hill side overlooking the valley, had a lovely bit of horse cooked with cheese

[pseudoreality]

I spent about a week in Italy this past October. I second the recommendation on booking any site visit tickets now.

My family did a pasta making class in Florence that was pretty fun. It's like the same price or cheaper than just having the meal. So definitely worth it if you have the time.

In the Naples area I really enjoyed both Pompei and the Amalfi Coast. We did a semi-private tour through Italytours.com.

[Sliver]

I'm never going to Italy. I have no respect for the people or the culture.

They act like tomatoes are 'their' food and integral to 'their' cuisine. Tomatoes were only introduced in the 16th century from the Americas. Then the Italians didn't fk with them until the 1800s. Now they scamper around acting like they invented the tomato. Their cuisine would be nothing without tomatoes yet they never acknowledge it's relatively new on their menus nor that it came from across the sea. It's a fkn joke.

Sorry, I'm not going there and playing along. I think people who do are weak.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Sliver

I'm never going to Italy. I have no respect for the people or the culture.

They act like tomatoes are 'their' food and integral to 'their' cuisine. Tomatoes were only introduced in the 16th century from the Americas. Then the Italians didn't fk with them until the 1800s. Now they scamper around acting like they invented the tomato. Their cuisine would be nothing without tomatoes yet they never acknowledge it's relatively new on their menus nor that it came from across the sea. It's a fkn joke.

Sorry, I'm not going there and playing along. I think people who do are weak.

That ignores the reality that Italy is only about as old as Canada. By the time Italy came into existence as a country, tomatoes had been a part of their regional cuisine for centuries.

[Monahammer]

Lol, the best italian dishes don't have tomato in them you goof. This is a hotter take than dog-hatred.

[Monahammer]

Peruvian food is also super delicious though, if you have need to worship at the altar of the tomato and potato.

Out of curiosity, do you also hate eastern european and irish food?

[Monahammer]

What about Indian foods which rely heavily on peppers, tomatoes, or potatoes?

[Monahammer]

FTR if you want to talk about italian thievery, the noodle is the premium example.

[Fuzz]

One of his less well thought out efforts.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Sliver

I'm never going to Italy. I have no respect for the people or the culture.

They act like tomatoes are 'their' food and integral to 'their' cuisine. Tomatoes were only introduced in the 16th century from the Americas. Then the Italians didn't fk with them until the 1800s. Now they scamper around acting like they invented the tomato. Their cuisine would be nothing without tomatoes yet they never acknowledge it's relatively new on their menus nor that it came from across the sea. It's a fkn joke.

Sorry, I'm not going there and playing along. I think people who do are weak.

Tomatoes? Thats where you draw your line in the sand?

Amateur.

They culturally appropriated Pasta from the Chinese and just went about pretending that it was their idea all along!

They threw crap on bread and then didn't throw more bread on top of it and thought it was the greatest thing in the world because they're lazy ne'er-do-wells!

Damned Italians...they ruined Italy!

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Sliver

I'm never going to Italy. I have no respect for the people or the culture.

They act like tomatoes are 'their' food and integral to 'their' cuisine. Tomatoes were only introduced in the 16th century from the Americas. Then the Italians didn't fk with them until the 1800s. Now they scamper around acting like they invented the tomato. Their cuisine would be nothing without tomatoes yet they never acknowledge it's relatively new on their menus nor that it came from across the sea. It's a fkn joke.

Sorry, I'm not going there and playing along. I think people who do are weak.

damn I wish I could say this take hurt..........

[fotze2]

Tomatoes dogs and Italians and bears and cats and Canmore residents and teachers. You never cease to amaze.

[Sidney Crosby's Hat]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

FWIW I have an italian friend from Puglia who insists that the food is best there, but I have never been. My experience was that Tuscany and Naples were the best, and different enough for great variety between the two.

I love Puglia. The beaches are amazing, the architecture is incredible, it's not overcrowded with tourists. Food was good, but not close to the best in Italy.

The best food is in Emilia-Romagna (Bologna, Modena). Worth taking a bullet train up to Bologna for a day trip (it's about 2 hours each way).

Food is great in Rome, too. Rome is known for four different types of pasta and you should try all of them if you can:

(1) Cacio e Pepe - 2/3 pecorino, 1/3 parmigiano, pepper, pasta water
(2) Spaghetti Alla Carbonara (so different from whatever they call carbonara here in North America) - pecorino mixed with egg, guanciale
(3) Amatriciana - pecorino, guanciale, red sauce
(4) Alla Gricia - pecorino, guanciale, black pepper

Another big thing to get in Rome is Roman-style pizza. It’s very different from Neapolitan and hard to find in New York. There are two types of pizza that Rome has:

(1) Pizza Al Taglio - Square pizza served mostly in bakeries by the slice, often with interesting toppings
(2) Pinsa - An oval type of pizza. When done well, it’s got a really great airy crust but it’s also crispy.

This is a good article on some Roman pizzerias if you’re looking to try: https://www.eater.com/maps/best-pizz...taly-pizzerias

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Originally Posted by Sliver

I'm never going to Italy. I have no respect for the people or the culture.

They act like tomatoes are 'their' food and integral to 'their' cuisine. Tomatoes were only introduced in the 16th century from the Americas. Then the Italians didn't fk with them until the 1800s. Now they scamper around acting like they invented the tomato. Their cuisine would be nothing without tomatoes yet they never acknowledge it's relatively new on their menus nor that it came from across the sea. It's a fkn joke.

Sorry, I'm not going there and playing along. I think people who do are weak.

Depriving yourself of one of the best cuisine based travel destinations because they've only been using tomatoes for a couple hundred years might be your best take yet.

[Sidney Crosby's Hat]

Originally Posted by Bring_Back_Shantz

Depriving yourself of one of the best cuisine based travel destinations because they've only been using tomatoes for a couple hundred years might be your best take yet.

Plus, the best region for food in Italy arguably is Emilia-Romagna and they don't use tomatoes in most of their dishes.

[Jimmy Stang]

Originally Posted by Nufy

Bring good shoes for walking...

Hope you like crowds.

Rome was wall to wall people when we were there.

Naples was great if you want to see ruins...WE skipped Pompeii and did a day tour of Herculaneum instead.

Awseome either way I guess if you have time for the bigger tour.

This is good advice. Pompeii is absolutely massive and you'll find yourself needing to pick and choose things across a sprawling site and still never come close to feeling satisfied. Plus everyone goes to Pompeii so the lines and crowds are substantial.

Herculaneum was buried differently, more recently "discovered", and is a much smaller site. And that's a good thing. You can see some really amazing things, arguably better preserved than those in Pompeii, and feel like you were able to do the visit justice.

[Jimmy Stang]

A couple general, nerdy tips:

- An Airalo eSim was handy and relatively cheap. Much better than trying to buy a sim locally when you arrive.

- Using Wise and the included Wise debit card lets you tap like a local in Euros at a much, much better exchange rate that using your credit card or withdrawing cash from your Canadian account. It is also very handy if you can convince your group to also get it. "I owe you 20 Euros - here's 20 Euros via Wise". Done.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Stang

- Using Wise and the included Wise debit card lets you tap like a local in Euros at a much, much better exchange rate that using your credit card or withdrawing cash from your Canadian account. It is also very handy if you can convince your group to also get it. "I owe you 20 Euros - here's 20 Euros via Wise". Done.

Brilliant thank you

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Sidney Crosby's Hat

Plus, the best region for food in Italy arguably is Emilia-Romagna and they don't use tomatoes in most of their dishes.

Best cuisine is a joke. I don't go to Italian restaurants because I can make the exact same thing at home for about $0.87/dish. Pasta with sauce is the easiest thing in the world. And bread? Oh wow, thanks for the "free" bread, Italians. How generous of you to give me a square of butter and a dinner roll and expect me to be grateful after you charge through the nose for some Catelli pasta and Ragu you grabbed at Safeway.

I don't even know what Emilia-Romagna is, but it sounds obnoxious.