5 Dishes to Eat in Italy Besides Pizza

Imagine that your travel agent just booked your trip to Italy.

You are right in the middle of a “dolce vita” daydream—musing about all the once-in-a-lifetime experiences that you are going to have there—when you start to feel a rumble in your stomach.

That's because, like many travelers nowadays, you are secretly looking forward to the food in Italy more than anything else.

But what dishes should you look to devour when you get there?

Everyone knows that Italy is the birthplace of pizza, but there are plenty of other specialties to seek out all over the country. Some may be familiar from your local Italian restaurant, others will be a revelation, and all will taste better in their home country.

Spaghetti Carbonara

Perhaps the pasta that inspired the word “decadent”, spaghetti carbonara is a simple dish that takes a lot of expertise to prepare correctly.

Luckily there are lots of skilled chefs in Italy.

The ingredients are simple enough: eggs, cured ham, cheese, and pepper. It’s what the chef does with those basic ingredients that make it so special. Cook your carbonara sauce too long and you’ll get scrambled eggs. Do it perfectly and the results are divine.

A spectacular spaghetti carbonara will be velvety and coat every square-inch of the spaghetti, with the saltiness of the crispy ham cutting through the creaminess of the egg and cheese.

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Pesto alla Genovese

If your prior experience with pesto has been limited to tiny jars at the local supermarket, prepare to be blown away by the genuine article. Pesto alla Genovese (pesto from Genoa) is made by crushing local basil and pine nuts together, mixing it with olive oil, pecorino and parmesan cheeses.

The sticky sauce then coats the pasta and is a true taste of Liguria region (home to the Italian Riviera & Cinque Terre) where it was born.

Ossobucco

What do you get when you take a bone-in veal shank, then cook it slowly in wine and stock until the tender meat is about to slip off the bone?

Ossobucco is a carnivore's dream come true, and you should expect the savory shank to be accompanied by either risotto or polenta—which both do a superb job of soaking up all the meaty juices. Milan lays claim to ossobucco, but you will find it on the menu at fine restaurants all over the country.

Ribollata

While thoughts of Tuscany may bring to mind sunshine and warm days in vineyards, the weather can get a little chilly there, too. This filling soup from the region helps keep the locals warm, and you simply must try some on your trip.

Literally a “poor man’s minestrone”, Tuscan peasants created ribollata by re-boiling the previous day’s vegetable-based soup and thickening it with bread. It’s mostly made from scratch nowadays, and you should expect plenty of cannellini beans, kale, carrot and celery in your bowl.

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Tortelloni di Zucca

Not to be confused with its smaller and non-filled sibling tortellini; Tortelloni is a large, round filled pasta popular in Northern Italy. You will find it stuffed with a variety of ingredients, but tortelloni di zucca may just be its finest incarnation.

In this version, the pasta is filled with pumpkin and is slathered in a butter and sage sauce.

Have your travel agent book you a stay at a Barceló property in Italy in order to balance out your culinary adventures with a touch of luxury.