Travel Advice & Tips
Italian families are no false stereotype. They talk with their hands, feed you endless amounts of food, always have a mother or father who treats you as family the moment they meet you, and of course they can all cook.
I was lucky enough to stay with a friends family while visiting in Italy. They lived in Treviso, which is a small town outside of Venice. My friends father was offended at dinner one night because I was eating his pasta "too slow". In reality, I was eating it slow because I knew this large bowl of pasta was only the beginning of a 6 course meal, but he thought I was eating it slow because I didn't like it! Once the main entree came out I began scooping food up on my fork, and again the father was offended. He said that I should never have more than one item of food on a fork. "If you mix two things in one bite, then you can not fully appreciate the flavor of each item". Lesson learned. From that point forward, when eating in their company, I made sure not to mix my food and to eat fast!
Italian food is heavenly. While the French may do bread better, the Italians definitely take the win when it comes to Gelato. They also have some of the best Prosecco and their Spritz is to die for (a signature Italian drink).
Eating pizza in Italy is truly a work out. They give you the pie whole and provide you a knife to cut it yourself. Italian bread is a bit tougher than French bread so both the cutting and chewing is definitely a work out for the wrists and jaw, but in the end it is definitely worth. The sauce is so flavorful, the cheese is strong, and the meats are potent and fresh. Top it all off with a glass of red wine and you are set.
Everyone in Italy still smokes cigarettes. It will make you feel like you've been thrown back into the 1920’s when smoking was the norm. They also still have the old cigarette vending machines on every corner.
