Travel Recommendations
We get a lot of travel recommendations from friends, customers and community members looking for great places to stay, eat, and tour around Italy.
We have compiled our lists to lead you to some of our favorite places we’ve visited.
Northern italy
Venice
restaurants
Da Gigio (zona Cannareggio)
Antiche Carampane (zona San Polo) - must make reservations
AE Oche pizzeria
Verona
Al pompiere - Good traditional food, get the ravioli.
Imbottito delle 4 ciacole - Nice wine bar with hearty small plates
genoa
restaurants
ai Troeggi (natural wine and beer bar)
Z bar (college vibe)
Ostaia a Ribotta (great food)
Carmine (east side, fancy)
Cicale Bistro (east side, fancy)
Acciughetta (by the port, the best)
Really what a person should do is wander in the area by the port that's all tiny winding streets packed with African restaurants, street life, loomed over by five-story houses that block out the sun.
Piedmont
restaurants
La Rampolina (Lago Maggiora)
Impero (Sizzano)
Osteria del Caccetta (Briona) - serves a fantastic bollito misto
Cucine Nervi - fancier meals
Scannabue (Torino)
Consorzio (Torino)
Vintage 1997 (Torino)
Ristorante di Pallone (Asti/Monferrato) - very traditional, delicious food.
Cheese
La Casera - amazing meat and cheese
Want an adventure? Go find La Masca, or Stutt-Pfister, the best makers of Robiola di Roccaverano
central italy
florence / tuscany
restaurants
All’antico Vinaio - sandwich spot
I Fratellini - sandwich spot
Del Fagioli - I had the best meatball of my life here.
cash only, 7:30-10:30pm
Trattoria CocoLezzone - order the panna cotta.
Le Panzanelle (Lucarelli)
La Trattoria del Pesce (Bargino) amazing wine list, great fish
wine shops / coffee / meats
Ditta artiginale - gin & tonic and coffee spot
Le Volpi e l’Uva - wine bar
Bar Ucci (Volpaia)
Dario Cecchini butcher shop (Panzano)
ROMe
restaurants
Da Armando al Pantheon - make a reservation ahead of time
4112 Quarantuno Dodici Ristorante (Fiumicino)
La Baia di Fregene - my favorite
Da Enzo - long lines, but worth it
Madre
Emilia-Romagna
in Bologna
Vâgh íñ ufézzí - prepare to be intimidated and then charmed by the husband and wife team that run this fantastic small restaurant. Chalkboard menu, bad wine, outstanding food. A dream.
Ciao Kebab - sandwich spot skip the fries, get the Gerusalem kebab.
Trattoria Da Me - a famous place with otherworldly crescentina fritta, lasagna on Sundays, tagliatelle al ragu that is heartstoppingly rich and totally satisfying.
Allegro - a bakery Damn that’s a good croissant. Fine filtered coffee, too. There will be American tourists. But it’s worth the line.
Forno Brisa - a bakery with three locations. They make good sourdough bread. The coffee that is a lifesaver if you are a homesick American that has been away from drip coffee for too long. They are also a roaster.
Café Pasticceria Gamberini - Grab a beautiful box of marron glacé, get an Americano made by a bartender in a white vest. Old world to the hilt.
Enoteca Storica Faccioli - A delightful wine spot with some food. The cheese board is great, as is the retail selection.
Enoteca Al Risanamento - The pheasant black truffle crostini at this well-stocked wine bar was maybe the best thing I ate in Italy this year.
Il Rovescio - Finally, a vegetable! Actually quite a few, and pretty interesting pizza, too. The owner seems nice, thoughtful, conversational. A few good wines, too.
Trattoria via Sera - This place veers pretty close to my idea of perfection. They rarely answer the phone. You have to be buzzed in. They sell two wines, Pignoletto and Sangiovese, both sfuso. The lengua is sublime, as are the tortellini. Good daily specials, too.
Caffe Rubik - walk there for an Amaro. Hang with dirtbag university students.
Drogheria dell’ Elefante - Why is Italy so much better? Why can fat old men smoking cigars and lesbian bartenders and sports ball fans and dogs all commingle in a tiny bar with space heaters out front and eat taralli and potato chips and drink cheap Americanos and it be straight magic?
in Modena
Archer - it’s a well-stocked wine spot with just enough food for an entertaining lunch. Great tinned ventresca with beans and raw onions, good lasagna, wines from all the vaunted natural producers in Jura, Alsace, Italy, etc. Champagne BTG is always endearing.
in Gualtieri
Osteria la Lumira - in the countryside near the Po River. They serve abundant ravioli in a beautiful wooded setting.
in Parma
Da Pepen - Really excellent panini, perfect for eating while you stroll around in search of your next gelato.
ROMe
restaurants continued
Mediterraneo +39 06 87916 650
Pizzarium Madeleine +39 06 37285 37
Ricobene
Gelato
Avidi di Gelato – (Frascati)
La Gourmandise – (Trastevere)
Otaleg! – (Trastevere)
Torcè – (several locations)
Di Matteo – Torchiara
Neve di Latte - near Vatican
Wine shops
to visit
to stay
Aida Home (Parioli)
QC Terme (Fiumincino)
Il Miraggio (Fiumicino)
Loly boutique hotel (Trastevere)
southern italy
Campania/Naples
restaurants
Pepe in Grani (Caizzo) - Italy's best pizza
Ammaccàmm (in Pozzuoli)
di Matteo (order portafoglio)
Il Casolare (to eat fresh mozzarella)
basilicata
restaurants
Il Boschetto (in Barile) - a typical good working class restaurant
La Villa (in Melfi) - more gourmet, good wine list
Forentum good typical food
Bramea (Palazzo San Gervasio) - elaborate
to visit
Fontana Cavellino (in Palazzo San Gervasio)
Lakes of Monticchio (near Atella)
Ripacandida church - 16th century frescos, student of Giotto
Venosa - Prettiest of Vulture's towns, birthplace of Horace, 14th century Aragonese castle
Parco Urbano delle cantine Basilico
Centro Storico di Melfi