What to eat/drink where?

Fresh seafood and buffalo mozzarella in Sorrento/Amalfi Coast, cacio e pepe (pasta) and saltimbocca (veal dish) in Rome, trofie al pesto (pasta) and fresh seafood in Cinque Terre, ribollita (soup) and bistecca fiorentina (traditional beef steak) in Florence. If you're not a fan of rare beef you could try arista (pork roasted with savory herbs) in Florence, but recipes can vary greatly between restaurants.

We didn’t look for specific restaurants. While out walking we just looked for what and where we wanted to eat. Only mistake was Ristorante Alfredo Alla Scrofa in Rome. Over priced, mediocre food, but close to hotel for our first night in Rome.
If you haven’t done so, buy Rick’s Italy book. It lists restaurants in each area.

What regional drink specialties would you suggest we be sure to try...?

Hi fritzy,

The suggestions below can be found in Rome and probably all of Italy.

I prefer Pinot Grigio with my meal and Limoncello (refreshing when chilled, tart, digestive liquore) - Delicious made with Sorrento lemons

Vino Bianco or Rosso - White or red wine

Prosecco - an Italian sparkling white wine - delicious when chilled

Aperol spritz - Strong orange or mandarin orange flavor; light and refreshing; a balance of sweet and bitter (compared to an orange peel)

Campari - Mixed with herbs and fruit, it has a bold, woody bitterness

Negroni - Strong. Made with Vermouth and Gin and an orange peel garnish

Bellini - A very popular cocktail made with Prosecco and peach purée or nectar. Native to Venice.

Grappa - A grape-based brandy.

Most the above are an apéritif.

Hi Girasole. So you ate nothing in Italy, or can't remember :) ?
PS. I'm Boston born myself and now downsized in the western burbs.

Hi Girasole. So you ate nothing in Italy, or can't remember :) ?
PS. I'm Boston born myself and now downsized in the western burbs.

Ha ha, that made me laugh!

Yes, I ate. I stayed in the Termini area and usually ate at a quaint, neighborhood restaurant. I typically don't advertise it because Termini usually gets a bad rap unfortunately.

But, after two identical trips to Rome, I can honestly say, I never had any issues. In fact, I had the time of my life - and hanging out with some friends I made on the first trip.

I really loved the "walk from Termini" to all the attractions. I consider Rome (and Boston) outside walking museums. Once you hit Rome, you will see what I mean - it definitely "favors" Boston, or maybe the other way around.

The minute I set foot on land, I felt "at home." Even though I come from a Sicilian family ;) Love Sicily too. But, "something about Rome..."

And yes, I "am a Boston girl!" lol.

Rome,... What regional food specialties would you suggest...

http://www.campodefioriristorante.it/index.php

It is very close to the Campo de' Fiori piazza. Quaint, lovely. Good food.

The specialties of Roma are:

Cacio e Pepe - simple dish, but very good when made right

Amatriciana - Pasta with a tomato sauce, or "gravy" if you are Sicilian ;)

Tortellini Bolognese - My most favorite! I ate that dish a few times

Ravioli - they serve large ravs so you get maybe a dish of three or four? Filling

Anything Carciofi - Artichokes. I am sure you are familiar with them. I got them on pizza. Unreal...

Pizza Margherita - A very popular, simple pizza. I noticed my local, Italian friends order that with wine.

Pizza Diavola - "dubbed the devil's pizza" Spicy.

I stayed away from the restaurants that hugged most of the piazzas. They may cater to a tourist-based crowd, sort of a fast experience maybe, higher prices.

Oh, my friend in Rome suggested a restaurant he and his Father go to in the Borgo area (near Vaticano.) It was on the pricier side. A lot of business men were there at lunch time.

If I have the name still or the business card, I will link the info below. Or I can message him.

Do a google search for what to eat in (city) and you'll see plenty of suggestions and descriptions of local foods to eat. That's what we do when we want to make sure we try local specialties.

hey hey fritzy
girasole says a lot and i wondered if she ate or was on a liquid diet? haha
my first trip to rome years ago we took train to naples, people love it or hate it. we loved it and was a crazy and fun day with policia with their uzis and armored tanks all over, a sight to see, got back on train in the evening and we laughed so much, till this day a memory to behold with my best friend, others can't believe we had this experience
pasticceria poppella a bakery yummy
culinarybackstreets.com has a naples food tour
livingamalfi.com lemon tour, everything made with amalfi lemons. grew up in hawaii and never heard of lemoncello until this trip. walking thru the navona/pantheon/campo de fiori had a wine shop doing tasting, i must have tasted every bottle of lemoncello, my favorite. bought a few bottles at campo de fiori market to bring back to states. heavy bag but was okay since we did a transatlantic cruise from rome to florida. now my friends makes it for christmas gifts.
sorrentofoodtours.com
chefcarmensorrento.com
casavillarena.com under services is themed dinners
davincenzo.it friend went there, restaurant in a cave, food excellent and dessert tray to "die" for.
rome: i loved the bolognese pasta. a short train ride to countryside is the village of frascati, known for white wines, liking pinot grigio. there is oldfrascatiwinetour.com read their blog and about us. walk the village and stop at ceralli.it, family owned bakery/pizza oven shop. saw tv show that they have the "best" porchetta.
at a trastevere restaurant, carlo menta, had tartufo an ice cream dessert, pasta and pizza. loved walking around and stopping at salami/deli/bread stores, making homemade meats and bread to enjoy my happy hours.
also love prosecco and tried the local ones. we did a private prosecco tour outside venice which was fabulous. small vineyards and wineries which was gorgeous. my friend and i sat a bar close to out apartment and did tasting of different ones. and of course the spritz, a drinking and eating holiday is when i fell in love with italy and been back 4 times.
cinque terre: sardines, other seafood, fresh pesto (maybe take a class), focaccia, anchovies, olives and wine. i haven't been though friends have told me. apathtolunch.com
florence has cuccioli bar pasticceria (via del corso 25r) near duomo known for bomboloni
pasticceria vince & bongini (a secret bakery in santa croce area open late/early hours via del canto rivalto2)
studentsville.it a site to check out, eating out in florence.
walk thru mercato centrale, everything and anything to look at roam around.
have a great time and enjoy
aloha

Jack Bishop (of America’s Test Kitchen) has a recent book (2018, I think) called Tasting Italy that is organized by region and emphasizes local specialties. It will give you some idea of what is typical in what parts of the country and what you might want to make a point of trying. I found it a useful resource before my trip earlier this year.

hey hey fritzy
girasole says a lot and i wondered if she ate or was on a liquid diet? haha

lol! Princess Pupule. I think? fritzy was sort of hinting the same...

I have tried the drinks I listed. But, ha ha, not all at the same time. .

I don't care for the bitter ones. I really favor Pinot Grigio home and abroad. I love Limoncello. Bellini cocktails are really refreshing and very good.

A friend of mine at the "neighborhood" restaurant I frequented gave me Amaro to try. It was good but strong and had a syrup-like texture. It is an acquired taste. It is an herbal type liquore - after dinner digestif.

I drank Peroni Nastro Azzuro (blue ribbon) - Italian beer - birra. It is good when cold.

And, lol, I did eat. My hotel offered a huge buffet breakfast. I filled up on protein, fruits, eggs, some carbs, fresh OJ and espresso. So I was not too hungry until later - I would pick up a snack of sorts - arancina, pizza slice, gelato or protein bar. I usually had dinner around 8:30 PM - arriving at restaurant around 8-ish to get a seat.

Because I went in December for my trips, I would walk by the Chestnut guys - right around Campo de' Fiori area and the surrounding area of Fontana di Trevi. Smelled really good. The crackling was a draw. Also, a sweet reminder to me - Grandmother always making them at the holidays.

While in the Cinque Terre, be sure to try any dish with the local, freshly made Pesto, as it was invented in that region. I usually have a fine meal of Trofie al Pesto on my first night there (most restaurants there offer that, or something similar). In Monterosso a big favourite of many here is Cantina di Miky which is a few doors down from the rail station.

Gelato twice a day, minimum. Ask to taste before deciding. The prettier the gelato, the more it should be avoided. The best ones do not have artificial coloring and are not arranged in pretty mounds and waves.

In Sorrento you must go to Delfinos on Marina Grande. Rick recommends this restaurant as well. Show your Rick Steve's guidebook for a complimentary limoncello. You have to have limoncello on the Amalfi!!