San Polo & Santa Croce
Once an anarchist clubhouse, intimate, art-slung 'At the Crooked Bridge' serves up scrumptious cicheti (Venetian tapas), whether it's quiche or the famed…
Must-see restaurants in Italy
Central Sicily
Exposed stone walls, low wooden ceiling, wine racks and a wood-fired pizza oven set a snug vibe at this local favourite. Admittedly, the pasta dishes are…
Trastevere & Gianicolo
On a quiet backstreet, La Botticella offers pure Roman cooking, outside under the lines of flapping washing or inside in the picture-lined salon. Menu…
Bologna
If you were to make a list of the great wonders of Italy, hidden amid Venice’s canals and Rome’s Colosseum would be cheap, pretension-free osterie (casual…
Ischia
Dating back decades, this restaurant has a lovely terrace decorated with copper pans, ceramic mugs and strings of garlic and chillies. Locals come for…
Taormina
Linen tables, gracious service and a romantic terrace overlooking the cathedral make Al Duomo the consummate romantic go-to. Dishes focus on Sicilian…
Pescara
Bringing Abruzzo's mountain cuisine to the coast, this osteria (tavern) brings hearty simplicity to the fore in dishes such as pasta alla gricia (pasta…
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
Throughout San Lorenzo’s metamorphosis from down-at-heel working-class district to down-at-heel student enclave, Trattoria Pommidoro has remained the same…
San Polo & Santa Croce
Watch the world drift down the Grand Canal outside or canoodle indoors, but prepare to sit up and pay attention once the food arrives. Pesador reinvents…
Syracuse
Any restaurant that is full on a Monday night in February is doing something right. Old-timer waiters weave their way through snug, art-slung dining rooms…
Bari
This long-established Barese osteria (casual tavern) features no menu, just a chalkboard displaying what's cooking that day. It's all salt-of-the-earth…
Modena
Homemade Modenese miracles are forged in this low-key dining room spread with tortelloni-yellow tablecloths and hung with jerseys and racing-car photos. A…
Venice
All the makings of a true Venetian osteria (casual tavern) – hidden location, casks of wine, chandeliers that look like medieval torture devices – plus…
Livorno
This bakery in the Mercato Centrale, at the start of the far-left aisle when entering the market from Via del Cardinale, specialises in gluten-free breads…
Taormina
While it won't blow your culinary socks off, homely Tiramisù remains a local institution for its reliable standbys. Tuck into wood-fired pizzas, fragrant…
Southern Tuscany
Wine barrels turned into tables and benches set the scene at this casual trattoria and wine bar. Inside it's a mass of bottles, plastic grapes and the odd…
Cilento Coast
Run by the Egidio family, this pasticceria (pastry shop) has a cake display backed by a large bakery where breads including integrale (whole-wheat) arrive…
Cosenza
There's no sea in Cosenza, yet the seafood is spot on at this diminutive family restaurant just off the city's main pedestrian street. With Sicily so…
Cilento Coast
An upper-crust pizza place on a pretty piazza with magnificent rubber trees and wisteria-draped walls. Sit outside or eat on the go. The pizzas include…
Modena
Get in early! This restaurant is highly regarded for its classic, regional cooking, not least its signature scaloppina al balsamico (cutlets in balsamic…
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
Occupying several narrow rooms with patterned tiled floors and arched exposed-stone ceilings, this place is more expensive than the average osteria …
Murano, Burano & the Northern Islands
Seek out this vintage osteria (casual tavern) where glass-blowers head for plates of frittura mista (mixed fried fish), seafood risotto and spaghetti…
Matera
Proudly proclaiming itself to be the first of its kind in Sasso Barisano, this informal restaurant set in arched whitewashed rooms has been trading since…
Oltrarno
Crostini topped with aphrodisiacal white-truffle shavings, deep-fried zucchini (courgette) flowers or artichokes and homemade walnut liqueur are a few of…
Turin
Turin's sushi obsession runs possibly only second to Milan's. Yes, like many of its counterparts, Oinos offers top-quality traditional Japanese raw plates…
Salerno & the Cilento
Easy to find on the main road through town, this bright, spacious restaurant with exposed stone walls has a small front terrace flanked by scarlet…
Oltrarno
With tables beneath parasols bang-slap on enchanting Piazza Santo Spirito and a traditional Tuscan kitchen that churns out the classics pretty much all…
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
Fast food with a difference, the modestly sized bowls of pasta whipped up at this friendly place come with your sauce of choice – including carbonara,…
Ravenna
Economical prices, formidable home cooking and an attractive front terrace that's good for people-watching mean this bustling trattoria can be crowded,…
Volterra
Volterra's best-known fine-dining establishment serves traditional Tuscan dishes on well-spaced tables in its vaulted 15th-century dining areas; there's…
Merano (Meran)
This brewery restaurant has a huge beer garden and a number of beautifully designed and cosy dining rooms. Come for pints accompanied by roast pork,…
Ristorante Il Chiasso dal 1973
Elba
Tucked down an alley (chiasso) enlivened only by the odd line of washing, Il Chiasso has been serving up simply cooked seafood since 1973 and has a loyal…
Lago Trasimeno
Sunset is prime time for lake viewing from the flowery terrace of this old-town restaurant, housed in a converted 17th-century olive mill. Inside, a fire…
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
This buzzy, blindingly white space is a popular all-day dining spot. The focus is on organic Slow Food dishes using seasonal Appellation d'Origine…
Bologna
Landlocked Bolognese flock to this city seafooder, which sources its wares daily from Milano Maritima on the Romagna coast. Standouts on the snarky menu…
Venice
Midway through museum crawls from Accademia to Ca' Rezzonico, Toletta satisfies starving artists with lip-smacking, grilled-to-order panini (sandwiches),…
Palermo
Tables line the footpath and colourful children's paintings beam down from bright-red walls at this bustling family-run trattoria, in business since 1944…
Elba
Staff shuck fresh oysters and prepare platters of raw seafood treats at a counter in the middle of this hugely popular osteria, taking care of the…
San Polo & Santa Croce
Along with a dozen other things, Marco Polo is said to have introduced ice cream to Venice after his odyssey to China. At this gelato shop the…
Udine
This low-key restaurant, spread over two floors, is known for its quality produce. It's a great place to try frico (fried cheese), which is served both…
