When it comes to food and travel, Italy is far from a hidden gem. Not only is Italian food popular around the world, but traveling to Italy is a bucket list item that takes many, if not most, travelers to Italy’s three famous cities – Rome, Florence and Venice. 

Regardless of their motivations, these travelers eat plenty of pasta and pizza during their trips and leave happy. But many never experience Italy’s full food story in the country’s varied north, south and central regions. When we first visited Italy in 2009, due to limited vacation time, we fell into the same travel trap.