If you’re heading off to Italy this year, the one thing you’ll find out pretty quickly is that the Italians take their food very seriously. The richness of Italian cuisine lies in the simplicity of its ingredients and in its diversity – just about every town and village in all of its 20 regions, from Piedmont down to Sicily, offers unique local specialities and cooking techniques.

If you already know you don’t only want pasta al pomodoro or pizza on your Italian tour, you are in luck. You can quite happily eat your way from north to south without sampling the same dish twice. (Now there’s a thought to whet your appetite.) Here are 5 of the best we think you shouldn’t miss. Of course you can also try making these at home whether an Italy trip is in store or not this year.