Though a bit of time has passed since I last visited a gastronomia, the sweet nostalgia of balmy Italian summers spent popping in and out of these vibrant stores remains embedded in my memory. On one sweltering summer’s day in the verdant north Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, my family and I found ourselves sprawled across the sofa of our shaded yet densely humid holiday apartment, following a morning spent sunbathing by the local pool. 

As the clock struck midday, I dared to utter the question that had been hanging at the edge of my lips since the second we’d stepped through the front door–“so, what are we making for lunch?” A communal groan echoed around the room as we unanimously agreed it was far too hot to bother cooking.