Savor Italy One Bite at a Time — and Let Travel the Ages Curate the Feast
There’s a reason Italians linger over lunch: every forkful carries centuries of story, sunshine, and soul. From seaside Naples to Alpine Piedmont, Italy proves that healthy and heavenly can share the same plate. Ready to taste the truth for yourself? Read on—then let TraveltheAges.com turn this culinary day-dream into delicious reality.
Indulgence Without the Guilt
Forget the calorie remorse you brace for at home. Traditional Italian sauces lean on antioxidant-rich extra-virgin olive oil—pressed in Tuscan, Umbrian, and Sicilian groves—rather than butter. That heart-happy swap, paired with just-harvested produce and artisanal grains, is why Mediterranean diets keep topping longevity charts.
300+ Shapes of Serenity
Italy boasts more than 300 distinct pasta forms, each engineered to hug sauce just so—from the rough ridges of tonnarelli to the twirl-worthy elegance of spaghetti. No packaged noodle can rival the bite of dough rolled at dawn by a flour-dusted nonna. springfeeling.com
Want to taste them all? Our concierge team maps pasta pilgrimages through Rome, Bologna, and Bari—no guesswork, no tourist traps.
Where Cookbooks Began
Roman cookbooks go back to Apicius. Want to relax with a good book and learn more? Read Crystal King’s Feast of Sorrows. Food obsession isn’t new here. In 1475, Renaissance humanist Bartolomeo Platina printed De honesta voluptate et valetudine, the first known Italian dated cookbook, codifying Italy’s kitchen wisdom for the rest of Europe. historyofinformation.com
Our itineraries sprinkle in museum visits and market strolls that bring Platina’s world—and recipes—alive on your plate.
Icons You Have to Taste Where They Were Born
Pizza Margherita
Naples, 1889—legend says pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito baked a patriotic pie of tomato, mozzarella, and basil for Queen Margherita. Though historians debate the exact details, Pizzeria Brandi still fires the classic in a wood oven daily. en.wikipedia.org
Why it can’t be missed. The blistered cornicione and buffalo-milk mozzarella simply can’t be shipped.
Fettuccine Alfredo
Rome, early 1900s—Alfredo di Lelio doubled the butter to coax his postpartum wife’s appetite, then wowed Hollywood stars who spread the gospel abroad. The original uses only butter, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and pasta water—no cream. hexclad.com
Why it can’t be missed. Tableside tossing with gold cutlery at Il Vero Alfredo feels like edible theater.
Gelato & Sorbetto
Florence credits architect-chef Bernardo Buontalenti (late 1500s) for the first egg-yolk gelato; others refined it in Rome. Either way, that low-air-churned silkiness beats any ice cream back home. theflorentine.net
Why it can’t be missed. Dairy-free fruit sorbetti refresh even the most lactose-averse traveler.
North vs. South: Two Italies on a Fork
Southern Italy (Naples, Puglia, Sicily): Expect volcanic-soil tomatoes, island capers, and straight-from-the-boat seafood folded into pizzas, pastas, and breads.
Northern Italy (Lombardy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Piedmont): Alpine cheeses, risottos, and slow-braised meats reveal Austrian-Swiss echoes. Butter finds its moment here alongside earthy porcini and truffles.
With Travel the Ages, you can savor both worlds in a single trip—sea-spray lunches on the Amalfi Coast followed by vineyard dinners beneath the Dolomites.
Ready to Eat Your Way Through History?
Whether you’re vegan, gluten-free, or an everything-in-moderation epicure, Italy plates joy for every palate. Let our concierge service handle the hard parts—exclusive restaurant reservations, pasta-making classes with Michelin-honored chefs, chauffeured vineyard hops, and more.
Book your custom itinerary at TraveltheAges.com and start counting down the days (and courses). Your taste buds—and Instagram feed—will thank you.
Tag @TraveltheAges on your Italian foodie selfies, and we might feature your dish of the day!
