Damkier's Travels: Italian Food & Culture

That's the best damn plate of pasta I had during my trip to Italy. The food is so amazing in Italy you cannot really appreciate it until you arrive. This dish from Osteria da Fortunata in Rome is Tagliolini alla Gricia which is a classic Roman dish made by frying bacon and adding pecorino cheese and pepper. It is truly spectacular and is an iconic pasta dish in Italy. Most of my American tourist companions longed for their classic Italian-American dishes like lasagna, spaghetti with meatballs, fettuccine Alfredo, and other dishes that are nothing like real Italian food. There is a lot of pasta and tomatoes, but they also have risotto and polenta with grilled meats and lots and lots of pastries!

That's the best damn gelato I had in Italy. Gelato is one of the main food groups in Italy, and combined with massive amounts of espresso gave me the energy to make it every day. This gelato is from Giolitti also in Rome with pistachio and limoncello gelato topped with a massive scoop of whipped cream. Words really cannot express how delicious this was. Amazing flavor and texture that made all other gelatos a little less great. Rome may be lacking in sights, but their food is really good. I've included all my food later in the post. I was able to cook some meals in my apartment, but eventually found it much easier and better to just go to the restaurants and not deal with the hassle.

I spent a lot of time on trains in Italy. They have a nice high speed rail system with a great supporting system of regional trains. I booked a lot of first class tickets which were only a little more expensive with larger seats and free espresso and snacks. All trains had electrical outlets which helped to charge phones. I cannot imagine navigating Italy without using trains, and they are a great way to rest up between adventures. Venice was unique with water buses running all over all day. Florence has really bad transportation requiring walking. Rome has a great but limited subway and buses and taxis that are a gamble. Walking is both required and encouraged to help burn off all those delicious carbs.

I mostly stayed in AirBnB apartments in Italy. Hotels are probably better for location and access, but I chose longer stays with a kitchen and washing machines. The above keys were typical. Apartments have an exterior door, interior door, and security locks on the apartment. There is no door handle and some doors will lock behind you. This set of keys was fun to take through metal detectors! European washing machines take a very long time to run with a full wash/dry cycle taking 12 hours. I often let my clothes air dry overnight or during the day to save time. Bringing synthetic clothes is highly recommended as cotton takes forever to dry and needs ironing.

One of the most endearing parts of travel for me is to experience the local culture. Italians are great even with their quirks. Like most Europeans, they are generally quiet and reserved to strangers but can quickly become passionate and open when given the chance. I actually love the habit of Americans to be friendly and engaging, but it is not the global standard. Italians like the same stuff we do and mostly act the same, even having baseball on TV and eating fried chicken at KFC. It is interesting that pedestrians tend to move left while passing, and you must turn switches down to turn power on. The water pressure is ridiculously high but safe to drink. Dogs and children in Italy are very well behaved. Big Italian cities are packed with tourists on holiday or honeymoon making it rare to actually see Italians. Pronunciation is tricky in Italian with the "c" being a critical part of the language. But it was really fun to learn a little Italian and get interesting looks from the locals when a Californian attempts to speak their language. Please enjoy the rest of my photos below.