You already know what is food in the Italian culture: it is so deeply in the DNA, that Italians decide to drive 200 km just to drink the best espresso or eat the most tasty pizza!
Pick and smell the fresh basil or challenge yourself with a pizza making course, discover what are the local food products that make unique so many recipes!
In Italy food is traditionally connected with culture, history and lifestyle, as the different types of climate have enabled the development of different types of quality food products. You cannot “miss” how everything that is related to quality eating and drinking. No surprise then that Italy is the European country with the greatest number of PDO (Protected Denomination of origin) and PGI (Protected Geographic Indication) food products.
“Italy is the country with the most autochthonous vines in the world: 75% of its vineyards are made up of 80 different grape varieties, many more than 40 of Portugal and 30 of Romania, only 15 for France and Spain according to the International Organization of Vineyard and Wine”
Of course as well as the culinary traditions consider also the wines, where you can really taste more than 2000 years of history!
In Castelli Romani, one of the oldest wine area in Italy, white grapes are traditionally those most cultivated. Each family used to produce whiet wine for their own use. With the cooling influences of altitude, and of the Tyrrhenian sea, the Castelli Romani vineyards can produce quality wines.
Among typical agro-food products from Lazio, Porchetta (roasted pork with pepper and rosemary) from Ariccia, pecorino romano cheese, buffalo mozzarella, Carciofo romanesco (artchokes), fragola favetta di Terracina (strawberries), fagiolo cannellino di Atina (white beans), etc.