6 of the best food cities in Italy through the dish that defines them

Italian cuisine is an umbrella term. Menus around the country change drastically between territories and even between cities — a legacy of the region-states that governed the peninsula from the fall of the Roman Empire to the 19th century. For travellers, this translates to a wealth of hyper-local culinary destinations to discover, each with a distinct character. From the hearty specialities of Parma to the regional pasta of Bari, we round up six of the best through a standout dish or produce.

Digital Products 1. Genoa: pesto sauce

Herby and fresh, the best pesto evokes images of summer lunches enjoyed around shady, al fresco tables. Which makes perfect sense, considering its birthplace, Genoa, is the seafront capital of the Italian Riviera. Visit to sample pesto its true local form — made by grinding basil, garlic and pine nuts in a mortar, then dolloped over trofie (short cuts of twisted pasta). Try it at Il Genovese, which was founded in 1912 under the name Raggio as a sciamadda (a small restaurant with a wood oven used for making farinate, chickpea pancakes). It’s now owned by Roberto Panizza, creator of the World Pesto Championship: the biennial event sees 100 chefs face off in the city with their mortars and pestles.

Digital Products 2. Turin: agnolotti dumplings

Now a worldwide movement, Slow Food — an organisation that celebrates local cuisine and home cooking — started in 1986 in Bra, a town in Piedmont. A decade later, it gathered 30 miles north in Turin to launch Salone del Gusto, a biennial fair for small-scale producers. The city remains the perfect host, with specialities spanning coffee, pasta, meat and even breadsticks. With so much choice, it’s hard to pick one star dish, but a local favourite is agnolotti (roast-beef-filled ravioli). They’re served with gravy at Pastificio Defilippis, which sells fresh pasta on site, or with butter and sage at Fratelli Bruzzone Trattoria, where the take on the recipe is a century old.

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Digital Products 3. Parma: culatello di Zibello

Parma’s cuisine earned it a place in UNESCO’s Creative Cities network, and it’s easy to see why. It’s the home of giants like parmigiano reggiano and prosciutto di Parma (the country’s most prized ham), but travellers might be less familiar with culatello di Zibello. Delicate and sweet, this type of cured pork has been produced here for more than 250 years using the leg of locally bred pigs, and its processing now follows strictly regulated steps. All of this has given it the moniker ‘re dei salumi’ (‘king of cold cuts’); try it with ribbons of tagliolini pasta at restaurants like Osteria di Fornio.

Digital Products 4. Bari: orecchiette

Puglia’s capital has its fair share of attractions: there’s a 12th-century castle; a basilica with holy relics; and Arco Basso alley, where local nonne (grandmothers) sit all day kneading orecchiette (ear-like pasta) into shape. This pasta has been handmade in homes around Bari for centuries and has become a symbol of the city. Buy a bagful, then try it in restaurants like Terranima, with turnip tops, anchovies, breadcrumbs and garlic. It’s a pungent dish, and one that complements this port city’s standout starter: seafood crudo (raw), served over ice, plain but for a few drops of lemon. 

Digital Products 5. Treviso: radicchio rosso

Amarognolo is the Italian term for a pleasantly bitter taste, and there’s no better way to experience it than by eating radicchio, a relative of chicory commonly grown around Treviso, an hour’s drive north of Venice. Restaurants here serve it all sorts of ways, but its morte migliore (‘best death’, an ingredient’s ideal use) is in a risotto with shallots and white wine — the way it’s served at trattoria Toni del Spin. Speaking of wine: Prosecco grapes are harvested outside the city’s ancient walls, on the UNESCO-listed hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene. They’re linked by the Prosecco Road, which runs for some 30 miles, with cellars all along the route.  

Digital Products 6. Perugia: truffles

Italy’s green centre, Umbria has one main claim to culinary fame: heady, umami-flavoured truffles, which hide in the undergrowth of the region’s oak, beech and chestnut forests. Black and rare white varieties are famously found around the towns of Norcia and Spoleto, but for an all-round experience, base yourself an hour north, in the city of Perugia. You can join themed tours with the likes of Let’s Cook in Umbria, which takes you around the countryside with a truffle-hunting dog, and feast at dedicated restaurants. Al Tartufo pairs truffle with everything from tagliolini (ribbon pasta) to basil ice cream.