Simply Italy Part 1

Prior to my whirlwind three week trip to Italy, my ideas about Italian food consisted mainly of pizza, pasta and gelato. Do I still think this?

Well... here is a quick run down of some of the food highlights of the trip.

My first "meal" in Italy was at Roma Termini, the major train station in Rome. It consisted of a toasted baguette with ham, mozzarella, tomato and lettuce - simple but tasty.


For the duration of the conference we frequently visited a local pasta/pizza restaurant - not because the food was particularly good but because we were in Tirrenia and the "town" was just that little bit too far to get to by foot. They served your typical selection of pizza, pasta and mains.

Fettucine with "porky" mushrooms was the English translation on the menu

When we did manage to muster up the effort to walk into town, we visited this pizza place where I had my first experience of Italian pizza. The base was quite thin and crispy (not like what you get at Pizza Hut or Dominos) and overall was light on the toppings. Surprisingly I was able to finish most of this!

Capricciosa pizza

Back in Rome, we sampled some gelato at a cafe near the Trevi fountain. This place also had a mouth watering selection of tarts, biscuits and cakes (please excuse the reflections!).

Ice cream cone display

In Capri, was Le Grottelle, a restaurant on the side of a cliff with stunning views - but also incredibly effortsome to get to. The food was fresh and delicious!

Linguine with shrimp and zucchini

Spaghetti with scampi

My first experience of a full Italian meal was in Sorrento. First up was the antipasti...

followed by the prima piatti (pasta)...


then the second piatti (usually some sort of meat)...


and finished off with dessert...


and a spectacular view of Mount Vesuvius!


Once again we feasted in Florence, sampling local produce including the olive oil...



and featuring our main as bonus entertainment!