Best Italian food trips

This beautifully restored authentic Tuscan farmhouse is set over three floors, with a contemporary kitchen at its heart. The spacious living room boasts original wooden beams and an open fireplace, while all seven elegant bedrooms have en suites, including a bath in the master suite. Unwind in the spa area complete with Turkish bath and sauna, breathe in fresh country air on a walk through the manicured gardens and soak up the stunning views from the large infinity pool.

The villa’s pièce de résistance is its wood-fired pizza oven, where local chef Andrea Anichini hosts private pizza parties for guests. Billed as an immersive, communal experience, Andrea's love of Tuscan cuisine is beautifully conveyed in his rustic pizzas. He uses organic flour from ancient grains and mother yeast to make the base, and tops with the likes of gorgonzola and courgette flower or mozzarella and figs picked from the trees in the garden.

2024 rates start from £9,584 for a seven-night stay for 14 people.

oliverstravels.com

Bosco Ai Frati, Tuscany

With its charming juxtaposition of modern facilities and historical touches, Bosco Ai Frati is perfect for those looking for a rustic escape in the picturesque Tuscan countryside. Sitting on an organic farm estate, this renovated farmhouse is great for guests looking for a back-to-the-land experience while still offering features one would come to expect from a luxury Italian villa – think poolside covered terrace.

Book an evening with resident chef, Marta Faggi, to guide you through a tasting menu that spotlights farming principles from three generations of running the estate. Bosco Ai Frati’s ethos of using high-quality, organic and locally farmed ingredients means no fertilisers, pesticides or irrigation are used to grow the ingredients. Dishes include aubergine, tomato and ricotta penne pasta, Fiorentina T-bone steak and cantucci with vin santo.

An unmissable experience is truffle hunting on the estate with Giuseppe and truffle dogs, Zara and Coco. This is followed by a cooking class, where Marta shaves black and white truffles onto freshly made spaghetti and stirs them into mushroom and cheese crostini toppers. Pick a bottle from the wine cellar or embark on a guided tasting through the region’s fine wines.

2024 rates start from £10,698 for a seven-night stay for eight people.

oliverstravels.com

Hotel Schgaguler, Dolomites

Pale wood and light hues dominate at Hotel Schgaguler, a central Castelrotto hotel surrounded by the Italian Dolomiti Superski region and all its endless ski runs. The food here is lighter than the hearty mountain fare of the surrounding mountains, with an Alpine-meets-Med twist. But the approach to ingredients remains as hyper-local as possible, making the most of what’s on the hotel’s doorstep. Eat light-as-a-feather gnocchi sprinkled with Alpine herbs, and drink milk supplied direct from local farms. The wine list is cherry-picked from Tyrolean producers further down the valley near Bolzano, and there’s a selection of grappa from neighbouring distilleries.

schgaguler.com

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Fireflies and Figs, Abruzzo

Fern and Jono plot a celebration of Italian produce from dawn until dusk at Fireflies and Figs. Here, you can indulge in fresh and honest food with a hyper-local focus. Try handmade gnudi or sweet cherry ice cream laced with cherries plucked from the surrounding trees. Enjoy regional wines while overlooking rolling fields and olive groves and take the time to soak up the serenity of the Abbruzzi mountains. Be sure to spend your days exploring every direction. You’ll find bustling market stalls, quiet beaches and idyllic forests.

Read our full review of Fireflies and Figs, here

San Luis, Avelengo

Executive chef Arturo Spicocchi draws on modern Mediterranean influences to build a five-course dining experience at San Luis Hotel restaurant. Those and more local food traditions (while this is Italy, it's also very close to Austria; other highlights include the Weiner schnitzel with cucumber and potato salad, a modestly named "grill night" and locally produced Kohl apple juice). Each of the hotel's 22 chalet bedrooms feature refined yet rustic décor with many housing their own hot tubs and saunas for guests.

Read our full review of San Luis, here

The Marriott, Venice

Venice has long been known for its iconic Italian landmarks and traditionally rich culture. And cooking is an intrinsic part of that culture. At the Marriott, Federico Belluco, one of Italy’s youngest Michelin starred chefs, demonstrates why, making the most of the island’s kitchen garden of herbs, edible flowers and vegetables in dishes such as silky tortellini or comforting seafood stew, all drizzled in Isola delle Rose olive oil, the only olive oil produced within the city's boundaries. The resort's luxurious bedrooms and suites are modern and minimalist. Particularly impressive are the Residenza suites, which come with private pools with views of Venice.

Read our full review of The Marriott, here

Romagna, Bologna

Bologna is well-known as a foodie hub in Italy, and for good reason. Local markets are teeming with people jostling for good Italian food and wine, and seeking foodie secrets rooted in Italian traditions. One place to unravel these secrets is Romagna. On a cookery course and foodie tour you can learn to view classic Bolognese dishes like strozzapreti , and enjoy the fruits of your hard work over a large glass of wine and good conversation. Visit Eataly, a foodie themed park in La Grassa, to browse traditional produce from all the country.

Read our full review of Romagna, here

The Maremma

The Maremman landscape, a "hidden" corner of Tuscany, immediately speaks of food. It has a long, idyllic coastline of rocky islands and turquoise waters, wide areas of immense natural beauty filled with wild forests, swaying wheat fields, hills polka-dotted with olive trees, rambling vineyards, rampant prickly pears, wild animals (boars and deer are frequent visitors to backyards and even the beach) and ancient villages on hilltops with views of the sea.

A region within a region that runs the length of the Tuscan coast from the southern part of the province of Livorno to Lazian province of Viterbo, with the town of Grosseto at its heart. It’s closer to Rome than Florence, and the cuisine is influenced by its history of fishermen, hunters, farmers and butteri (cowboys), which means that the food – simple, straightforward, seasonal, thrifty – speaks clearly of its surrounding landscape of sea, forest and hills.

One-pot dishes are a favoured way of cooking in the area, whether it’s caldaro (a seafood stew traditional to the fishermen of Argentario), scottiglia, a braise of mixed poultry, or a soup of vegetables and a poached egg (known as acquacotta), there’s a prevalence of comforting, low-maintenance, easy-to-prepare dishes.

Foraged, fished and hunted foods take a leading role – wild boar, mushrooms, chestnuts, shellfish, eels and wild herbs make up some of the most local dishes. With many dishes born of poverty, there is a surprising selection of vegan or gluten-free options – legumes have long been a staple protein in the area, while polenta and chestnuts make alternative starchy bases for recipes from gnocchi to sweet treats. Like most peasant cuisine, it’s food that makes the most of a few fresh ingredients and provides a belly-filling and nutritious meal that’s simply delicious.

Words by Emiko Davies (March 2017)

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