
The main characteristic of Italian cooking is its healthy balance, the excellent basic
ingredients being simply cooked and retaining their original goodness and freshness.
Simple and yet with such a variety of flavours and rich inventiveness in preparation,
that even the most demanding gourmet is delighted.
Italian breakfast is quite different from American or English. "Colazione" is usually
light: cappuccino (coffee and milk) and a brioche (sweet pastry), or simply espresso
(black-short-strong coffee).
"Pranzo" (lunch) is the big meal except in the industrialized cities. It consists of
antipasto (starter) a primo piatto (pasta, rice or soup), a secondo piatto (meat or
fish) with contorno (vegetable or salad), then frutta ( fresh fruit). Finish with
espresso and maybe a grappa or amaro (strong digestive liqueur). "Cena" (dinner) is
similar to lunch. Nowadays there is a tendency of having a light lunch, then dinner
becomes the major meal.
Where to eat? There are thousands of "ristoranti" (restaurants): the most formal type of
place to eat when one is not in a hurry, sometimes a little fancy and pricy and
family-run; "trattoria" and "osteria": less formal than a "ristorante", where local
specialties are served; "panineria": a sandwich bar, where a quick meal can be had at
any time of the day; pizzeria: is not only for pizza lovers!