Buon Appetito!

Italian food.  One of Italy's biggest claims to fame.  Is it really as good as everyone says?  The simple answer? Yes.  However, there are many things that have surprised me about real Italian food because of the way I have grown up with American-Italian food.

#1.  Garlic.
I have not eaten one Italian dish where the taste of garlic was clearly prominent.
There is no such thing as garlic bread in Italy.
As Ilaria told me, her grandpa is the only person she knows who even likes garlic.

#2.  Sweet and Simple.  Few ingredients. This describes Italian food well.
Unlike the U.S., dishes are made with far less ingredients here. When looking at our Thanksgiving dinner we realized this.  In the U.S. so many different things are combined in each dish.  For big meals, Italians are all about how a meal will best be digested, and the American way is certainly not it. This simplicity goes for everything from panini to pasta, lunch to dinner.  Expect to get whatever it is that you order and nothing more, but nothing less.  If you order a prosciutto and cheese sandwich...that is what you will get.  Bread, prosciutto and cheese.  The same goes for dinner.  In the United States we are used to choosing a meal off the menu from a single item.  Here, if you want more than one dish for your dinner then you order a full course meal.  Antipasta (Appetizer), first plate, second plate, then a vegetable, and then dessert.  And don't forget your caffe (espresso) or other digestivo (digestive wine or liquor eg: limoncello) at the end.  I have done this only a few times at the prepaid dinners when on field trips with my university.
When ordering a single dish, however, they really are exceptional.  The sauces are wonderful and everything is always so fresh.  The specialty dishes of the region you are dining in are always some of the best.

The biggest gelato ever!

#3. Gelato.
It is everywhere.  I am not sure if it is everywhere because it is famous or if it became famous because it is everywhere.  Either way, gelato is wonderful.  The difference from gelato and ice cream is that it is more creamy and more dense.  You can tell if it is good quality gelato by the amount of air holes you can see in it when you take a lick off your cone.

Chianti wine festival in Greve, September 2010

#4. Vino.
In this department, all I can tell you is that it is good.  I didn't like wine and didn't drink wine before coming to Italy, but I definitely have a taste for it now.  I don't think you could really come here and not like wine.  It is just such a large part of the culture.  I don't drink much white wine but when I do, it is very refreshing in comparison.  Red wine is the wine of Italy and Chianti is the wine of Tuscany.  I have to say, and not because I live in Toscana, Chianti is my favorite so far.  I have learned a lot about wine this past year and I don't know if it is just because I drink it now or if it is because I am in Italy.  Probably a little of both.

#5. Pane e Formaggio. Bread and Cheese.
No, I will not be an obnoxious snob when I come, but yes, both bread and cheese are better here.  Yesterday I couldn't resist buying a 59 cent baguette in a bag that was still beaded with moisture from the heat of being freshly baked.  The bread is fresher and the taste is...less artificial.  That is the only way I can put it.
What type of cheese would you like to talk about?  I think the biggest difference in every type of cheese is the amount of moisture it contains.  In comparison, many cheeses in the U.S. are very dried out.  My favorites are pecorino and brie.  Well...the mozzarella and the parmigiana are pretty good too...and the ricotta...and...

Cappucini and Buccelato in Lucca (a specialty bread of Lucca)

Every city and region of Italy has different foods that they are famous for and your tongue will thank you for ordering the specialty.  I am speaking from experience.
I didn't even mention the coffee.  Next time.