Italy: eating & drinking
ROME
Osteria dell’Ingegno
Piazza di Pietra, 45 (Pantheon area)
Tel: 06 678 0662
Smart bistro style – innovative food and wine list. Good for dinner.
Casa & Bottega
Via dei Coronari, 183
Tel: 06 686 4358
www.casabottegaroma.com
Small, modern, good wines by the glass. Delicious snacky food.
Trattoria Monti
Via San Vito, 13a
Tel: 06 446 6573
Closed Sunday evenings and Mondays.
Proprietors, the Cammerucci family hail from Itay’s Marches, so ‘la cucina marchigiana’ features. This is an airy, vault-shaped space that is extremely popular, so be sure to book. They’ve got tortello al rosso d’uovo – egg in ravioli with ricotta and spinach and a tomato concasse – so of course we like it!
Trattoria Primo al Pigneto
Via del Pigneto, 46
Tel: 06 701 3827
Closed Mondays.
Kind of Slow Food-ish (think lamb with chicory; roast pheasant) in warehouse décor. Reasonably priced with a comprehensive wine selection.
MODENA
Osteria Francescana
Via Stella, 22
Tel: +39 059 210118 Fax: +39 059 220 286
Massimo Bottura, the iconoclastic Italian chef. Michelin stars, yes; currently rated #13 in the world according to Restaurant Magazine and more awards than seems possible – YET – here is a dining experience that can be almost anything you want. Massimo will tailor a degustation around your desires – seafood, meat, modern, traditional, local – anything really. Sommeliers swing into action to create a total experience. A couple of must haves – after all, you are in Modena – the ‘deconstructed’ mortadella panino, featuring a haunting mortadella foam and the ‘Tortellini con crema di Parmigiano’ (the latter is great with Lini’s Lambrusco). You may be asked by Massimo to finish the evening with a tasting in the cellar of his family’s aged balsamic vinegars.
PARMA
Al Cavallino Bianco
Via Sbrisi, 2
Polesine Parmense
Tel: 0524 96136 Fax: 0524 96416
www.cavallinobianco.it
Takes a bit of getting to, but this is one of Italy’s best food experiences if you’re into prosciutto. Owned by Italy’s ‘Ambassadore di Prosciutto’ (and President of the Consorzio di Culatello) Massimo Spigaroli. Choose a selection of three or four salamis to commence the meal – different flavours/styles/ages. Everything to follow is great too – Massimo raises his own geese, pigs, ducks and has a solid fresh fish supply. The kitchen is also a dab hand with pasta and merluzzo. Drinks-wise, you will probably have to test Massimo’s theory that aged Italian dry white works best with salumi, so we suggest Vintage Tunina! About 20km from Parma on the Po and well-signposted. Just watch for a few tricky crossroads and T-intersections, particularly at night.
POSITANO
Next 2
Via Pasitea, 242
Tel: 089 812 3516
Via Pasitea is the main road that winds down from the Amalfitana to the centre of Positano, so at some point you are going to go past this delightful little restaurant, which is mostly an outdoor courtyard. ‘Light Dinner & Music Bar’ the sign says, but, in fact, the food is terrific, as is the wine list and the music doesn’t start till quite late.