Abby Magistro, Engineering Perspectives of the Renaissance and Sustainability: Florence Summer 2023
I’m sure many people agree with me when I say Italian food is one of my favorite types of food. If I’m being very honest, the notion of getting to try a bunch of Italian food in Italy was a driving factor in my choosing Italy as my study abroad location. I personally chose to do a program on engineering and sustainability of the Renaissance, but I know that Pitt had a food studies program in Florence at the same time we were there. The fact that there’s a whole program on food in Italy just shows how excellent Italian food is, and I was very happy getting to try some new foods.
Pitt and their partners in Florence helped start our group off on the right foot for experiencing Italian cuisine with the welcome dinner, and later the farewell dinner. These were dinners that were arranged for us by Pitt, so we just got to show up and eat as the Italians do (minus the wine). We started the welcome dinner, which was a meal with a lot of courses. We had bruschetta, meats and cheeses, multiple types of pasta, and panna cotta for dessert. The farewell dinner was similar, though only four courses. There was bruschetta, a carbonara pasta, a pork dish, and gelato for dessert. These were the types of meals that left us so stuffed that it felt impossible to eat any more, until they brought out the next course. I am glad I got the chance to try a little bit of a lot of things and experience these meals with the Italian staff who were able to tell us what everything was.
The welcome and farewell dinners were by far my best meals in Italy. While I did have some nice meals in restaurants on other occasions, I was definitely eating on a cheap college student’s budget. The majority of food I had in Italy falls into a few categories: pastries, pasta, pizza, and panini. Now, in Italy these foods were all very good and the ingredients tasted fresh and clean compared to what I’m used to in the US, but the diet of mostly carbs for a full month was probably not the best for me. I don’t regret my decision to save my money for weekend trips and souvenirs though.
While in Italy I learned a lot about how Italians eat their meals. Breakfast is typically a quick stop at a bar, which is similar to an American café, and includes a cappuccino and a pasty, usually a croissant. The morning was when I ate the majority of my pastries, I mostly enjoyed many Nutella croissants. Nutella is something that the Italians love. It’d be difficult to find a bar that didn’t offer Nutella flavored pastries, and I even got to try a Nutella gelato that was good.
Lunch, for me at least, was also a lighter meal. I often ate a panini or a pizza. We discovered an amazing panini place called SandwiChic. They made sandwiches on focaccia bread, with high quality meats and cheeses, as well as different spread options, like sweet red pepper jam. I also got to try pizza. Italian pizza is a smaller, personal sized pizza, though we often shared it. It was, like most foods in Italy, made with fresher ingredients than in the US like better mozzarella. Pizza was a food that I had often for both lunch and dinner.
Dinner is the meal where the Italians thrive the most. Dinner for Italians is a social affair that usually starts in the evening, at around 8pm or later. It’s usually served with bread and wine and is where the pasta and meat dishes are served. I got to try many types of pasta while in Italy. I tried carbonara for the first time, as well as 4 cheese gnocchi and pici cacio e pepe, which is long noodles with cheese and pepper. I personally enjoyed the cheesy pastas more than the normal red sauce ones; I’ve even made the four cheese gnocchi myself since I’ve been back home. My roommates in Italy and I also did cheap noodles with Ikea meatballs for dinner a couple of times to save our budgets. Meatballs on pasta isn’t something that Italians normally do though.
The only part of a meal that I haven’t talked about is dessert. Italy is famous for their gelato, and I got to try a lot of gelato. Florence especially had so many gelato shops, we learned the tip that the best gelato is more likely to be served in metal tins and not stacked up all pretty to attract the tourists. I think we had the best gelato and best cannoli that I got to try at the same shop in Florence, Gelateria Carabè Firenze. I also got to try the Italian take on a milkshake at the 1950’s American diner in Florence, Nutella flavored of course. We just had to see how the Italians served American style food. That was an interesting experience, but I do think we have them beat on milkshakes.
I am still far from an expert in Italian cuisine and culture, but I was able to learn a lot about it from my month in Italy and I hope this helped you learn a few things, and maybe get inspired to try some new recipes. Italian food is definitely still my favorite type of food.
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