An American in Search of Italy
My husband and I have fond memories of our first trip to Italy and after 10 years we decided to go back to visit some of the places we did not get a chance to visit. Prior to our trip I was surfing the TV one day and landed on Stanley Tucci’s show “Search for Italy”, I decided to watch it and became quite enthralled with the show. I binge watched it over the weekend and decided to make a list of all the places I could go to that he had been to and recommended on his show. I was beyond excited about this part of my vacation adventure and plotted a route of all the places that would be along our trip from Rome to Florence to Milan to Venice.
We flew into Rome, and I really wanted to dine at Armando al Pantheon that Tucci had recommended. Unfortunately, I didn’t find out that until too late they open online for reservations only and you must do it one month in advance to maybe get a table. You really need to be online as soon as midnight rolls to have the best option for tables. Since I didn’t look until 2 weeks out all the tables were booked so that was not an option. Alas, an American in search of Italy!
Fortunately, my second option, Felice a Testaccio, I was able to book a table online and make my reservation there. They had some of the most sumptuous and hearty pasta I have ever tasted. We tried the artichoke, even though we are not artichoke fans and it was okay. Boiled artichoke doesn’t really have a lot of flavors, but it was edible. As an American I think artichokes are an acquired taste. We also had roasted lamb shank, which I was not a fan of was dry and the flavor was not appealing to me. The pasta was so savory that I felt like I had finally found a taste of Italy on my search.
Of note: We stayed at a hotel by the airport and drove our rental car to the nearest train station and then walked 20 minutes to the restaurant. Rome is not known to have any or ample parking near local restaurants. This added an hour going and coming to the trip and the car park near the train station was very limited as well.
Another place that Stanley Tucci visited in Rome, Italy was Bar San Calisto Café. I was planning on going there the next morning for brioche with whipped cream, but after the long day we had previously we decided we needed to get on the road and head to our next stop Florence, Italy.
The Stanley Tucci recommended restaurant in Florence, Italy that I was hoping to eat at was Osteria del Cinghiale Bianco. Unfortunately, they do not have online reservations, one must call in advance. When I tried to call, I could not get anyone that spoke English. We tried to just show up hoping to get lucky and get a table but were snubbed and turned away. We ended up eating at another restaurant down the street that didn’t need reservations, the food was not good at all, the night turned out to be a big disappointment. Alas, an American still in search of Italy.
After leaving from Florence we headed to Milan, Italy. I was really hoping to stop at Salumeria Garibaldi in Parma, Italy. Stanley Tucci raved about the meats and cheeses, and I was longing to sample the delicacies for lunch. Unfortunately, it was on Sunday when we drove through Parma and they were closed, so we did not get to sample the wares. So, we pressed on to Milan as we had a dinner reservation scheduled for that evening. Alas an American still in search of Italy.
Our reservation was at Ratana Restaurant in Milan, Italy. Stanley Tucci raved about the veal cutlet and saffron risotto at this restaurant. My mouth was watering all day in hopes of the delicate veal cutlet meat. However, when we got to the restaurant that evening, we were told they only cooked the veal cutlet on certain days and the day we were there was not one of those days. I was sadly disappointed. I ordered the bone marrow risotto in hopes of getting an Italian dish of comfort. The risotto was not like anything I have ever tasted and not in a good way. I am not sure what they were using to make it, but it was toothy and lacked the creamy texture I am used to. Nothing about the risotto was satisfying or savory. I left hungry and disappointed.
Fear not I was trying to make the most of the night and was holding out hopes for the hidden Tencitt Bar in Milan and drown my sorrows in a finely crafted cocktail. We typed in the address on our Google map and walked to the area of the hidden bar; however, when we arrived, we found out that the hidden bar was no longer there, and someone had purchased it and turned it into a local restaurant. We did end up getting a drink there, but it was not the hand-crafted creation I had my heart set on. Alas an American still in search of Italy!
The next day we drove to Arona, Italy in hopes to stop at Luigi Guffanti and sample some of the fine cheeses that Stanley Tucci had savored. My heart was broken again and for some reason they were closed as well. Can’t say I really know why, it was a Monday, but it was a bust or maybe it was our timing? Alas an American still in search of Italy!
One of last stops on the route took us to Venice for my final search for Italy and the famed cicchetti. It was late so we did not go to the recommended Stanley Tucci All’ Arco, and they close early in the afternoon. We did go to a recommended place from Trip Advisor Vino Vero. It was very good, and we had cicchetti topped with salami and sopressa, they were filling, and it was nice to enjoy a glass of wine with it while sitting at a table along the canal and soaking in the ambiance.
The next morning, we were Americans in search of café and a pastry. Since the hotel we were staying at was on the island, we wandered over to a bakery that we found by accident, Majer. The coffee was deliciously satisfying and the cream filled pastry melted in my mouth. A very unexpected diamond in the rough that wasn’t even on my radar.
After our gondola ride that morning, we went in search of All’ Arco, one of the places Stanley Tucci had eaten at on his Searching for Italy.
After eating cicchetti the night before, I wasn’t sure what more All’ Arco would have to offer that would be any different. They were making the cicchetti fresh on the spot when we got there. The gentlemen working was very engaging to talk to and were happy to explain the process. We ended up trying the cicchetti that were topped with salami, mozzarella, artichoke and a few trade secret ingredients. I was nervous to try artichoke again after eating it boiled and bland at a restaurant a few nights earlier but decided to try it again. My palate was amazed at how great the cicchetti tasted, and how savory and satisfying they were. They far exceeded the taste of the cicchetti the night before and don’t know why people were not beating down the door to try their tasty creations. They said they roasted the artichoke the night before and they were tender with a subtle flavor of garlic and lemon. All’ Arco was an American searching for Italy success.
As an American in search of Italy I successfully was able to go to three of the nine places on my list. Only two of them were worth trying. I suppose if you live in Italy, it is easier to get to these locations, but as a travel from America it was quite a chore to visit as many places as I would have liked to. I recommend getting reservations to restaurants way in advance if you can. Another factor is that Stanley Tucci was able to privately get access to the restaurants and as an American the courtesy extended to him is not the same. As an American it was a lot of searching and very little finding. On our previous trip to Italy, we used a Rick Steeve’s guide to places to eat and visit and found the guide to be overly good recommendations. I am not sure that my husband and I will ever visit Italy again, I think the romance for Italy is fading as we are getting older, but we do cherish what memories we have.
