Eating Authentically in Italy

One of the things that is hardest to experience about cultures while you are visiting or traveling, is the food. Not the restaurants or even the street food (though usually a large step in the right direction), but the authentic, homemade, recipe-was-handed-down-for-generations, fresh food.

Italy is no exception. Sure, there is a pizzeria on every corner telling you they make authentic fresh pizza, but when you’re surrounded by people speaking every language but Italian, you can probably tell that you’ve found your way into a tourist trap.

So how do you travel to Italy and get the at-home Italian cooking if you do not know an Italian to visit at their home? Two words: cooking class.

I’ll be honest, I was wary of just how much a cooking class would resemble traditional Italian cooking. However, as soon as the differences in bologna sauces were explained to me and I was guided through a market by an Italian chef, I knew this was the real deal.

Rolling dough by hand, comparing wines to be paired with the meal, and touring the market in search of the perfect cheeses and meats. These are just a few of the insights into traditional Italian kitchens that I experienced during my Market Tour and Cooking Class.

Biting into a hand-pressed ravioli you made ​​with an Italian chef, that is composed of ingredients you purchased together that morning is like no other flavor or moment. It’s the ultimate Italian experience travelers often want but cannot find.

So there you have it. Where to find the answer to the ultimate Italy travelers’ dilemma. All I can say now is to come hungry, the flavors of Florence await!