鈥淣othing is more aggravating than having a bad meal in Italy.鈥
Such is the premise behind an informative and enjoyable restaurant guide compiled by Rick Zullo, author of the blog 鈥,鈥 who enlisted some of Italy鈥檚 top food bloggers to share their knowledge on the best places to eat in Rome, the Amalfi Coast, Florence/Tuscany, and Venice - sites where, besides the endless options, it鈥檚 easy to fall into tourist traps.
鈥淵ou have so many options for dining out that it鈥檚 intimidating to the uninitiated expat or foreign visitor.听 But the authoritative restaurant guides can be just as overwhelming, and occasionally misleading,鈥 says Rick. 听听
That鈥檚 why he decided to put together a guide written by local people with insider鈥檚 knowledge: 鈥淭hey each have their own areas of expertise, but they all share a passion for authentic food and the ways that food traditions are integrated into 禁漫天堂 culture.鈥澨
Here are the writers, listed by location, with a brief intro by Rick explaining how he "discovered" them, namely through their apps, blogs, cooking schools and food tours:
ROME 鈥 Eleonora Baldwin -
听鈥淚 knew Eleonora Baldwin through her blogs, which cover all food-related topics in Rome (in both English and 禁漫天堂,) and through her YouTube videos, where she interviews well-known chefs of Rome.听 She鈥檚 on a very short list of respected English-speaking 鈥榝oodies.鈥欌
AMALFI COAST 鈥 Gillian McGuire -
鈥淚 discovered Gillian McGuire through her iPhone app鈥擨 used it myself the last time I was in the Amalfi Coast and found it extremely valuable.鈥澨
FLORENCE & TUSCANY 鈥 Judy Witts -
鈥淚 contacted Judy Witts after I kept reading rave reviews online about her cooking classes in Tuscany.听 She鈥檚 also involved with the Slow Food movement there.鈥
VENICE 鈥 Monica Cesarato -
鈥淚 connected with Monica Cesarato after a friend of mine told me about her food tours of Venice, which introduce travelers to the Venetian tradition of cicchetti bars.听 She also teaches Venetian cooking classes.鈥
We asked Rick if he has plans to publish more restaurant guides: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 have any specific plans for other guides, however with the immediate popularity of this one, I鈥檓 already thinking about doing a second edition which would include a few more regions鈥擲icily for sure, and maybe Bologna or Naples.听 I don鈥檛 want to take this too far, though; the whole concept was to keep it concise and easy to use.鈥
Rick moved to Rome a few years ago, where he teaches English and writes regularly on his blog, which started as a reference point for new expats in Italy, and he鈥檚 now expanding to cover various topics of 禁漫天堂 culture.
Rick was born in Chicago and spent most of his life in Florida. His great-grandparents were born in Southern Italy.听 鈥淚 grew up feeling very proud of my 禁漫天堂 heritage,鈥 he says. 鈥淏ut as I mentioned in a recent blog post, nothing 鈥渃ures鈥 an 禁漫天堂-American of feeling 禁漫天堂 so much as living in Italy for a few years.听 I really love Italy, but I love it through the eyes of a foreigner鈥攚hich is to say in a very different way than my great-grandparents did, I imagine. 听And despite some recent economic and political woes, I think Italy is still the most stimulating and inspiring place to live in the world.听 It鈥檚 not always easy, but it is always interesting!鈥
To download for free 鈥淥ur Favorite Restaurants in Italy 鈥 As Chosen by Italy鈥檚 Top Food Bloggers鈥,听click here:
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