Does anyone have any suggestions for food guides for Italy? I have an online subsciption for Zagats which I use religiously when in NY and at home in DC (along with the Best of.. from Washingtonian Mag.) However, most of the Zagat reviews for Italy are for very expensive restaurants. While I don't mind spending money on great food, I would think that I could find great food in Italy for a lot less. I need to plan about 20 meals between Rome, Venice and Florence and as someone said on another post you can spend just as much on a bad meal as a good meal. I just hate to waste any meal on bad food. Thanks for your help and before anyone wants to know my price range, I honestly don't know. We are willing to do the Very Expensive for one meal in each city but I would think between $80.00 - $100.00 for two would be about right for the other dinners.

These are some books which you might find helpful, depending on what type of restaurants you are interested in:

* The Food and Wine Lovers' Guide to Tuscany, Carla Capalbo

* The Collected Traveler-Central Italy, Barrie Kerper

* Cheap Eats in Italy, Sandra Gustafson

* Eating in Italy, Faith H. Willinger

* Italy for the Gourmet Traveler, Fred Plotkin

* Chow Venice, A Guide to Eating and Drinking in Venice, Italy, Shannon Essa and Ruth Edenbaum

* Trattorias of Rome, Florence and Venice, Maureen Fant

We used Chow Venice and their recommendations were excellent.

Hope this helps.

Thanks. It's looks like I'm off to the bookstore or at least Amazon.

These look good but before I start buying, are there any other suggestions out there?

the Cheap Eats books have been renamed to "Great Eats..."
Last time in Italy I bought a couple of very small but useful books published by Thomas Cook, "Time for food: <city>".

The one for Venice was especially helpful, everything from pastry and pizza to picnic suggestions to more substantial places.

Thanks. I just checked Amazon for Cheap Eats and the last publication was in the 1990s. I will check the new name.

Hi dam,

If you tell us where you are going, we could give you some suggestions.

This Italy superthread has links to a lot of threads on favorite restaurants in Italy

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34443340

damama - I get some of my best suggestions from this board. Just do a search on the cities you are looking for and start reading. I cut and paste good suggestions to a word document, go back and organize the document alphabetically and print it out to take with me. Fodors posters give really good advice and I have rarely been dissappointed.

Ira, we will be in Rome, Florence and Venice beginning in mid-march.

The Michelin red guide to Italy. There is a Slow Food Osterie guide but I'm not sure of the exact title. I've also found recommendations in the past on the Slow Food website, but now I can't see how to find that section.

Saw mention of this website in NY Times >>> http://www.homefood.it/index.cfm?lang=en <<<
'Home Food' sounds like a great way to experience native Italian cuisine. I haven't read if anyone on this forum has dined through this service.

damama,

For Florence, you might check out www.divinacucina.com/code/florence.html and click on the dining guide icon in the top row. The Slow Travellers website (www.slowtrav.com) is another excellant resource for restaurants.

Dave

If you understand some Italian,

www.slowfood.it

gives a limited number of suggestions in all the regions and provinces of Italy to registered users (no charge)on its Web site.

Slowfood.it publishes "Osterie d'Italia 2005" with a hefty 840 pages. It also publishes "Locande d'Italia" about lodgings. Both can be ordered from the Web site, but I must admit that I have not tried to do so from North America.

Gambero Rosso is another Italian-language Web site

www.gamberorosso.it

with a limited number of suggestions for all areas of Italy. Registration is free. Gambero Rosso publishes an annual guide to restaurants in Italy that can be ordered from the Web site (again, I have not tried).

Having used only the Web sites of Slow Food and Gambero Rosso and having owned the Michelin Red Guide, I have found the Slow Food and Gambero Rosso suggestions more to my personal taste, which is for classical or traditional Italian cuisine, than those of Michelin, which tend to emphasize the "creative."

Thanks for all of your help. I have gained 5 pounds just sitting here. Will report back when we return.

I plan to purchase the Osterie di Italia 2005 when I get to Italy. I don't know if it was mentioned here, but it's written in Italian. Not too hard to figure out, though, with just a little Italian vocabulary.

The Gambero Rosso Rome guide is the only one, I think, that they publish in English.

I also didn't see Chowhound.com mentioned in this thread (or if it was, I missed it).

The best way I've found to search Chowhound is to click on their International message board, the do a Ctrl F search for your city's name. Try not to ask for tips in Rome, Florence, or Venice. For some reason, they are super snobby on that board about Italy. London and Paris, ask away. Italy, and they tell you to search the past messages.

I have all the books, but I find that I use tips from other travelers much more. The books are good for addresses, opening times, phone numbers, etc.

Even though I've never been to Italy yet, one of the things I've learned on this board is to ask for references where you are staying. Usually the locals know the best places. Have fun!! (I also heard that since you walk so much during your visit, weight gain is not an issue!)

I have a question regarding food in Italy. I am trying to make sure I bring enough money specifically for food since I hear it is so amazing. We are going for 10 days to Venice, Tuscany and Rome, and am trying to figure out food cost per day on a budget as well as a splurge to ensure I have enough with me. If anyone has any suggestions that would be great! Thanks!

Pebs : we were in Venice for our first extended stay there in June & found it more expensive than elsewhere in Italy, which we visit at least once every year. We were on a tightish budget & hoped initially to stick to €100 a day for 2, but ended up spending nearer €200 (with only one fairly posh meal). The only way we thought we could have done it cheaper would have been to have a pizza slice from a stall for lunch every day. Of course, we are drinkers

So assuming you drink, I'd say an average of €75 a day per head.