1149 Best Restaurants in Italy

Trento's oldest trattoria (it's the descendant of a 14th-century tavern) remains one of its most popular lunch spots. Locals crowd into a simple, modern dining room to enjoy regional specialties like gnocchi with vegetables and baccalà (salt cod); an impressive (and inexpensive) selection of local wines is available.

This tiny family-run restaurant has changed a lot since it first opened in 1959 as a simple trattoria. Today you'll still find classic Roman dishes on the menu, but it's worth trying original creations like salmon marinated in Aperol with avocado and savory panna cotta or the homemade ravioli stuffed with ricotta and topped with octopus confit. There is just a handful of tables inside, but in the warmer seasons you can sit outside on the cobblestone street.

On chic Via del Babuino, the former studio of neoclassical sculptor Antonio Canova and his student, Adamo Tadolini, is now an atmospheric spot for coffee, a snack, or lunch. Opt for the budget-friendly option of taking your coffee at the bar while admiring the enormous plaster copies of the maestros' work, or pay more for table service and sit amid vast sculptures. Food is run-of-the-mill, but the setting is splendid.

The stylish restaurant ("broccia" means fork in the ancient Sicilian dialect) offers local and regional cuisine in a refined setting. Chef Daniela Cappelli (sister of hotel owner Maria) uses elements of the surrounding Aeolian Islands in dishes that are both traditional and inventive. With an open, airy dining room, elegant decor, and views of the sea in the distance, the restaurant is the perfect setting for a lunch or dinner in Panarea for hotel guests and nonguests alike. It's part of Ie Soste di Ulisse, an association that hand-selects restaurants that represent the Sicilian standard of excellence.

Run by original owner Attilio Adriani's sons, Alberto and Tommaso, Capo Nord began life as a small seaside dance hall before evolving into this much-loved seafood restaurant with its warm wooden furnishings and nautical-themed decorations. Choose from a series of set menus that highlight the catch of the day or settle for the restaurant's speciality—spaghetti with mom Fillide's octopus ragù. A great selection of local Elba whites complement the menu. 

A lovely stop for a drink or a romantic dinner, this 16th-century castle is right on a lake in Sarche, about 20 km (12 miles) north of Riva toward Trento. Dishes highlight seasonal local ingredients, including mountain cheeses, salmon, trout, duck, and deer. The helpful servers can recommend the perfect Trentino wine to wash it all down.

A spacious, comfortable dining room near Via dei Portici is a dependable favorite with locals and visitors alike. A wide selection of Italian and German dishes are served to large tables of families enjoying their meals together.

Just behind the Colosseum, this intimate seafood-focused restaurant has a romantic ambience, with white tablecloths and tasteful decorations. A large selection of oysters displayed in a window and a tank full of lobsters between the kitchen and the dining room hint at the delicacies that await, while wine bottles displayed on shelves showcase just a few of the 400 labels in the cellar.

The brick walls, dim lighting, and vaulted ceilings here make you feel as if you've stepped into a wine cellar. Aged photographs of Oristano's Sa Sartiglia jousting festival and specialty dishes from Oristano and Montiferru do a good job capturing local flavor. Favorites include lorighittas (a local pasta) with game sauce or lobster, maccarones de busa alla bottarga di muggine e arselle (macaroni with mullet roe from the Cabras lagoon and clams), and pane frattau (flatbread in a sauce of tomatoes and sheep's cheese topped with a poached egg). In winter, try the fregula petza imbinada, antunna e casizolu (semolina pasta with wine-marinated pork, mushrooms, and cow's cheese). Tasting menus are often available, accompanied by local vernaccia and other Sardinian wines.

One of the Baroque town's fanciest restaurants reframes traditional Sicilian dishes in a contemporary style in an understated modern dining room. With a wonderful wine list that includes many Sicilian natural wines, a meal here is pricey but one to remember. Getting to Crocifisso is a bit of a hike as it's in the upper town. Most walking routes involve long flights of steps, although you could also take a car or taxi up around the edge of town. Either way, reservations are essential.

Family owned for generations, Cutì Lu Dissi (which means "who told you" in Sicilian) specializes in excellent renditions of Sicilian food. From their lofty open-air terrace just beyond the Porta Catania, you can see the sea below and Etna in the distance. And with a staff that's instantly familiar with guests but always professional, it's the sort of place where you will want to linger until closing time.

Founded in 1910, Filippino is rightly rated as one of the archipelago's best dining venues—and you'll understand why, when you sample the catch of the day on the gorgeous terrace. Zuppa di pesce (fish soup) and the antipasto platter of smoked and marinated fish are absolute musts, but be sure to leave some room for the local version of cassata siciliana, accompanied by sweet Malvasia wine from Salina.

This well-established restaurant serves commendable primi and stellar elbana (whitefish baked with vegetables and potatoes). The bustling, casual trattoria is in the old center of Portoferraio, at the beginning of the road to the old Medici walls.

The Frescobaldi family has run a vineyard for more than 700 years, and this swanky establishment offers tasty and sumptuous fare to accompany some seriously fine wines. The menu is typically Tuscan, but turned up a notch or two. Save room for dessert, as well as one of the dessert wines.

This restaurant claims to be located between heaven and earth, and its hillside perch with sweeping vistas certainly helps make its case. Go for classic Sicilian dishes, such as spaghetti with almond and basil pesto, or a many-layered slice of eggplant parmigiana. 

Lovers of seafood fill this unpretentious trattoria, where the unremarkable decor (yellowed walls, fluorescent lights) can be taken as a testament to the singular focus here on high-quality cuisine. Start with the insalata di mare tiepida (seafood antipasti), and follow with the flavorful spaghetti all'ammiraglia (admiral-style, laden with mussels, baby clams, squid, and fresh tomatoes).

In summer, the handful of outdoor tables are in high demand at this rustic trattoria, which is situated in a hotel of the same name at the lower part of the old town near the main square. The menu features simple local specialties, including capocollo (a type of salami), stringozzi (Umbrian wheat pasta), and lasagna tartufata (with truffles).

The frescoed ceiling, parquet flooring, and live classical music are clues that this sophisticated restaurant (part of the hotel of the same name) occupies a former theater and café-chantant, or musical venue, from the late 19th century. It's the perfect setting for an evening of fine dining featuring mainly Emilian-inspired dishes with modern touches and the vision of chef Nicola Annunziata. The menus change seasonally, and three separate dinner tasting menus offer gustatory bliss.

With a clean white interior and an outdoor terrace in summer, Il Dasa is a popular choice for locals, with something to please everyone. They serve pizzas and gourmet hamburgers alongside delicious and inventive twists on Sicilian favorites. There are not too many places in Sicily brave enough to add a pinch of Sichuan pepper to a caponata.

A small garden filled with lemon trees in the heart of Spoleto's medieval quarter provides one of the most appealing settings you could wish for. Dishes, which change throughout the year, might include pastas served with asparagus or mushrooms, as well as grilled meats; more expensive dishes prepared with fresh truffles are also available in season.

This building was for centuries where justice was publicly served to accused witches, among others. Today, it's a great place to enjoy bewitching specialties like bresaola with rocket salad and Parmesan or pizzoccheri (buckwheat pasta) with garlic and winter vegetables.

When tourist-heavy Bellagio starts to wear you down, seek respite at this charming restaurant located on the town’s very northernmost point, a scenic 10-minute walk from the center, with lake views of Varenna to the north and Tremezzo to the west. As you might expect, the menu is heavy on lake fish; although the dishes aren't innovative, the view makes the experience even better. The antipasto di lago (mixed fish platter) and patè di pesce (fish pâté) make great starters; among mains, the baked lasagna and the gnocchi with cream and Gorgonzola sauce get positive reviews. End the meal right, with a freshly made cake or tiramisu.

Medieval steps lead to a rustic two-story space where wine bottles and artful clutter decorate the walls. The regional menu features lots of delicious homemade pastas and grilled meats prepared by chef Claudio and served up in substantial portions, plus generous shavings of truffle in season.

Located in a wonderful spot right by the beach in Castel di Tusa, Le Lampare has a standard Sicilian-style menu. It specializes in seafood, with plenty of other excellent antipasti, pasta, and pizza choices.

Grilled meat dishes are the specialty at this popular restaurant, with a bistecca alla fiorentina (served very rare, as always) taking pride of place; paired with grilled fresh porcini mushrooms when in season (spring and fall), it's a heady dish. The panoramic terrace is a good choice for dining in summer; inside, the upper floor offers an unmistakably Tuscan setting, while the downstairs is more modern and intimate. 

Having relocated to a handsome,1700s-era former vineyard in seaside Lido di Noto, much-loved Manna still serves its famous dishes—from fresh pastas to creative seafood and exceptional daily specials—that bring out the tasty natural goodness of local premium ingredients. Choose from the beguiling cobbled courtyard or rustic-cum-chic dining area mixing stone structures with cool artworks, a stylish complement to the refined modern takes on la cucina Siciliana.

Fresh, flavorful fish and the friendliest staff make this restaurant a great dining option steps away from Vulcano’s port. Owner and Eoliana native Rosanna is passionate about food and everything her land has to offer, something she no doubt inherited from her father, a fisherman on the island. Inspired by her experience in catering and cooking, her family’s roots, and a knowledge of Aeolian cuisine that runs deep in her veins, Rosanna’s cozy eatery offers a variety of traditional and creative Sicilian dishes with an emphasis on raw materials and the freshest catch of the day. 

A favorite among international journalists and the rich and famous since 1934, this elegant Tuscan restaurant with wood-paneled walls and white tablecloths does not seem to have changed at all over the decades. Its menu is meat-focused with many Tuscan classics: try the bistecca di costa all'arrabbiata, a flavorful rib-eye steak cooked with chili and garlic.

Don't be put off by its nondescript modernist street location, as Opera delivers a well-crafted menu of superb-value seafood dishes, from sushi-style crudi to beautifully grilled seabass. The always innovative food is served on arty tableware in the smart yet welcoming contemporary space or on the street-side terrace outside.

Chef-owner Marco Parizzi is the third-generation cook in this elegant restaurant, originally his grandfather's salumeria (delicatessen), where he now serves a mix of Parmense classics and contemporary creations. The anolini alla parmigiana in brodo di manzo e gallina (pasta with Parmigiano-Reggiano in broth) is a more typical dish, while the faraona in crosta di frutta secca (guinea fowl cooked with dried fruits and mushroom sauce) is a flight of fancy. Alongside the à la carte menu, there are two tasting menus with a meat or seafood focus (both with a parmigiano tasting course), and a wine list with a section of "Rarità" collected by the two elder Parizzi.