Italian Archives - Culinary Travels

Puglia by the Plate

22 May 2026

Explore the booming Italian region through six of its most iconic foods.

By Eve Thomas

Italians are fiercely loyal to their local cuisine, and Puglians are no exception. As Italy’s southern heel rises in popularity among international travellers, one of the best ways to explore its coasts and countryside is through food. Tours, museums and cooking lessons offer insight into Puglia‘s history, climate and culture.

Cheese

To understand Puglia, you must visit a masseria – the stunning farmhouse complexes built for sustenance and protection in the 16th century, and revived as agritourism destinations. They mix accommodation (from rustic to luxurious) and production of goods like oil, wine, and citrus, often letting guests get involved. At Masseria Cappella’s working dairy farm, you can try your hand at stretching mozzarella and stuffing it with stracciatella (for burrata), or learn how to make and bake taralli crackers – a staple at every good aperitivo.

Pasta

For the best photo ops of Puglia’s famous ear-shaped pasta, head to Strada delle Orecchiette in Bari where nonnas shape it along the street. But for a hands-on experience, book a workshop at Casa Mama in the tiny village of Ginosa. You’ll knead and roll dough (under “Mama’s” watchful eye), then work up an appetite on a tour of the ancient cave village. Return to a feast of simple, local dishes while Pavarotti records play. It doesn’t get more authentic than this.

Bread

Puglia’s perfectly pillowy focaccia has made its mark worldwide, but traditional sourdough “Pane di Laterza” is still unknown to global gourmets. Laterza Bread Experience tours take visitors everywhere from a humming flour mill to historic olive groves that overlook deep canyons and provide wood for antique bread ovens. End the day at a local speakeasy where you’ll snack on bread-based dishes like cialledda salad and tomato-topped frisella.

Wine

Italian wine is hardly a secret, but Puglia’s Primitivo is still unknown to many. The high-alcohol grapes used to get exported to the rest of Europe to fortify other wines, but are today prized for their bold, full-bodied flavour. Head to Manduria’s Museo della Civiltà del Vino Primitivo and you’ll find not just tastings and a shop, but a museum built into the stone wine tanks in the basement, where antique farm tools and domestic objects like pots and looms recreate scenes from the past.

Pastry

The legend behind oval, custard-filled pasticciotto lecessi pastries dates back to the 1700s, when a chef used leftover ingredients to make them – a hit with families that couldn’t afford full-sized cakes. Today, you can find them throughout Puglia, but for the most authentic taste, try their hometown of Galatina. The best can be found in cafés around the Basilica di Santa Caterina d’Alessandria, a stunning mix of Romanesque, Gothic, Norman and Byzantine architecture.

Coffee

In the seaside town of Polignano a Mare, find tourists and locals brushing elbows at the café Super Mago del Gelo Mario Campanella. Skip the cappuccino and try their famed “caffè speciale,” which mixes espresso with amaretto, cream, and a generous slice of lemon peel. There’s also a dizzying menu of iced desserts, including a sundae tribute to “Volare” singer Domenico Modugno, who was born a few blocks away.

Recipe: A Carbonara Pasta Straight From Rome, Featured on Emily in Paris

30 March 2026

Courtesy of Sofitel Rome Villa Borghese, here's how to make Carbonara tortelli with Pecorino foam, crispy guanciale and seasonal truffle.

If there’s one thing Rome does exceptionally well, it’s keeping classic dishes interesting. At Sofitel Rome Villa Borghese, the hotel’s rooftop restaurant, Settimio, reworks the traditional carbonara into delicate tortelli, layered with creamy filling, crisp guanciale, and a light pecorino foam. It’s familiar, but just different enough to feel like something you’d order on a special night out.

The dish also happens to have appeared in Emily in Paris, but it doesn’t need the screen time to stand out on your dining table.

Here’s how to recreate it at home.

Carbonara Tortelli with Pecorino Foam, Crispy Guanciale & Seasonal Truffle

Recipe courtesy of Sofitel Rome Villa Borghese

Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients

Pasta Dough

½ cup re-milled durum wheat semolina
3½ cups 00 flour
22 egg yolks
2 whole eggs
1 tbsp salt
1½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Carbonara Filling

11 egg yolks
2 cups Pecorino Romano DOP, grated
1½ cups Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
¾ cup heavy cream
Freshly cracked black pepper

Pecorino Foam

2 cups whole milk
2½ cups Pecorino Romano
1¼ cups cream

To Finish

10½ oz guanciale (or pancetta)
2 oz fresh seasonal truffle
Freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

1. Make the Pasta Dough
Combine semolina, flour, and salt. Add egg yolks, whole eggs, and olive oil, then knead until smooth and elastic. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

2. Prepare the Filling
Blend egg yolks, cheeses, cream, and black pepper until smooth. Gently heat to 180°F (82°C), then cool quickly. Transfer to a piping bag and refrigerate.

3. Make the Pecorino Foam
Heat and blend milk, Pecorino, and cream until fully combined. Strain and transfer to a siphon. Charge and keep warm.

4. Crisp the Guanciale
Cook slowly until golden and crisp. Set aside.

5. Shape the Tortelli
Roll dough thin, cut into rounds, pipe filling into the centre, then fold and seal.

6. Cook
Boil in salted water for 3–4 minutes. Finish in a pan with a splash of pasta water and olive oil.

7. Plate
Arrange tortelli in a bowl, top with guanciale, black pepper, and pecorino foam. Finish with shaved truffle. Serve immediately (and dream of your next trip to Italy).

Eataly Brings the Flavours of Cortina d’Ampezzo to North America

17 February 2026

Through March 29, Eataly’s North American locations are spotlighting Alpine cuisine inspired by Italy’s storied mountain resort.

There’s a certain kind of comfort food that belongs to the mountains: molten cheese, crisp-edged polenta, forest mushrooms and something warming in your glass. This winter, Eataly is tapping into that Alpine menu with a limited-time “Cortina” program across its North American stores, inspired by Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Dolomites.

Running through March 29, the regional activation brings Northern Italy’s high-altitude flavours to Eataly’s restaurant concepts, including La Pizza & La Pasta and Eataly Ristorante. Menus lean into hearty, cold-weather fare: Fontina DOP fondue enriched with black truffle butter, crispy polenta topped with lardo and rosemary, spinach tagliatelle with mushroom ragù and Grana Padano DOP, and pillowy potato gnocchi paired with roasted squash and fonduta. Pizza gets an Alpine spin, too, with the Misto Bosco layering mozzarella, sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onion cream and speck.

The beverage list channels après-ski energy, featuring Dolomiti beer alongside winter-ready cocktails such as “Pass the Torch” and “By the Fire.” It’s the kind of lineup that makes an urban dining room feel, briefly, like a chalet.

True to Eataly’s “eat, shop, learn” model, the Cortina experience extends beyond the table. A dedicated retail capsule showcases products from Italy’s Alpine regions, including cheeses, cured meats and sweets. At La Scuola, Eataly’s in-house cooking school, guests can sign up for Northern Italian–inspired classes, from hands-on pasta-making to wine and cheese tastings.

A Panini Fest Cortina, launching February 16, adds a more casual option at quick-service counters, including a speck-and-taleggio Cortina Panino served on a fresh baguette.

Founded as a global Italian marketplace and retail concept with more than 50 locations worldwide, Eataly has built its reputation on spotlighting Italy’s regional diversity. This season, the focus is firmly on the Alps — no ski pass required.