One thing that I talked a lot about before coming on this trip was how excited I was to try all of the authentic Italian food. This past week, I was lucky enough to have my parents come visit me and to experience even a sliver of what it’s been like for me this past month and a half. Our first stop was Milan. Luckily, we were able to catch the last few days of Milan fashion week, but more than anything, I was on a mission to give them the best food Milan had to offer.
We started our first night at a restaurant called Sophia Loren’s. Before we ordered any of our food, I was so happy to see one of my friends Maggie who is on this abroad experience as well since we happened to book the same time reservations with both our parents. For our appetizer we split the eggplant parmigiana which my parents would not stop raving about it, so much so they are currently trying to recreate it at home. My mom and I ended up splitting the Capricious pizza and Gnocchi Alla Sorrentina while my dad went ahead and got the catch of the day covered in salt. Was definitely an interesting choice but wasn’t expecting anything less from him.
For our second night we went to a restaurant called STK Milan. The atmosphere was chic and relaxing, but the food was definitely a nice switch up in terms of all the carbs I’ve been eating since being here. We started off with the calamari and the beef carpaccio and for our entrees, my parents both ordered Ribeye’s while I ordered the prawn tartare tacos with the truffle mac and cheese.
The next day we left for Rome which I was most excited for since I was not only most familiar with but also since I booked a few restaurants in advance that were recommended to me through locals and also with the help of YouTube. Our first night we went to Alfredo Alla Scroffa which is supposedly where the “birth of fettuccine Alfredo” all started. For our appetizers, we all split tuna tartare and another eggplant parmigiana since they just had to get it again before leaving. My mom and I ended up splitting the Cappellacci ripieni cacio e pepe and the original Fettuccine Alfredo, which was absolutely amazing, while My dad ended up ordering the Pork ribs with myrtle.
Although there were many meals in between, I had to end this off by talking about a restaurant that was recommended by one of our teachers which was Salumeria Con Cucina Roscioli. This restaurant had a wide variety of foods but most specifically meats. We started off by splitting the Roman Artichoke and fried tripe. As for our entrees my dad ordered the coniglio which is rabbit. I was surprisingly jealous that I didn’t order it myself because the flavor was amazing. My mom ended up ordering the traditional roman meatballs and I ordered the tail ravioli and pecorino.
It’s safe to say that Italy has yet to let me down when it comes to their food, and I can’t wait to continue to try more of their amazing dishes. Ciao!
– Madison Edwards
