Planning guides: what is in season, which region to choose, and how to get there.
The short version: in Bologna, eat tagliatelle al ragù, tortellini in brodo, lasagne verdi and a plate of mortadella, ideally all in one weekend. Book a Michelin Bib Gourmand trattoria such as Trattoria di Via Serra in the Bolognina, queue…
The short version: in Venice, eat standing up. Do a round of cicchetti, the small bar snacks, with an ombra (a small glass of wine) at the bacari around the Rialto market, starting at All’Arco and Cantina Do Spade. Look…
The short version: in Naples, eat pizza first, and eat it on Via dei Tribunali or at L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele, where the menu is still just Margherita and Marinara. Then work through the rest: a sfogliatella and a babà…
The short version: in Zadar, eat brudet, the slow fish stew served with polenta, octopus salad, pašticada, and from the island of Pag, the hard sheep’s cheese paški sir and Pag lamb. For a konoba dinner in the old town,…
The short version: in Valencia, eat paella valenciana at lunch, the real one with chicken, rabbit and beans, cooked over a wood fire at Casa Carmela by the beach or at Arrocería Maribel in the Albufera rice fields. Start the…
The short version: in San Sebastián, you eat standing up, bar to bar, in the Parte Vieja (Old Town): anchovies at Bar Txepetxa, a hot pintxo of braised beef cheek at Borda Berri, a slice of burnt Basque cheesecake at…
The short version: in Barcelona, eat tapas the Catalan way: pa amb tomàquet (bread rubbed with tomato), patatas bravas, a bomba (the city’s meat and potato croquette, said to have been invented in Barceloneta), chipirones with fried eggs at a…
The short version: on the Slovenian coast, eat the day’s fish grilled or baked in a crust of Piran salt, sardines, black cuttlefish risotto and fuži pasta with Istrian truffles. In Piran, book Pri Mari for a family-run seafood dinner,…
The short version: in Ljubljana, eat štruklji (rolled dumplings) under Plečnik’s arcades at Moji štruklji Slovenije, a kranjska klobasa with mustard and horseradish at Klobasarna, and a slice of potica, the rolled walnut cake, from LePotica on Stari trg. For…
The best food and wine experiences in Portugal: Porto food tours and port lodges, Douro Valley day trips, Lisbon pastries and petiscos, Setúbal wines and Madeira wine, and how to book.