On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
MelissaM
In August 2023 my husband and I traveled to Italy. Our trip was in 3 parts: first to hike in the Dolomites (inspiration from BigJimSlade’s multiple posts;) meet up with BIL in the northern plains for a few days (he’s a vocal coach who does some summer stuff in the Dolomites and in Switzerland;) and then Venice.
Since some of that trip has been covered (check out BigJimSlade’s posts! So gorgeous!) I thought, let’s focus on the food. It’s a large part of why I travel – to experience the local foods. So dig in!
This region of Italy has roots in the Austro-Hungarian empire, so there is a lot of Austrian (Germanic) influences, food included. This is speck, a cured meat, with pickles.
The mountains are studded with huts for hikers and skiers to rest and refuel. What’s better than a beer, some cheese dumplings with cabbage salad, and an excellent view? Also the song of the Dolomites is constantly playing: the cow bells in the distance.
We drove to Mantua / Mantova to meet up with BIL Peter, his husband Corne, and their dachshund Winnie. We were in an AirBnB apartment with 4 great restaurants right around the corner. Here is a mint pasta with peas that was so delicious! The mint wasn’t overpowering, more delicate.
I don’t know how the Italians do it with all the courses. Here is a lovely salad with celery, carrots, squid and I can’t remember what else. It was delicious!
Baccala! Baccala is a preserved cod, traditionally preserved with lye. They soak it in multiple changes of water then prepare it. This was fried and it was heavenly.
Traveling with BIL is an experience (a great one.) He loves good food, and he speaks Italian. This night the restaurant we chose had a special first course of seafood that came in two waves. The first was cooked seafood, and honestly I don’t remember what we had in that, but it was tasty. The second, shown here, was raw: prawns, prawns, prawns, and oysters. Raw oysters still aren’t my thing, and it turns out nor are raw prawns. But BIL pronounced them all delicious.
We parted ways with BIL, ditched our car and spent several days in Venice. One lunch on Murano I had fritto misto, mixed fried seafood. This was so delicous! Shrimp, squid, and this one included fried onions and peppers. Heavenly!
Venice is known for chiccetti, which are little snacks that can be eaten any time, but usually are an after-work thing with friends and a spritz before heading home or to dinner. Here are chiccetti that are just sliced bread with toppings (this was a dealer’s choice plate.) Other chiccetti are small sandwiches (white bread with a spread like tuna) or small portions of risotto, etc. We made a dinner of this one night.
Venice is also known for the baccala mantecato, the preserved cod cooked with a wee bit of milk and then emulsified with oil into a sort of fishy mayonnaise (or baccala Veneto is with more milk and onions and is chunkier.) Here it’s served on polenta for dinner.
Can’t be Italy without a pizza! So good, but how the heck do they eat the whole thing?
Finally, our B&B we stayed at in Venice brought breakfast to our room, a basket with Italian croissants (sweeter than the French version) and rolls with assorted toppings (Nutella, jam, butter) as well as yogurts, packaged sweets, a juice, and a carafe of coffee. It was a fun way to start the day, digging through to see what we got that day, and the packaged things we could save for later or take with us as a travel snack.
eclare
Now I’m starving! Looks like a great tasting trip.
RSA
Great pics!
BruceFromOhio
Thank you, MelissaM, for a different kind of OTR. Finding the local stuff is the best way to eat!
Princess
Yum
J.
Yum! Everything looks delicious. Now I need to plan another trip to Italy! Also, if you are reading this, MelissaM, check out my book, SOMETHING’S COOKING IN CHIANTI, it’s a culinary mystery set in Tuscany. ;-)
Andrew Abshier
I spent a week in the Südtirol, based in a beautiful village named Fie Allo Sciliar/Völs Am Schlern. I did a lot of exploring of the area. I had learned Italian for my month in Italy but was caught short in the Südtirol since the working language there was German!
stinger
Great travelogue (foodelogue?)!
Spanish Moss
Food pictures, my favorite! Everything looks wonderful except for the plates of raw seafood, not my thing. Thanks for sharing!
Mike in Oly
That all looks amazing. What a great OTR! I’ve seen all the photos of the coliseum I care to, but I’ll never get tired of hearing about the food. Yum!
Albatrossity
Wow! You definitely know how to travel!
Thanks for this gastronomic tour.
MelissaM
Thanks, all! I love hearing about the food folks ate on their travels, even in mundane US places (find a local BBQ joint?) Also note, I’m not one of those people who photographs everything they eat, so there were some great meals I can only talk about, not share with pictures.
Italy! What a great place for food travel!
MelissaM
@Andrew Abshier: Where we were in the Dolomites (Ortesei,) the working language was usually German, but also Italian, and then the indigenous Ladin. Our host was raised in town and spoke all three. The kids would jabber in Ladin, but then answer mom in German. The kids learn all three languages starting in school, doing a week with each. In high school, they then start English. Really fascinating.
NutmegAgain
Looks yummy. Just a note, in German, Speck is bacon, basically.
TheOtherHank
The cod preserved in lye sounds a lot like the horrific lutefisk my Scandinavian relatives insisted was good. This Italian version with the frying step sounds like something worth eating.
HinTN
@J.: Ordered
MelissaM
@NutmegAgain: Yes, but also a dry cured ham like prosciutto.
Dan B
We took the train from Cologne through Austria to Bolsano. Unfortunately it was a German Bank Holiday so there was no lodging in the Dolomites and only on car rental for $250 per day (1995!). The salad bar had two sides, one German, the other Italian. The Italian side had seven kinds of Balsamic vinegar and five extra virgin Olive oil selections. Since a storm was moving in we got on the train to Verona where we had the rare, paper thin sliced tenderloin with arugula, shredded Parmesan, and a Mustard vinaigrette. I don’t remember the rest of the food but Verona was wonderful in October.