{"id":180,"date":"2023-04-09T12:29:04","date_gmt":"2023-04-09T11:29:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/walks.friday.ie\/?p=180"},"modified":"2023-07-04T07:59:23","modified_gmt":"2023-07-04T06:59:23","slug":"best-season-travel-italy-food-produce-eating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/best-season-travel-italy-food-produce-eating","title":{"rendered":"Italian Food By Season: Traveling For Your Tastebuds"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>There&#8217;s no &#8220;wrong&#8221; time to come to Italy\u2014but depending on what kinds of food you love the most, there might be a &#8220;best&#8221; time!<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s partly because it&#8217;s a lot harder to get certain kinds of produce year-round here in Italy than it is in the U.S. Italy still has that \u201cif it\u2019s not growing <em>now<\/em>, you <em>shouldn\u2019t<\/em> eat it\u201d mentality. Needless to say, that means the food tastes fresher and is grown more locally. (Yum!)<\/p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15074\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/local-market-venice.jpg\" alt=\"Local Market Venice\" \/>\n<p>Eating in-season produce isn\u2019t only delicious; it\u2019s also plain old good for Italy, agriculture, and the environment. That\u2019s a big part of why Anthony Bourdain absolutely raved about Italian food on the \u201cNo Reservations\u201d episode in Rome! So, one way to figure out when is best to plan your visit is by finding out what foods are being served, when, and if you like them. That will make being here all the better for you.<\/p>\n<p>Thinking of when to come to Italy? Here&#8217;s a list of what foods are available, when, to help you decide!<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/best-season-travel-italy-food-produce-eating\/#Autumn_Autunno\" >Autumn (Autunno)<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/best-season-travel-italy-food-produce-eating\/#Fruits\" >Fruits<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/best-season-travel-italy-food-produce-eating\/#Vegetables_and_legumes\" >Vegetables and legumes<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/best-season-travel-italy-food-produce-eating\/#Our_favorite_autumn_dishes\" >Our favorite autumn dishes<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/best-season-travel-italy-food-produce-eating\/#Winter_Inverno\" >Winter (Inverno)<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/best-season-travel-italy-food-produce-eating\/#Fruits-2\" >Fruits<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/best-season-travel-italy-food-produce-eating\/#Vegetables_and_legumes-2\" >Vegetables and legumes<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/best-season-travel-italy-food-produce-eating\/#Our_favorite_winter_dishes\" >Our favorite winter dishes<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/best-season-travel-italy-food-produce-eating\/#Spring_Primavera\" >Spring (Primavera)<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/best-season-travel-italy-food-produce-eating\/#Fruits-3\" >Fruits<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/best-season-travel-italy-food-produce-eating\/#Vegetables_and_legumes-3\" >Vegetables and legumes<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/best-season-travel-italy-food-produce-eating\/#Our_favorite_spring_dishes\" >Our favorite spring dishes<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/best-season-travel-italy-food-produce-eating\/#Summer_Estate\" >Summer (Estate)<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/best-season-travel-italy-food-produce-eating\/#Fruits-4\" >Fruits<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/best-season-travel-italy-food-produce-eating\/#Vegetables_and_legumes-4\" >Vegetables and legumes<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-16\" href=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/travel-tips\/best-season-travel-italy-food-produce-eating\/#Our_favorite_summer_dishes\" >Our favorite summer dishes<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Autumn_Autunno\"><\/span><strong>Autumn<em> (Autunno)<\/em><\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Fruits\"><\/span><strong>Fruits<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Almonds, apples, bananas, chestnuts, grapes, hazelnuts, kiwi, lemons, persimmons, pineapples, pomegranates, pears (Aug.-Oct.), tomatoes (July-Oct.)<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Vegetables_and_legumes\"><\/span><strong>Vegetables and legumes<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Arugula (or rocket), beets, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, celeriac, celery, corn, endives, fennel, herbs, leeks, lettuce, onions, peppers (June-Oct.), potatoes, squash, turnips, white truffles, zucchini<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Our_favorite_autumn_dishes\"><\/span>Our favorite autumn dishes<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Castagnaccio<\/em>: flat, heavy cake made out of chestnut flour<\/li>\n<li><em>Risotto con funghi porcini<\/em>: Risotto with porcini mushrooms<\/li>\n<li><em>Cavatieddi<\/em>: a southern Italian dish of pasta with arugula, tomato, and pecorino cheese<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Winter_Inverno\"><\/span><strong> Winter <em>(Inverno)<\/em><\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Fruits-2\"><\/span><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8053 size-full aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Carciofo_alla_Giudea.jpg\" alt=\"carciofi alla guidea, or deep fried artichoke, is one of the Rome's most beloved Jewish foods. Find out the rest in our blog!\" width=\"512\" height=\"384\" \/><br \/>\n<strong>Fruits<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Bananas, dates, grapefruit, kiwi, lemons, oranges, pineapple<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Vegetables_and_legumes-2\"><\/span><strong>Vegetables and legumes<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Artichokes (the Roman kind! Feb.-May), beets, black leaf kale, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chicory, chickpeas, endives, fennel, leeks, pistachios, potatoes, pumpkins, black truffles, turnips<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Our_favorite_winter_dishes\"><\/span>Our favorite winter dishes<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Tagliolini al tartufo nero<\/em>: pasta with black truffle shavings\u2014yum!<\/li>\n<li><em> Zuppa di fagioli e ceci<\/em>: chickpea and bean soup<\/li>\n<li><em>Spremuta di Tarocco<\/em>: blood-orange juice found fresh-squeezed at bars<\/li>\n<li><em>Gnocchi or ravioli di zucca<\/em>: pastas made with creamy pumpkin sauce, a specialty of Mantua and northern Ital<strong>y<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-16983\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/tartufo.jpg\" alt=\"truflles\" \/>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Spring_Primavera\"><\/span><strong>Spring<em> (Primavera)<\/em><\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Fruits-3\"><\/span><strong>Fruits<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Apricots, bananas, cherries, lemons, strawberries (April-Aug.), tomatoes (late spring-summer)<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Vegetables_and_legumes-3\"><\/span><strong>Vegetables and legumes<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Roman artichokes (Feb.-May), asparagus, beans, chard, chickpeas, fava beans, fresh garlic, green beans, peas (May-Aug.), mushrooms, new potatoes, puntarelle, spinach (April-Sep.), truffles, watercress, zucchini<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Our_favorite_spring_dishes\"><\/span>Our favorite spring dishes<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><em> Carciofi alla giudia<\/em>: deep-fried artichokes, a specialty of Rome\u2019s Jewish community<\/li>\n<li><em>Fava e cicoria<\/em>: a puree of fava beans, served with chicory and olive oil, from Puglia<\/li>\n<li><em>Insalata caprese<\/em>: mozzarella and tomato salad<\/li>\n<li><em>Puntarelle alla romana<\/em>: a simple salad of puntarelle with olive oil and garlic, popular in Rome and southern Italy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-16984\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/puntarelle.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Summer_Estate\"><\/span><strong>Summer<em> (Estate) <\/em><\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Fruits-4\"><\/span><strong>Fruits<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Apples, apricots, bananas, cucumber, figs, melon, peaches, pears (Aug.-Oct.), plums, strawberries (April-Aug.), tomatoes (July-Oct.), watermelons<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Vegetables_and_legumes-4\"><\/span><strong>Vegetables and legumes<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Almonds, beans, broccoli, corn, eggplant, hazelnuts, peas (May-Aug.), peppers, pistachios, potatoes, raspberries, spinach, turnips, zucchini and zucchini flowers<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Our_favorite_summer_dishes\"><\/span>Our favorite summer dishes<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><em> Pizza con prosciutto e fichi<\/em>: pizza with prosciutto and figs<\/li>\n<li><em>Prosciutto e melone<\/em>: prosciutto with melon, a popular summer antipasto<\/li>\n<li><em>Fiori di zucca<\/em>: zucchini flowers that have been stuffed with cheese and anchovies and fried, a Roman specialty<\/li>\n<li><em>Pasta alla Norma<\/em>: Sicilian pasta dish with fried eggplant, a tomato-basil sauce and grated hard ricotta cheese. Named for the famous Sicilian composer Bellini&#8217;s opera called <em>Norma<\/em> that premiered when this dish was gaining popularity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-16980\" src=\"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/zucchini-flowers.jpg\" alt=\"Zucchini flowers\" \/>\n<p><strong>If you want to learn all about different Italian cuisines from local experts, check our <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/rome-tours\/rome-food-tour\">Rome Food Tour<\/a><\/span>\u00a0and <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/venice-tours\/venice-food-tour\/\">Venice Food Tour.\u00a0<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Update notice: This article was updated on April 9, 2023.<\/em><\/p>\n<div style=\"display: none;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8041\" src=\"https:\/\/walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/Copy-of-10-BEAUTOF-6.jpg\" alt=\"Eating seasonally in Italy, like this big plate of pici al ragu di cinghiale in the fall, is easy if you know what to eat when. Check out our helpful guide!\" width=\"620\" height=\"775\" \/><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There&#8217;s no &#8220;wrong&#8221; time to come to Italy\u2014but depending on what kinds of food you love the most, there might be a &#8220;best&#8221; time! That&#8217;s partly because it&#8217;s a lot harder to get certain kinds of produce year-round here in Italy than it is in the U.S. Italy still has that \u201cif it\u2019s not growing [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":87,"featured_media":15075,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[62,65],"ppma_author":[195],"class_list":["post-180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel-tips","tag-food","tag-act-like-a-local"],"authors":[{"term_id":195,"user_id":87,"is_guest":0,"slug":"matteom","display_name":"Matteo M.","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Matteo-Marino.png","url2x":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Matteo-Marino.png"},"user_url":"","last_name":"M.","first_name":"Matteo","job_title":"","description":"When Matteo, a native of Milan, isn't savoring the rich flavors of homemade pasta or engaging in lively debates about Italian politics, you can find him exploring the hidden gems of Italian cities, unearthing the stories behind ancient ruins, and getting lost in the vibrant maze of local markets in whatever city he finds himself in. Matteo considers himself to be the go-to source for tips, tidbits and recommendations for all things Italy. When he's not working, you can find him enjoying a pisolino or a gelato."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/87"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=180"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18029,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180\/revisions\/18029"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15075"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=180"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.walksofitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}