Eating Our Way Through the Heart of Italy

OK, we cheated. Our original plan was to learn about each ingredient in Neapolitan pizza separately, and then put it all together at the end. Turns out, upon arrival in Naples, we were too hungry to wait. And jet lagged. If you’re in a similar situation, don’t worry—jump straight to an authentic pizza-making class (fuel yourself with strong caffè first). Make the dough by hand, slather it with fresh tomatoes, load it up with hunks of mozzarella and a few basil leaves, and pop it in the blisteringly hot oven (actually, have a pizzaioli do that last step for you). Then prepare your taste buds to be whisked away to heaven.

After having the most amazing pizza of our lives, the next day we set out to find the cheese and tomatoes that made it so, well, amazing. All we had to do was follow Stanley Tucci.

First, make your way out of the city to Caseificio Il Casolare, a buffalo farm and mozzarella producer in Alvignano. With a private visit, witness the transformation of the milk into precious mozzarella di bufala, meet the mastermind behind the delicious art, Mimmo—and of course taste, taste, taste!

Once you’re loaded up with dairy goodies, head to La Sbecciatrice to visit a farm growing tomatoes (among other produce) the slow way. This is a private visit beyond private visits: Mimmo (a different Mimmo) and his wife guided us through the narrow streets of their village, Villa Santa Croce, before taking us into their home and hosting a feast for us in their gorgeous stone “Tasting Stable.” Afterwards, they took us on a small hike outside the village and up the hill to a breathtaking view of the valley below. Their young son even joined our boys in a game of soccer (sorry, football!) in their courtyard. With ingredients as fresh and beautifully crafted as these, it’s no wonder the pizza blew us away.

Take a high-speed train from Naples to Roma Termini station. Check into your hotel and then take a golf cart tour of Rome. You heard that right—a golf cart tour will get you to all the major sites, covering more ground than you could on foot, but it can also sneak into local neighborhoods and smaller roads. We covered the usuals—Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, Roman Forum, and the Pantheon—but also wound our way through and fell in love with the back streets of the eclectic neighborhood of Monti. And of course, we ate: traditional Roman favorites like cacio e pepe, rigatoni all’amatriciana, spaghetti alla carbonara, carciofo alla romana…

Our oldest son was, at the time, studying the Colosseum in school, so there’s no way we weren’t going to visit it. We scheduled a private family tour (so the guide knew we had young kids) for first thing in the morning. It was incredible. Our guide spoke mostly to the kids, telling stories, pointing out cool architectural details, showing them the trapdoors and underground maze of alleys, highlighting the “VIP section” in the stands, and even using VR goggles and an app to reconstruct the Colosseum as it would have stood thousands of years ago. Our kids loved it.

That afternoon, we returned to Borghese Gardens, where we just strolled through the park and played games. Near the end of the day, we took a double-decker, hop-on-hop-off bus back to our hotel to get one last view of the city. A well-earned spritz and glass of wine along with more Roman favorites for dinner, naturally.

Give yourself plenty of time to explore Rome. But when you’re finally ready to move on, take a high-speed train to Bologna, passing through Florence on the way. Come hungry for a private walking food tour of Bologna, especially if you’re with “Uncle Fabio” (as he told our kids to call him). Stroll through markets, watch sfogline (pasta makers) at work through windows of restaurants while nibbling a mortadella panino, visit a salumeria for a charcuterie sampler, and marvel at all the various ages and prices of parmigiano. Our kids ate every single thing we put in front of them—and of course capped it off with more gelato.

After walking around the city, through the university, and under the porticoes, when we were (unbelievably) hungry again, we visited the home of a “Cesarina,” a local who invited us into her kitchen to teach us to cook some Bolognese classics: a ragù and three types of pasta. We made the dough from scratch, rolled it out, cut it, stuffed it, and molded it into shapes: paccheri, tortellini, and tagliatelle. Finally, we sampled our creations—with ragù, in brodo, and simply with parmigiano sprinkled on top. The simple ingredients—00 or semolini flour and eggs with bright orange yolks—again resulted in delicious dishes seemingly impossible to recreate at home.

In search of the highly coveted “King of Cheeses,” it’s back to following Stanley Tucci north to Parma. Tucci tells us to seek out Caseificio Rosola, a dairy farm and creamery in Zocca, a town about 30 miles outside of Bologna, where they make parmigiano from the milk of local Bianca Modenese cows. Take the long, windy road up the mountain; once there, take a deep breath of fresh air before descending into the cheese-making room. Then, step into the massive storage room, which is lined wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling with wheels of Parmigiano-Reggiano of all ages. It. Smells. Amazing.

Once your tour is complete, head outside to the picnic tables outside the shop and sample your cheese while watching the cows on the hillside. It’s peaceful and delicious. After finishing (and purchasing as much as you can take home with you!), take the road back down the mountain and on to Opera 02, an authentic acetaia that produces balsamic vinegar. Enjoy a private tasting, a tour of the storage room with all the barrels, and lunch at the restaurant. (Again here, hit the shop to bring home some aged balsamic! You’ll be missing it when you get home…)

For the last day of your trip, switch gears (literally) and visit the Automobili Lamborghini Museum. It’s in Sant'Agata Bolognese, a small town surrounded by farms and centered on really, really fast cars. Pay attention as you approach the town and the museum; you’ll hear the unmistakable purr of the engines as the craft are taken to the streets for test drives. Inside the museum, you’ll learn the fascinating history and innovation of Lamborghini, view the production lines, and walk among the iconic models, including the Countach, the Huracán, and even the super-rare Centenario, built in 2016 to celebrate the 100th birthday of founder Ferruccio Lamborghini. It’s an incredible experience; my kids and I loved it, and my husband was absolutely in heaven.

After the Lamborghini Museum, head back to Bologna to take the high-speed train to Milan. You’ll be at Milano Centrale, with the ability to head into the city center to extend your stay, or head to the airport to fly home.