It’s hard to argue with the fact that Italian cuisine is soothing and comforting. It is delicious and made with only the freshest of ingredients. It is often served with straightforward wines delivered in enormous jugs. These meals are typically enjoyed by a large number of family members and friends who are catching up in large, raucous parties.
We adore it for each and every one of these reasons.
Because of their unique qualities, each of the three locations highlighted here have quickly become our favourite mainstream Italian Restaurants . They have been added to a list of those to which we absolutely must return.
Our delightful experiences of the family-run, out-of-the-way local Italian village restaurants will be reserved for a different blog post on a different day.
Barga, Tuscany
Barga, a hilltop town in Tuscany. It is home to our most authentic Italian cafe. The name of this little jewel is Paticceria Fratelli Lucchesi. They have the most delicious coffee and pastries of any place we’ve ever been. The staff is kind and helpful, but when our heads are down, they give us space to continue working without interference.
Yet, if we are still there when it is time for the traditional Italian Aperitivo, they have a way of gently pushing us to put our computers away. That’s because it is now the appropriate time to unwind and engage in conversation with the locals.
Wellington, New Zealand
When we were in Wellington, New Zealand, we came upon a wonderful eatery known as Nicolini’s. This was a really unexpected discovery. A native New Zealander gave it his stamp of approval, but warned us that it would be unlikely that we would get a table a short notice. Apparently reservations have to be made quite far in advance.
As luck would have it, we were fortunate to snag a table for two by just arriving at the door early one evening. We dined on pasta that was prepared fresh right there on the premises. A nice bonus was listening to lively live music played on the piano by a local musician. His repertoire, for individuals traveling in their seventh decade, could not have been more spot on.
It was the ideal way to relax and prepare for crossing the Cook Strait by ferry the next day.
Umhlanga, South Africa
Umhlanga, in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, is the location of our third and most mainstream Italian favourite.
Old Town Italy is located directly across the street from the Vespa scooter shop. It provides delectable Italian cuisine as well as mouth watering Italian ice cream.
This restaurant has a lot more to offer visitors than just cuisine. It imports and sells a lot of Italian food and wine brands which makes for mouth watering browsing. However, despite our best efforts, we have not yet been successful in persuading them to stock Amaro del Capo in their stores.
While we typically make an effort to shop and stay in the area where we are visiting, we do not always succeed. But finding a place that serves truly authentic Italian cuisine is always a bonus.
Despite the fact that each of these is rather unique and serves a certain function that is distinct from the others, we plan to revisit each and every one of them the next time we am in town.
A bonus is that these favourite Italian Restaurants are all located in very easily accessible main centers.
You can read about more of our travels and great eateries here.
