Italian food will be very important to you during and after your Italy vacation. Most people are usually surprised by the diversity of food in Italy especially if they expect to eat pizza, pasta and spaghetti during their Italy vacation. You may get your fill of these classics while you are in Italy but you will also want to make sure you get your fair share of local delicacies too. Make sure the food you eat is made from locally grown ingredients and make sure you pair the food with some great wine and you will be experiencing Italy at its best.

Italian food is classed into 3 regional types. Northern, Central and Southern. While visiting Northern Italy during your Italy vacation, you will find that the food here is less "Italian" than you would expect. For example they use less olive oil and more butter. They also eat more rice and corn polenta here than pasta and tomato sauce is not used very often. Northern Italian food also includes a lot of use of wild game found in the countryside. These include wild fowl, rabbit and quail. Northern Italy also has some coastal towns and some towns and villages near streams and rivers. So if you visit Northern Italy during your Italy vacation you may eat a lot of seafood and fish.

What we know as "Italian food" comes from Central Italy. Olive oil, cheeses and rich tomato sauces all hail from central Italy. The coastal areas here are also well known for seafood. Italian cooking was said to have been born in Tuscany which is a region in Central Italy so to be sure to visit this area during your Italy vacation. Some of the best olive oil comes from Southern Italy. But very little of it is exported so make sure you sample the olive oil here during your Italy vacation. Naples, a city in this area is well known for its pizza and southern Italy as a whole grows a lot of citrus fruits and has many vineyards. Some of the best wines in the world come from Southern Italy.

You may eat at several local restaurants during your vacation in Italy. However one of the best ways to sample some of the different food that Italy has to offer during your vacation in Italy is to take a cooking class or make your vacation a culinary one. Many of these classes and culinary vacations include going on a winery tour or wine tasting events. Cooking classes can range from a few hours to half a day and they range in price from about $150 to $250. Many of these are hosted by families in homes or small inns and bed and breakfasts. Some of these classes are taught by excellent chefs many of whom have written Italian recipe books and manage restaurants. They will teach you which food goes with which wine to make for a delicious meal. During your Italy vacation you can learn how to make your own homemade spaghetti and authentic tomato sauce.