A picnic fit for a king

Picnic, Italy, Italy (Photo by Pete the painter)

Picnic like a king on the budget of a pauper in Italy

A bottle of Chianti, a crusty loaf of bread, some fresh fruit, local cheeses and salamis, yogurt, and a pastry to top it all off makes a fabulous meal.

Stop at a half-dozen little neighborhood shops, and $8 to $12 per person later you'll have a feast fit for a king.

Far from being a budget fall-back, picnicking in Italy can be as much fun and unforgettable as a meal in the finest Michelin-starred restaurant.

What with all the restaurants I eat in just to do my job, one of my most memorable European meals ever remains a picnic lunch on a bench in Paris with my wife and parents. (Another was a late-night picnic in a hotel room in Tuscany with my parents and a buddy.)

Italian produce is usually of very high quality, hailing from local farmers, not distant agricultural conglomerates whose idea of the perfect tomato is one that ships well, whether it has any taste or not.

Visit a few small neighborhood grocery stores or an open-air market and point to anything that looks like a local specialty. 100 grams is usually the perfect amount or one person. (Often if you just say "picnic for two people," the workers will give you the appropriate portions.)

I have broken bread (focaccia, actually) with my Boy Scout troop on a patch of grass overlooking the Colosseum in Rome, enjoyed the world's freshest mozzarella direct from the farm in the fields of southern Campania, dined gloriously alone on a panino and some clementines atop a wall overlooking the vineyards of Tuscany, had members of a Italian hiking group compete to share the best of their brown-bagged bounty with me on a Sicilian hilltop near some Byzantine ruins (after which we picked almonds off a tree and cracked them open with stones), and sat with a friend on the grassy banks above the Brenta Canal—the villa-peppered country escape of Renaissance doges just outside of Venice—and watched the boats glide by as we munched sandwiches, shared a bottle of fizzy Lambrusco wine, and ate an entire watermelon...

Where to go for picnic pickings in Italy

When it comes time to put together that picnic to enjoy sitting around the fountain of a piazza, on your day trip, or just back in the hotel room, you can visit a string of little Italian food shops:

The panificio or forno can provide breads and pastries
A fruttivendolo is for fresh fruit and veggies
A latteria sells cheeses
Vini olii or enoteca carry bottles of wine
An alimentari (little grocery store) is good for packaged goods, salamis, drinks, and a bit of everything else
Tip: You'll sometimes find supermercati—supermarkets—in the basements of large department stores

You can order by the kilo (2.2 pounds) or mezzo kilo (half a kilo), but most people order in their foods in grammi (grams).

One hundred grams is nicknamed un etto, which is slightly less than a quarter pound. When you're throwing together a picnic for 2–4 people, usually one etto each of two cheeses, another etto of prosciutto, and an etto of olives (or whatever)—added to a loaf of bread, bottle of vino, and some fruit—somehow ends up being just the right amount. (Often if you just say picnic per due—"picnic for two people"—the workers will give you the appropriate portions.)

But for the absolute best and freshest in raw ingredients, and a true Italian experience, nothing beats hitting the stalls of an outdoor food market, camera in tow. Markets tend to open Monday through Saturday around 7am. The best pickings are in the earliest hours, when you might bump into your trattoria owner from the night before selecting the ingredients for this evening's bounty.

By noon many stall owners are starting to pack up, the bread bins are full of only crumbs, the best bell peppers are gone, and the lettuce is wilting. By 1pm most markets are deserted save for a few cats pawing through the leftovers.

Dining links

Culinary tours links

Tips

Useful Italian or picnicking

I would like - Vorrei...
some (of) - un pó (di)
100 grams [1/4 pound] of - un etto di
this - questo
that - quello
and - e (pronounced "ay")
cheese - formaggio
salami - salame
bread - pane
picnic for two - picnic per due
a bottle of - una bottiglia di
...fizzy water - acqua gassata
...still water - acqua non gassata
...red wine - vino rosso
...white wine - vino bianco
...beer - birra

Be careful where you snack

Many monuments in Italy are now off-limits for panino munching, gelato licking, and even just plain old sitting on the steps—including the Spanish Steps and Coloseum in Rome, St. Mark's Square in Venice, and the steps at Florence's Duomo.

You will likely just get a stern talking-to by police or local authorities.

Persist, however, and you could get slapped with a $650 fine.

About the restaurant star ratings (☆☆☆ to ★★★)

You will notice that all restaurants (and sights and hotels) on this site have a ReidsItaly.com star designation from ☆☆☆ to ★★★.

This merely indicates that I feel these eateries offer a little something that makes them special (or extra-special, or extra-extra special, etc.).

These star ratings are entirely based on personal opinion, and have nothing to do with any official local restaurant ratings or grades.

In general, a pricier restaurant has to impress me that it is worth the added expense.

This is why I give ★★★ to some inexpensive eateries or sandwich shops that happen provide amazing value for the money—and similarly have ranked a few fancy but notable restaurants just ★★☆.

About the restaurant price brackets (€–€€€)

Here at ReidsItaly.com we simply provide a general price range indicating the general amount you should expect to pay for a full meal in the eatery.

Each eatery is rated into a price category, which indicates—very roughly—what you could expect to pay, per person, for a standard full meal: Three courses—primo (first course), secondo (main course), and contorno (side) or dolce (dessert)—plus something to drink.

There are three price ranges, giving you a sense of which restaurants are budget, which are moderate, and which are splurges:

€	under €15
€€	under €40
€€€	over €40

Useful Italian phrases

Dining
Basic phrases
Calendar
Numbers

Useful Italian for dining

English *(inglese)*	Italian (italiano)	Pro-nun-cee-YAY-shun
Where is?	Dov'é	doh-VAY
...a restaurant	un ristorante	oon rees toh-RAHN-tay
...a casual restaurant	una trattoria un'osteria	oo-nah trah-toar-RHEE-yah oon ohst-air-EE-yah
I would like to reserve...	Vorrei prenotare...	voar-RAY pray-note-ARE-eh
a table for two	una tavola per due	oo-nah TAH-voal-lah pair DOO-way
...for 7pm	per le sette	pair lay SET-tay
...for 7:30pm	per le sette e mezzo	pair lay SET-tay eh MET-tzoh
...for 8pm	per le otto	pair lay OH-toh

I would like	Vorrei...	voar-RAY
...some (of)	un pó (di)	oon POH (dee)
...this	questo	KWAY-sto
...that	quello	KWEL-loh
chicken	pollo	POL-loh
steak	bistecca	bee-STEAK-ah
...rare	al sangue	ahl SAN-gway
...medium	rosato	ro-ZA-to
...well done	ben cotto	ben KO-to
veal	vitello	vee-TEL-oh
fish	pesce	PEH-shay
meat	carne	KAR-neh
I am vegetarian	sono vegetariano	SO-no veg-eh-tair-ee-YAH-no
side dish [veggies always come seperately]	cotorno	kon-TOR-no
dessert	dolce	DOAL-chay
and	e	ay
...a glass of	un bicchiere di	oon bee-key-YAIR-eh dee
...a bottle of	una bottiglia di	oo-na boh-TEEL-ya dee
...a half-liter of	mezzo litro di	MET-tzoh LEE-tro dee
...fizzy water	acqua gassata	AH-kwah gah-SAHT-tah
...still water	acqua non gassata	AH-kwah noan gah-SAHT-tah
...red wine	vino rosso	VEE-noh ROH-so
...white wine	vino bianco	VEE-noh bee-YAHN-koh
...beer	birra	BEER-a
Check, please	Il conto, per favore	eel COAN-toh pair fah-VOAR-eh
Is service included?	É incluso il servizio?	ay een-CLOU-so eel sair-VEET-zee-yo

Basic phrases in Italian

English (inglese)	Italian (italiano)	pro-nun-see-YAY-shun
thank you	grazie	GRAT-tzee-yay
please	per favore	pair fa-VOHR-ray
yes	si	see
no	no	no
Do you speak English?	Parla Inglese?	PAR-la een-GLAY-zay
I don't understand	Non capisco	non ka-PEESK-koh
I'm sorry	Mi dispiace	mee dees-pee-YAT-chay
How much is it?	Quanto costa?	KWAN-toh COST-ah
That's too much	É troppo	ay TROH-po

Good day	Buon giorno	bwohn JOUR-noh
Good evening	Buona sera	BWOH-nah SAIR-rah
Good night	Buona notte	BWOH-nah NOTE-tay
Goodbye	Arrivederci	ah-ree-vah-DAIR-chee
Excuse me (to get attention)	Scusi	SKOO-zee
Excuse me (to get past someone)	Permesso	pair-MEH-so

Where is?	Dov'é	doh-VAY
...the bathroom	il bagno	eel BHAN-yoh
...train station	la ferroviaria	lah fair-o-vee-YAR-ree-yah
to the right	à destra	ah DEH-strah
to the left	à sinistra	ah see-NEEST-trah
straight ahead	avanti [or] diritto	ah-VAHN-tee [or] dee-REE-toh
information	informazione	in-for-ma-tzee-OH-nay

Days, months, and other calendar items in Italian

English (*inglese*)	Italian (italiano)	Pro-nun-cee-YAY-shun
When is it open?	Quando é aperto?	KWAN-doh ay ah-PAIR-toh
When does it close?	Quando si chiude?	KWAN-doh see key-YOU-day
At what time...	a che ora	a kay O-rah

Yesterday	ieri	ee-YAIR-ee
Today	oggi	OH-jee
Tomorrow	domani	doh-MAHN-nee
Day after tomorrow	dopo domani	DOH-poh doh-MAHN-nee

a day	un giorno	oon je-YOR-no
Monday	Lunedí	loo-nay-DEE
Tuesday	Martedí	mar-tay-DEE
Wednesday	Mercoledí	mair-coh-lay-DEE
Thursday	Giovedí	jo-vay-DEE
Friday	Venerdí	ven-nair-DEE
Saturday	Sabato	SAH-baa-toh
Sunday	Domenica	doh-MEN-nee-ka

Mon-Sat	Feriali	fair-ee-YAHL-ee
Sun & holidays	Festivi	feh-STEE-vee
Daily	Giornaliere	joor-nahl-ee-YAIR-eh

a month	una mese	oon-ah MAY-zay
January	gennaio	jen-NAI-yo
February	febbraio	feh-BRI-yo
March	marzo	MAR-tzoh
April	aprile	ah-PREEL-ay
May	maggio	MAH-jee-oh
June	giugno	JEW-nyoh
July	luglio	LOO-lyoh
August	agosto	ah-GO-sto
September	settembre	set-TEM-bray
October	ottobre	oh-TOE-bray
November	novembre	no-VEM-bray
December	dicembre	de-CHEM-bray

Numbers in Italian

English (*inglese*)	Italian (italiano)	Pro-nun-cee-YAY-shun
1	uno	OO-no
2	due	DOO-way
3	tre	tray
4	quattro	KWAH-troh
5	cinque	CHEEN-kway
6	sei	say
7	sette	SET-tay
8	otto	OH-toh
9	nove	NO-vay
10	dieci	dee-YAY-chee
11	undici	OON-dee-chee
12	dodici	DOH-dee-chee
13	tredici	TRAY-dee-chee
14	quattordici	kwa-TOR-dee-chee
15	quindici	KWEEN-dee-chee
16	sedici	SAY-dee-chee
17	diciasette	dee-chee-ya-SET-tay
18	diciotto	dee-CHO-toh
19	diciannove	dee-chee-ya-NO-vay
20	venti	VENT-tee
21*	vent'uno*	vent-OO-no
22*	venti due*	VENT-tee DOO-way
23*	venti tre*	VENT-tee TRAY
30	trenta	TRAYN-tah
40	quaranta	kwa-RAHN-tah
50	cinquanta	cheen-KWAN-tah
60	sessanta	say-SAHN-tah
70	settanta	seh-TAHN-tah
80	ottanta	oh-TAHN-tah
90	novanta	no-VAHN-tah
100	cento	CHEN-toh
1,000	mille	MEEL-lay
5,000	cinque milla	CHEEN-kway MEEL-lah
10,000	dieci milla	dee-YAY-chee MEEL-lah

* You can use this formula for all Italian ten-place numbers—so 31 is trent'uno, 32 is trenta due, 33 is trenta tre, etc. Note that—like uno (one), otto (eight) also starts with a vowel—all "-8" numbers are also abbreviated (vent'otto, trent'otto, etc.).

Taste of Italy Food Tour to Chianti and Umbria from Rome

13h | from €125

A picnic fit for a king

Picnic like a king on the budget of a pauper in Italy

Where to go for picnic pickings in Italy

Tips

Useful Italian for dining

Basic phrases in Italian

Days, months, and other calendar items in Italian

Numbers in Italian

Culinary Tours

Also in Dining savings:

Related pages

Similar interests

Also in Dining savings:

Related pages

Similar interests

Dining

Culinary tours

At its best, travel should challenge