Cheap eats in Northern Italy

[SourberryLily]

Hi everyone,

A friend and I are doing a 2 week northern Italy trip in early september. We're two young women,staying in hostels and budget hotels, trying to keep the costs low. Having good meals is always a high priority on my list. That being said we have a meager budget: 7-20 euros top per meal.

Since we're two girls, always on the go, it doesn't have to be romantic table service. In fact, if we can meet people (and i really mean people, this is not code for picking up men) it would be a plus. I already read about the cicceti in Venice, and that really seems like the sort of stuff that fits our style.

So here is the ittinerary:

Venice (2 nights)
Verona + Lake Garda daytrip (2 n)
Milan (1n)
Cinque Terre (2n)
Florence + Pisa (stop on the way) + Sienna daytrip (4n)

and then i head to Rome by myself, but i can research that part easily.

Any food stalls, casual restaurants, cafes that come to mind would be great.

Oh and if you have suggestions for foodie items to purchase along the way (olive oil or anything else) those are welcome too.

[jen kalb]

To fill in info from the specific suggestions others will give you , I have two suggestions:

There is a very good (inexpensive) compact recently published italian language guidebook called Gambero Rosso Lowcost which I think would be very helpful to you. I ordered a copy from IBS an online italian bookstore, but you could probably pick it up at a bookstore when you get to Italy. It has listings for restaurants as well as "pausa gourmet" - snack places and also expensive restaurants with budget meals. I have been gradulally populating the chowhound restaurant database with the restaurant info from this book (havent gotten to snacks), as well as Slowfood recmmendations (top out at 35E, moderate) and other sources. So the second suggestion is to go to the Restaurant page and put your destination names into the location box as search terms (city,IT0, You can then screen the results for $ and $$ places. $ are 25 and under, $$ 35 and under. These prices are for a full meal, not including wine. If you just hava a pizza or pasta and salad, say, it will be a lot cheaper.

[jen kalb]

Ps it looks like there is a new expanded edition of the Gambero Rosso book out

http://www.ibs.it/code/9788889711927/zzz1k1456/mangiarbene-2011-2012-1150-indirizzi.html

at amazon,it
http://www.amazon.it/Mangiarbene-2011...

[SourberryLily]

Hmm i just looked, the local bookstores don't have it, nor does amazon.ca. I don't think i will get the book unless i accidentally stumble upon it at the airport. I don't like the idea of paying for something that i will barely use for 2 weeks.

[jen kalb]

this isnt the kind of thing you will stumble on in an airport. Airports all have the same books, horrible. Its the kind of both that the in-town bookstores will offer. Anyway, thats why I am imputting all the info into the database when I get a chance. ciao

[barberinibee]

You should check out the website "Spotted by Locals" for its Milan section.

For le Cinque Terre, you would find cheaper and MUCH better food in La Spezia, especially farinata, but also foccacie, soups, pastas with seafood, anchovies, olive oil, etc. If you live near a bookstore where you can peruse David Downie's Food and Wine of the Italian Riviera and Genoa, do so. If not, consult with your travel partner about splitting the cost of buying a copy, which will repay its investment. You can get it from Amazon.

Even if you spend all day hiking in le Cinque Terre, try to get over to La Spezia (5 minutes from le Cinque Terre by train) to eat farinata at La Pia Centenaria at via Magenta 12. It is open every day except Sunday from 8 am to 10pm. You should pack a google map of the exact location before you leave your computer's behind, because it is hard to find.

Both Verona and Milan have lively cocktail (apertivo) hours, where the bars that want to attract young people put out buffets of free nibbles that go a long way toward being a complete dinner. One glam bar in the center of Milan is Bar Victoria. In the early evening, walking near the piazza dell'Erbe in Verona, and its nearby shopping streets, will give you lots of bars to check out the nibbles on offer.

http://www.seeitalia.com/verona/night...

Were I looking for a great gastronomic experience of Tuscany on a dime, I would spend the lion's share of my money on picnic lunches assembled from the food markets, and eat Tuscan soup or something equally simple for dinner at an enoteca. In Pisa, the historic food market is conveniently located right by the central station in the piazza Vettovaglie (again, look it up an Google ahead of time so you don't walk past it). Although you should wash whatever you buy, fresh seasonal produce from the markets is often fantastic (and they also often sell rotisserie chickens and other meats or prepared foods, and cheeses).

So before heading out for a daytrip to Siena, I would get a picnic in Florence. Likewise, Verona has a beloved food market, and packing a picnic for Lago di Garda might be the best way to go.

Most Italian art cities (Venice, Florence, Pisa and possibly Siena) often enforce some restrictions on picnicking on the steps of an historic sight or in a famous piazza or campo. No one will mind if you find an empty bench or concrete stoop in an unscenic corner, sufficiently away from a hardworking family trying to operate an outdoor restaurant or caffe.

[SourberryLily]

Wow fantastic suggestions.

I am completely open to having a picnic of local produce and meats. Markets are so fun and really allow you to taste the difference in the actual individual ingredients!

Thanks for the happy hour tip as well. It will be fun to dress up a little and go out for drinks and food.

Question about La Spezia. We will indeed dine there on our way from CT to Florence (train is from there) but is it worth the detour for food? We are staying in Manarola at Hostel 5 Terre. It's a little unique for me to wrap my head around being able to walk from village to village.... but as i understand it, La Spezia is a little more removed, further then Rommagiore.

[barberinibee]

It is not much more removed from Riomaggiore. It's only ten minutes from Manarola by train. Throughout le Cinque Terre, you can only "walk" between Manarola and Riomaggiore, and that takes about 30 minutes. Otherwise, you are hiking for about 90 minutes to reach the next town, and you cannot do that after dark.

When you get to Manarola, get a copy of the local train and boat schedule so you have options about eating.Some people wouldn't mind a short train ride at lunch time or dinner time (especially if it is raining). But others understandably might be too tired or want to enjoy eating outdoors with a sea and village view on a beautiful night. La Spezia is a city.

David Downie's book also has plenty of recommendations for the le Cinque Terre towns, not only restaurants but food vendors. He recommends the bar-ristorante dell'Amore right on the via dell'Amore, between Manarola and Riomaggiore. It is run by a cooperative of le Cinque Terre preservationists, and they serve only the local specialties: anchovies, pesto, mussels (cozze, muscoli or mitili of local menus) . And the probably use quality olive oil. You might check it out, especially to split plates of pasta or anchovies for an affordable meal.

I do think well-made farinata is a unique Ligurian cheap treat (and terrifically filling)., worth the detour, and you probably won't find it in le Cinque Terre. One thing to beware of in le Cinque Terre is bakeries or other quick-food stops selling either farinata or especially "foccacia col formaggio", which is a thin melted cheese specialty (rather like a quesedilla) from a Ligurian town called Recco, about an hour north of le Cinque Terre. It is next to impossible to get a good version of this specialty outside of Recco, where it is made with great delicacy, and you really shouldn't miseducate your palate and eat a gooey, sub-par version le Cinque Terre.

I live on the Riviera and sometimes the entire success of a meal is a combination of beautiful ingredients, beautiful weather, beautiful olive oil, the fragrance of the sea and the terrains, the paradisical relaxation of it all at once. You can ask the locals when you get to le Cinque Terre for advice about La Spezia but also for some tips on what will give you the best chance to taste home-cooking and great pesto (not a given in restaurants). It's a small community, so some might steer you toward a friend's joint, just to help out the friend, but if you ask enough people and specify what you want, you might get the best.

[barberinibee]

PS: I only rarely go to Venice, but you might find this article useful

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2010...

[barberinibee]

PPS: I'd like to give you few more tips, especially if you contemplate foraging the markets for picnics:

1) Learn enough Italian to tell a market vendor how much you want of something. You can save a lot of money buying only what you'll eat in for one meal, and the vendor won't mind. The local grandmothers (and me!) do it all the time. Two ounces of thin sliced salumi is actually quite satisfying, or a wedge of cheese, some fresh veg and fruit. You'll be able to use your fingers to show how big a slice of cheese you want, or how many pears, but when it comes to other measurements, knowing ounces and your Italian numbers means you won't end up with more than you want.

2) Either pack a simple set of plastic cutlery, or save what the airline gives you transatlantic if you are doing carry-on. You will almost NEVER get utensils when you buy portable food. Also, Italians vendors don't always give you a plastic sack to carry your purchase. Packing a few extra to take with you helps separate your cheese from your guidebook in your purse.

3) If Chowhounders here don't stop by to help you locate street vendors in Florence, go to the Tripadvisor message boards, because there are Florence residents who post there. My recollection of the area of the Ognissanti is that you find truck vendors selling roasted pork sandwiches, rotisserie chickens, tripe dishes -- but maybe I am misremembering the location. Also, I didn't eat from street vendors, so maybe it isn't good! I can't vouch for the tastebuds of Tripadvisor posters, but they probably can steer you to street food and some indoor venues for Tuscan soup or cheap meal, other than tourist pizza and tourist hamburgers.

[PBSF]

In additional to the excellent earlier posts, couple of more general comments on eating within a small budget:

Breakfast in Italy is not a big affair, mostly coffee and morning pastry. Take those standing up and one will never pay more than 2.5euros for both. Sitting down will double that

Take one restaurant meal a day. The other meal, buy food to go such as pizza, panini or buy cheeese, cured meat, fruit, etc and eat at an outdoor space.. Even buying the best will save you from any inexpensive sit down lunch. Always carry bottle water so that one does waste an euro. For most sit down meals, skip dessert buy gelato places are everywhere and open until late.

And an earlier poster comment about learning some basic Italian and food terms are a tremendous help. Without a little basic language, it makes it difficult to eat where locals do.

Specifically Venice:

The least expensive area to eat is in Cannairegio. There are osteria that cater to mostly working Venetians; some open mainly for midday meal (closed by late afternoon and weekends). Check out places on Fondamenta des Capuzine and Fondamenta Ormesini. Try Al Timon, Antic Mola or Al Bacco (open evenings also). This sestiere also have some of the better and least expensive bacari for cicchetti.

Cicchetti: do a search on this as there are some good earlier posts on them. They are best for midday and later afternoon as many bacari close by early evening. To eat them later into the evening, hit the osteria/trattoria that serve them in their front bar area.

General shopping: for convenient and to keep cost down, there are many supermarkets all over Venice. All of them will have a decent deli department for bread, cheeses, cured meat, olives and salads, etc. Buy bottle water and wine there. They can be very inexpensive: liter of water for 0.35 euro, bottle of wine for 2.5euro. Bring a wine opener. There are also shops that sell wine by the liter from barrels for about 2 euro/liter. Bring your nice empty bottle, otherwise, they will fill in a very uncouth plastic water bottle. Nava d;Oro is a small chain of those.

Drinking will take a big bit off of ones budget. For any ordinary sit down cafes, an ordinary spritz, wine or beer will be around 3 euro.

Venice is not a night city; the 3 areas that one can have some fun and mingle with locals are:

Campo Margherita: cafes/bars lines the large campo. Because it is located near the University Foscari, it attracts a young crowd and gets quite a noisy partying atmosphere. The north end is the rowdiest and the cheapest for drinks. Stand up in a paper cup/plastic cup can be 1.5 euro. Toward the southern end is a little more tame and attracts more of a literary crowd, ie at Margaret Duchamp.

Campo Bella Viena and Campo Giacomo near the Rialto Market: this area attracts a more diverse crowd but still mostly young and 20/30’s. Muro has a big TV on and if there is a soccer match, it will be pack with people watching from the campo. A few bacari are on a loggia on the Grand Canal; Bancogiro and Naranzaria are two the best. They are trattorias but their first floor is stand up cicchetti and drinks. There is lots of outside mingling in both campos.

Fondamenta Misericordia: the only club scene area; small music venues, inexpensive drinking and snacking. Good place to meet people. Paradiso Perduto is very popular and usually packed.

Save your shopping on your last stop in Rome. No use carrying all that extra stuff all over Italy.

-----
Bancogiro
Campo San Giacomo di Rialto, San Polo 122,, Venice, Veneto 30125, IT

Paradiso Perduto
Fondamenta de la Misericordia,2540, Venice, Veneto 30121, IT

[SourberryLily]

Thank you so much! You answered questions i didn't even know i had =D

The price points and little tips are particularly precious. I will bring my water bottle.

I think i will stop by a bookstore tonight see if i can find a mini pocket phrasebook with menu and food vocabulary.

[PBSF]

Off food subject in Venice, you've probably come across the fact that places to stay is crazily expensive; even at penione. A cheaper alternative are B&B that is popping up all over the city. The hostel in Giudecca as very pleasant and I highly recommend it but it is very popular, therefore, book now if you are considering it. If you do stay in the Giudecca hostel, you will need to get across the canal to get to Venice proper. The public vaporetto for tourist is outragely expensive (6.5 euros) but since it only one stop, one never gets check by the fare police. Better legal alternative is to ride the free shuttle from the Molino-Stuckey Hilton hotel to the Zattere and/or Piazza San Marco and the reverse. Make sure to check the time of the last shuttle, There is a great Billa supermarket on the Zattere with the best deli department and biggest selection. Also Campo Santa Margherita is an easy walk. Since this is the university area, there are quiet a few simple inexpensive eateries off the sides streets toward San Polo that cater to students. Lots of non tradtional food if incline.There is hopping Irish style pub on the end of calle Pantelon.

If you are staying in Cannairegio, there is also a great Billa on Strada Nova, a big shopping street for locals. Besides Billa, Forner de Mauro is a very good bakery for bread and morning pastries (their cookies are very expensive). The street also have many small food shops including a couple of food to go places. Some of the best cicchetti places are either on or just off a side street: La Cantina, Alla Vedovba, La Bomba. Nearby is Casa Mia, a very good pizzeria (no wood burning oven allowed in Vence proper). Rome has better pizza but if you are only there for only one day, eat Roman food there. If you happen to be in San Pola, Ruga Rialto (big tourist street from the Rialto Market) has an excellent take out pizza store with great deep dish pizza by the slice. Can't miss it as there will be beautiful pies on display. Venice proper is a very expensive city to eat in. Don't expect great food at the inexpensive sit down places but hopefully, the few that were mentioned above will deliver good value and decent eating. Get to know the popular tradtional Venetian dishes since they are the most likely to be what locals are eating and chances of being good. Don't order generic Italian dishes that we encounter in the States that populate many Venice tourist menus: ie Spaghetti Carbonara, Lasagna, veal Milanese, etc.

-----
La Cantina
Campo San Felice, Cannaregio 3689, Venice, Veneto , IT

[livingvenice]

One last tip for eating well for less: If you end up at an eatery, order as much as your budget allows, then split everything. Risottos & pasta dishes are excellent and go a long way. It's important to try as many things as you can, as the food in the right locale will be worth even a mini-splurge, so partake whenever it works out.

I would also order things completely unfamiliar to you (skip the Chianti, choose the Refosco): just because you don't recognize it doesn't me you won't find it tasty as all get out.

Don't forget about vino sfuso, or tap wine. It's young, fresh, and cheap, coming from nearby cooperatives or local producers, and saving the cost of bottling. There are a number of them most everywhere (certainly Venice); you won't have trouble finding them.

And please, if you picnic, find a bench, not just a stoop, a bridge, or open campo. It's considered quite rude here to sit on the ground and eat, so if you can resist, you'll be local hero(ine)s. :)

[allende]

Whatever you do, SourberryLily, resist any urge for vino sfuso. It is typically the worst of the worst. Spend just a touch more and buy something that is not just cheap and young and fresh and that is really nothing more than glorified grape juice.

[livingvenice]

Hm...I find that sfuso wines vary in quality just as do any other wines.

You certainly wouldn't expect Ferrari performance from a Smart car. There are plenty of inexpensive bottled wines that are far worse than a decent sfuso; but I also agree that sfuso is NEVER a substitute for a good, lovely bottled wine -- of which Italy fortunately produces parecchi (lots), and at quite a fair price.

In the end it helps to have recommendations -- ask at a good wine shop or enoteca, you won't have any problem. And even in the case of sfuso, you can always test-drive it by the glass for about ,80 cents.

And remember: Drink Local. ;)

[SourberryLily]

Thank you guys!
We'll likely try both: by the bottle or pay per liter. I love wine but i must admit Italian wine is not my favorite. Then again, i have not tasted every italian wine there is, so hopefully this will convert me. ;-)

This thread has proved to me the most informative piece i've read about food in Italy, better then any book. Thank you so much everyone, keep it coming if you have more to say :)