Italy: Off the eaten path

January 8, 11:21 AMItaly Culture & Travel ExaminerLucia Mauro

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Galleria Fabris in Trieste.

As much as I love the stunningly diverse cuisine from every region of Italy, I typically don't make specific restaurants my destination. Instead, my husband and I opt to wander around secluded vicoli and unobtrusive piazze to discover warm, hospitable eateries with fresh, authentic menus - usually ones that are favorites of the locals. Over the years, we've enjoyed countless varieties of meals, both simple and luxurious. I've been frequently asked to recommend restaurants to family and friends traveling to Italy. So I decided to compile this list of favorites. And, as always, it doesn't begin to exhaust the rich bounty of Italian gastronomy. But it's a delicious start. I invite readers to share their favorite Italy restaurants, too. Buon appetito!

Cremona's Osteria Bissone.

Trieste: Ristorante-Pizzeria Galleria Fabris, Piazza Dalmazia, 4; Tel. 040-364564. Ambience: World War II Prague, particularly the view of tangled tram wires outside the restaurant's palatial windows. One half is a rowdy pizzeria; the other a more formal dining room with impeccable service. The maitre d' sports extravagant muttonchops. Recommended Dishes: Linguine ai funghi porcini; grilled steak (ai ferri); dumplings/goulash.

Palermo's Renna Self-Service.

Verbania/Lago Maggiore: Agriturismo Il Monterosso. Ambience: This is a working farm located high on a hill overlooking the Piemontese lake district. Part of a B&B, the restaurant seats guests on long wooden benches, and they can gaze at natural landscape paintings of mountains and pine trees. All food is raised/grown on the premises. Recommended Dishes: All antipasti - salume, roasted peppers, eggplant; gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce; three-cornered ravioli filled with asparagus.

Torino (Turin): Trattoria Valenza, Via Borgo Dora, 39. Tel. 011-5213914. Ambience: The tavern scene with Marius and friends from the musical, Les Miserables. It epitomizes rustic Piemontese cooking. Packed to the wood-beamed rafters, this farmhouse in the city involves the whole family. La nonna may unabashedly wave another diner's bowl of steaming minestra under your nose. I normally don't eat either steak tartar or fresh anchovies, but Valenza made me a convert. We split the pork roast, but the above-mentioned nonna frowned and insisted the more characteristic boiled calf's head was superior. You may want to take her word for it; we couldn't bring ourselves to taste it.

Asolo: Ristorante I Due Mori. Ambience: Elegant and homey; attached to the Hotel Duse, named in honor of this lovely town's famed dramatic actress, Eleonora Duse. Recommended Dishes: Ravioli filled with radicchio; spaghetti in duck sauce; rabbit spiced with sage.

Cremona: Osteria Bissone. Ambience: The sonorous city of the Stradivarius violin boasts this 500-year-old medieval-looking restaurant with high-arched ceilings. Composer Giuseppe Verdi figures prominently, as do some of his violins and framed excerpts of his operatic scores. Recommended Dish: Tortelli di zucca - pasta stuffed with squash and topped with a butter-amaretto sauce.

Morimondo: Trattoria del Priore, Via Roma, 13. Tel. 02-945207. Ambience: An Errol Flynn swashbuckler. This lively, sprawling restaurant with big fireplaces and copper pots hanging from the ceiling is located inside this tiny, pedestrian-only medieval town in Lombardy (not far from the arborio rice fields). All food is raised/grown on the premises. My husband and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary here with a rambunctious group of Italian friends. The owner's friendly dachshunds will most likely greet you at the door. Recommended Dishes: Riso al Priore, risotto with prosciutto and cheese; pine nut torte for dessert.

Genoa: Sa Pesta, Via Dei Giustiniani, 16/R. Tel. 010-2468336. Ambience: Garibaldi-era, where the Red Shirts would convene to plot their unification strategies. Difficult to find on a secluded street not far from the Duomo, Sa Pesta is well worth the search. It offers a warm, communal atmosphere and huge exposed brick ovens. Recommended Dishes: Trenette al pesto genovese; farinata (fried chickpea pancakes).

Cinque Terre/Monterosso al Mare: La Taverna, Via Molinelli, 39. Ambience: Laidback, ideal for families, and slightly away from the more touristy oceanfront spots. Recommended Dishes: Grilled calamari and fried potatoes.

Salo/Lago di Garda: Pasticceria Vassalli. Ambience: A refined Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. This is a dreamy, Viennese-style pastry shop/café. The sweets - served on silver platters -- are delicate artistic masterpieces. Recommended Dishes: All the cookies; blackberry and ricotta tortes.

Siena: Ristorante da Cellini (near Chiesa di San Domenico). Ambience: Sunny, relaxed, family-friendly. Recommended Dishes: Wild boar stew and polenta; bucatini all'amatriciana.

Macerata: Pizzeria Scalette, Via Rossi Lauro, 56. Tel. 0733-260126. Ambience: A much-regaled culinary landmark in this understated historic Le Marche town, the bustling pizzeria is located at the top of a wide staircase and is always packed with people of all ages. Recommended Dishes: Any and all pizza by the slice.

Foggia: Trattoria Pompeo, Vico al Piano, 14. Tel. 0881-724640. Ambience: Inviting and malleable in that you can come here for a casual dinner or a special occasion. Strong emphasis on ingredients in season. Recommended Dishes: Orrecchiette with chicory herbs; pizza topped with ricotta.

Castellammare di Stabia: Outdoor restaurants along the port in this small town near Naples. Ambience: The theatrical gypsy camp in Georges Bizet's Carmen. This is a fascinating stretch of extroverted chefs cooking Campanian specialties on open grills and stoves. Sit at a table crowned with an umbrella and take in the tantalizing, and occasionally gritty, smells - especially at night. Recommended Dishes: Steamed mussels; lupini; spaghetti alle vongole.

Cagliari, Sardegna: Hotel/Ristorante Quadrifoglio. Ambience: It may be a nondescript hotel restaurant, but it's clean-lined and bright with a fresh, unfussy menu. Recommended Dishes: Grilled shrimp; pasta with meaty mushrooms, called funghi di carne.

Oristano, Sardegna: Cocco & Dessi, Via Tirso, 31. Tel. 0783-300720. Ambience: Norma Desmond-esque Art Deco. The attentive staff makes great efforts to explain these innovative Sardinian dishes, which remain attached to tradition while sporting some creative tweaks. Recommended Dishes: Home-baked breads (some fillled with fresh ricotta and pecorino sardo); soup with fregola (round-shaped semolina pasta), tomatoes, oregano and strips of tender boiled eel.

Alghero, Sardegna: Ristorante Dieci Metri, Via Barcellonetta, 11. Tel. 079-979023. Ambience: One blue-and-white room is decorated with Mediterranean paintings; the other has a wine-cellar feel. Recommended Dish: Lobster alla Catalan; the island's signature dish, seada, a pecorino sardo-filled pastry drizzled with honey.

Oliena, Sardegna: Hotel/Ristorante Su Gologone. Ambience: A folkloric taverna that could be in Greece. Located in the heart of the island's mountainous Barbagia, this strikingly beautiful resort and restaurant offers delectable grilled meat roasted on juniper spits inside gargantuan fireplaces. Recommended Dishes: Wild boar steaks and sausages.

Palermo, Sicily: Renna Self-Service, Via Principe Granatelli, 29. Tel. 091-580661. Ambience: Crowded and amiable. This popular and affordable cafeteria-style restaurant, near the port, is owned by our very good friends, the vivacious Renna family. The wide selection of dishes is staggering, and the service is always welcoming. Recommended Dishes: Pasta con le sarde; spaghetti al nero di seppia; maccheroni with meat, tomatoes, peas and toasted breadcrumbs.

Palermo, Sicily: A bar, under an arcade, across from the port at Via Francesco Guardione and Via Dei Barilai. Ambience: Unfortunately, I don't recall the name of this seemingly ordinary bar that bumps up against an AGIP gas station. You'll be surprised at the high quality of the food. Recommended Dishes: Homemade spinach-ricotta ravioli; slow-cooked pork with marinated mushrooms.

Furnari, Sicily: Agriturismo La Camelia. Ambience: Simultaneously lush and rustic, with hints of the estate on Brideshead Revisited. The B&B, with its own restaurant located between Capo d'Orlando and Messina, serves exquisite food/produce from its farm. In one outdoor section, an extroverted donkey and a shy Shetland pony welcome visitors. It feels like a Disney cartoon. Recommended Dishes: Caponata; ricotta with marmalade; breaded eggplant and artichokes.

Catania, Sicily: Osteria Antica Marina. Ambience: Frenetic, energized. In the heart of Catania's sprawling outdoor market stands this exceptional restaurant, where you can be assured the fish on your plate was caught the same day. Fishermen in rubber boots stop in to present the chefs with shrimp, squid, cuttlefish and other catches on sheets of butcher paper. Recommended Dishes: Grilled swordfish; rigatoni in a creamy tomato sauce with tuna and ground almonds.

Ragusa Ibla, Sicily: Trattoria da Nino, Via Porta Modica, 21/31. Tel. 0932-651449. Ambience: A warm, cozy restaurant, just around the corner from Giardino Ibleo - like truly being guests in the chef's home. Reserve an entire afternoon or evening for the endless "degustazione" menu divided into an all-meat or an all-fish option. I recommend a substantial "taste" of everything.

Marina di Ragusa, Sicily: Trattoria da Carmelo, Lungomare Via Andrea Doria. Tel. 0932-239913. Ambience: Tables are so close to the ocean, small waves sometimes tickle diners' feet. A joyful setting where you can select just-caught seafood from large glass cases. Very accommodating staff. Recommended Dishes: Fresh tuna in olive oil; mullet fish baked with tomatoes, mint and black brine-cured olives.

Vulcano/Aeolian Islands: La Forgia (on the port, near the sulphur mud baths). Ambience: Cheerful, open, decorative space run by an exuberant man named Maurizio, who also enjoys feeding the fearlessly insistent cats that wander in. I suggest a tavola calda-style tasting. Recommended Dishes: Warm ricotta in the form of the island's Gran Cratere; cous cous bread; an addictive biscotto-shaped potato bread; and frittata flavored with fennel.

Lipari/Aeolian Islands: Macelleria La Bottega della Carne. This spotless butcher shop on the island's main Corso Vittorio Emanuele serves a succulent rotisserie chicken (pollo allo spiedo). Place a takeout order, with a side of crispy fried potatoes, to eat in the park overlooking Marina Lunga or to enjoy back at your hotel. The energetic owner, Bartolino Leone, is a well-known local journalist.

Pantelleria, Sicily: Bar Aurora-Policardo, Via Borgo Italia/Port of Pantelleria. Tel. 0923-911098. Ambience: The ultimate unrushed beachfront café, run by the kind and attentive brother-sister team of Battista and Sabrina Policardo. Recommended Dishes: Pasta with broccoli and pine nuts; classic arancine filled with peas and meat.

Pantelleria, Sicily: Ristorante La Pergola, Contrada Suvaki. Tel. 0923-918420. One of the island's most popular restaurants, it attracts diners of all ages and lots of families. Recommended Dish: Pasta with pesto pantesco, a sauce that combines tomatoes, capers, basil and garlic.

Pantelleria, Sicily: Hotel/Ristorante Zubebi. Ambience: Tales of the Arabian Nights. This is a stylish, sequestered restaurant situated inside a series of dammusi, the island's characteristic Arabic stone structures. Palm trees and a seemingly infinite desert terrain complete the Middle Eastern feel. Recommended Dishes: Handmade orrecchiette with zucchini and red bell pepper; a variety of cous cous dishes; flan made with zibibbo grapes and raspberries.

Note: The country code for calling Italy is 39.

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