5 Movies You Should Watch Before Coming To Italy

We are experiencing something that had never happened before. Currently, we are all stuck at home, traveling nor moving for leisure is not permitted during these extraordinary times. While this might be hard for many, we should all try to look at this situation from a positive point of view. We have become owners of our times, the stressful working routine taken away from us and we have more free time to do things we wouldn’t have time to do normally.

But let’s be honest. Even if most of us are trying to use their quarantine time wisely, getting organized, learning new languages, do some exercise at home, it is easy to get caught up by Netflix or watching movies and series.

After all, if you like to travel or you simply want to learn more about a country, movies can be a great way to “travel with your mind” and possibly practice foreign languages. We have prepared a list of movies to help you get inspired for your next trip to the wonderful and charming country that is Italy. If you are planning a trip to Italy or even just consider the idea of visiting it after the crisis, make sure you watch the following movies. You’ll have the opportunity to learn more about a country that is currently being harshly hit by the Coronavirus but that has a lot to offer to its visitors, much more than you can expect.

Call Me By Your Name

Call Me By Your Name“Call Me By Your Name” by lesmoughscft is licensed under CC0 1.0


Currently available on Netflix, Call me By Your Name is a recent movie directed by Luca Guadagnino based on the novel by the Egyptian-Italian-American author André Aciman. The story takes place in Northern Italy in the pretty town of Crema in the 1980s and it is part of a trilogy created by the director Luca Guadagnino on the theme of “desire”. Later on this list, you’ll find another movie that is part of the trilogy and that is worth watching.

The focus of the movie is the romantic relationship between the 17 years old boy Elio and the 24 years old Oliver, a graduate student’s assistant to Elio’s father who is an archeology professor.

The movie was positively received by critics and earned various awards for direction, acting, and music. If you are looking for a passionate, intimate and deep drama portraying a story of first love, you should consider watching this movie.

Crema

Suburra: Blood On Rome

Rome


This Italian crime drama set on Rome is a great way to get to know this eternal city and learn some Italian along the way. You can find the series on Netflix. This series is meant to be a prequel to the 2015 movie by the same name and it is based on the real-life events of the Mafia Capitale investigation. If you wish to learn more about the corruption and organized crime that involved churchmen as well as politicians in this national scandal that hit Italy in the 2010s, include Suburra in your “to watch” list.

A Bigger Splash

Old style“Old style” by passer8 is licensed under CC BY 2.0


Planning a beach holiday? Watch A Bigger Splash to get to know the charming island of Pantelleria, an island off the coast of Sicily that is geographically closer to Africa than to Italy but still influenced by the typical Italian culture. This drama, directed by Luca Guadagnino (the same director of Call me by your Name), takes place in an isolated villa on the island of Pantelleria and is centered around the rock-star Marianne on holiday with her lover Paul. Everything goes smoothly until Marinanne’s previous lover reaches the island accompanied by his daughter. While the movie is mainly in English, as it stars Tilda Swinton, Ralph Fiennes, and Dakota Johnson, it can help you learn more about the remote but beautiful island of Pantelleria. The movie has received several positive reviews and is a great drama that has a lot more to offer than what you might think.

The Passion Of Christ

Matera


You might have already heard of this biblical drama produced and directed by Mel Gibson. Even if you are not religious, watching this movie, that covers the final 12 hours before Jesus’ death will give you an idea of what the charming city of Matera looks like. The movie itself has made history: it is mostly in Aramaic, Latin, and Hebrew and is the seventh-highest grossing movie of all times. Critics have been polarized: some praising the movie and others criticizing the violence and the antisemitic undertones. No matter what you’ll think in the end. this movie is a must-watch, even just to enrich your film culture and learn more about the popular biblical figure of Jesus.

But let’s go back to how this movie can inspire your trip to Italy. Shot primarily in the old city of Matera, chosen for its untouched looks and the ancient-looking landscapes, you’ll get to discover this Southern Italian city that has recently become a major touristic attraction, mainly because of its unique “Sassi” and its charming historical looks.

Il Postino

Sicily


This timeless classic shot in Procida, a beautiful island off the coast of Naples is another movie that will most probably make you fall in love with the gorgeous island. It tells the fictional story of poet Pablo Neruda creating a relationship with a simple postman from Procida who learns to appreciate poetry. Watching this movie is a great way for you to practice or brush up your Italian, as the language is pretty clear and easy to understand in the movie. It is a classic movie, which might not be of everyb0dy’s taste but that is worth considering for its poetic tone and beauty.

Set in the 1950s, the movie starts some popular Italian actors of the time, such as Massimo Troisi who was unfortunately weakened by his worsening heart condition during the production. Positively acclaimed and well received by the critics, this drama is a must-watch, especially if you are planning to visit Naples and its surroundings.

With these 5 movies to watch you now have no excuse to prepare your next trip to Italy! What are you waiting for? Get inspired and get ready for your next holiday to experience first-hand the beautiful panoramas and to get to know the charming local culture of gorgeous Italy!

Street Food Walking Tour Of Naples With Video.

Naples is considered the homeland of authentic Italian food. Using a train to access this city that’s located on the southern side of Italy, I could not help but love its uniqueness. It’s a cool place that’s filled with friendly locals and beautiful views. Additionally, this city is rich in history thanks to ancient architecture and art.

But during my walking tour in Naples under the guidance of a local guide, one thing that completely stood out is the cuisine. As a constant traveler, there is no better way to experience a new destination other than sampling the different dishes. During my recent trip to the city of Naples, below are some of the foods that I indulged in and why they are a must-try.

Cuoppo

According to my tour guide, Cuoppo Napoletano is the real definition of the Italian street food and I couldn’t dispute that statement after tasting it. This is one of the tastiest foods that I have ever eaten. Taking a bite, this humble dish deeply engaged my taste buds and I couldn’t stop taking more bites. The mouthwatering delicacy has a distinct taste and it defines the unique Italian tradition. I learned that traditionally, cuoppo is normally made using mini-panzerottis, potato croquettes, mozzarella, aubergine, and courgetti flowers. It’s one of the trendiest foods in Italy because it perfectly represents the Italian street food. While I enjoyed taking some bites in the restaurants, Cuoppo is also a takeaway delicacy which most food lovers can enjoy eating while walking along the streets and alleys of Naples.

Crocche

Although they are popularly known as Crocche, some locals call them potato croquettes or the crochettes. With the Naples Crocche, I just couldn’t stop munching on it. Crocches have a beautiful brown appearance. They contain potato, mozzarella, and pepper.

Generally, the crocches are small in size. I could estimate that they were measuring between 3-4 centimeters in terms of length. Their dark-gold outer covering gives them an appetizing appearance. From my tour guide, I learned that Crocches are versatile. Some restaurants not only use mozzarella, potatoes, and black pepper but they enhance their taste by using additional ingredients such as eggs and Parmigiano. If you are a foodie who is planning to visit Naples, I highly recommend that you shouldn’t leave this place without taking a bite of the sweet Crocches. You can take as many as you wish just to satiate your taste buds.

Naples is filled with a wide range of local snacks and dishes. If you are a food lover like me, you might find it very challenging to choose one food. They all have tasty aromas and their appealing appearance will simply entice you from a distance. Apart from the Crocche, Arancino is another type of food that I sampled.

Arancino

They are beautiful and delicious stuffed rice balls. Arancino means one and if they are many, they are called Arancini. An arancino is a crispy and brownish stuffed ball that contains rice, mozzarella, beef, peas, and tomatoes. Tucking in my piece of Arancino, I could understand why it’s one of the popular street foods in Naples and also the whole of Italy. Additionally, they are also cost-friendly.
During my Naples walking tour and after visiting a couple of restaurants, I later learned that arancini can be made with various ingredients to create certain variations. In Naples, for instance, the most common types of Arancini which are sold in the Sicilian cafes normally have tomato sauce, meat, mozzarella, and rice. Some of them also have cheese. There are also other arancini specialties which you can engage in if you are keen enough about food exploration.

What I enjoyed during my Naples walking tour is that there are numerous restaurants and eateries which made it easier to have a taste of different foods. Besides that, having the tour guide with me made me feel like am exploring my local town. Note that Italians are real food lovers. While going for the Tarallo Napoletano, we could notice the restaurant was full to the brim, with lots of people waiting outside for empty tables. Well, this is because the foods are simply delicious and enjoyable.

Tarallo Napoletano

This is one of the street foods that I first indulged in during my Naples tour. The attractive and mouthwatering Tarallo is normally formulated to have different flavors and tastes. Taking a mouthful of this salty food, Tarallo Napoletano is one of the must-haves if you are in Naples. It is made with salt, pepper, flour, chopped almonds, lard, and yeast. Traditionally, Tarallo Napoletano is normally accompanied by a glass of wine but you can eat it alone, just like me.

Baba

Street food lovers in Naples take their Babas’ very seriously. While looking for an eatery with baba, I couldn’t help but notice that huge crowds of locals who were waiting to get a serving. Baba isn’t only a cherished and sweet dessert; its taste means that it has become a legit and iconic street food. Well, don’t be surprised if you are in Naples and someone tells you that you’re a baba, this simply means that you’re sweet.

Taking my baba with a topping of chocolate, this delicious and brownish food almost made me place another order, or even a couple more. But I realized that no matter how many babas you take, I will simply never have enough. A baba is a type of leavened dough that’s soaked in the traditional rum. While I took my baba with chocolate, you can take it with whipped cream, ham, or fruit toppings to make it look glossier.

Naples has a wide range of street foods which feature the Neapolitan traditions. They have amazing flavors and taste to cater to different taste preferences. Note that I enjoyed these foods with no cutlery or accompaniments. They can be taken from the restaurants or while enjoying a walk down the streets. All the above-mentioned street foods made my walking tour in Naples one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. Not only are they so sweet, but they contain unique and authentic ingredients that make you want more. I mean, you’ll only take four to five bites before you realize that your delicious food is gone.

A Tour of the production of Mozzarella di Bufala around Paestum

 

Greek temples and buffalo?  No one would expect to find them together, but that is exactly what awaits you when you visit Paestum, near Salerno in Southern Italy, home to the world – famous Buffalo Mozzarella. Emilia Delizia organises food and cultural tours around South of Italy. Do you hesitate to contact us should you need more information about the tours.

mozzarella
making mozzarella – source

For many Italians fresh Mozzarella di Bufala is a most evocative food, associated with Summer, Coastal holidays and lovely summery Caprese salad!  Often local people stop to buy fresh Mozzarella on their way home from a trip to the coast and many people make the trip from Naples just to get their hands on the really fresh product.  Locals believe that by the time the cheese has been delivered to their area is has already lost the characteristics that make it special.   Today, visitors to the Paestum area, near Salerno in Southern Italy, have the opportunity of visiting several water buffalo farms and dairies, most of which are conveniently situated along a stretch of the SS18, locally known as “Mozzarella Road”.  Not only can you taste and buy the fresh product at source, but you can also take a tour to see the entire production process from raw milk to delectable cheese;  (And you get to see some of the best preserved examples of Greek temples in the world…).

What is PDO Mozzarella di Bufala?

In 2008 the cheese was awarded PDO status, meaning Protected Designation of Origin.  To qualify for PDO status a product must have qualities particular to a certain region (in this case the milk can only be sourced from local herds of buffalo)  and in addition, the product must be entirely produced, processed and prepared only in that region. Several other Italian cheeses also have PDO status, including Parmesano Reggiano, Gorgonzola and Asiago.

 Some of the best dairies near Paestum

You have a wide variety of dairies to visit near Paestum, so to help you choose here are a few of the best ones where you can not only taste and buy the cheese, but also see the production process.  (However, you need to be there early – it is all over by 11am!)   Farm Barlow – Barlotti cheese Azienda Caseiria Salati Caseificio e Yogurteria Il Granato and Tenuta Vannulo – possibly the best-known – offering tours in several languages and one of the few organic farms.  

What you can expect to see on the Mozzarella Tour

You can expect to first visit some of the buffalo!  The animals are very well looked-after;  you will see their sleeping quarters complete with mattresses, and perhaps witness them being milked.  You then watch the production process:  the raw milk is heated and poured into a cream separator.  It is then curdled by the adding of natural whey after which the curds are matured in large tubs.  This is followed by the adding of hot water to soften the curds, (a process called Spinning).  Now the curds are shaped and cooled by immersing in cold water. At most of the dairies the process is highly automated, but there are still a few where the cheese is shaped by hand. Finally the finished products are packed into pickling tubs containing some of the original whey. Then comes the best part – the tasting!  Mozzarella di Bufala is best eaten immediately, and you will often see queues of people waiting for the fresh product which is usually sold out by midday.   Most important – if you want an English tour phone ahead and book at whichever dairy you would like to visit. It is also possible to take an organized tour which includes a visit to one of the dairies as well as a visit to the Temples and archaeological musuem at Paestum.  Several of the dairies also sell fantastic fresh yoghurts and ice cream and this experience is something you definitely should not miss.

A culinary tour of Naples and the Amalfi coast

Food tour in Naples & the Amalfi Coast

There’s no need to beat about the bush. The gastronomic specialties of Naples and the Amalfi Coast are many, but pizza is the most famous of all. Because you can eat Neapolitan pizza only in Naples, despite the millions of attempts to replicate it throughout the world. You can eat good pizza also in London, Shanghai, New York or Malindi, but only in Naples pizza has the unique and unmistakable “Neapolitan Pizza” taste.

 

The secret of Neapolitan Pizza

Pizza in Napoli
Eat pizza in Naples

Just like all the secrets, even the secret of Neapolitan Pizza cannot be revealed. If you ask a Neapolitan pizza maker, he will always pretend he’s telling you the truth. First of all, he will say that it’s because they use effervescent mineral water, rich in minerals and low in calcium. Then he will acclaim the type of yeast, the crushed tomatoes (not tomato sauce,) but especially his ability to knead the dough with his hands. So, in the end, you will feel like you still know very little, because so many secrets end up being … no secret at all.

Pizza is good everywhere in Naples, but if you want to enjoy the most classic ‘Margherita’ (tomatoes and mozzarella) or ‘Marinara’ (with garlic, oregano, and no mozzarella cheese,) then you should go to “Da Michele,” in Via Cesare Sersale. If you want to try a special pizza instead, with many different ingredients, there’s Starita near the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, Via Materdei: here pizza is like a work of Baroque art.

 

Neapolitan Gastronomic Specialties. Pasta Dishes

Neapolitan cuisine is among the most diverse in all of Italy, also because over the centuries it has been enriched by the influences of past dominations: Greek, Arab, Norman and French. However, the distinguishing feature of Neapolitan cuisine is that it’s always been very plain. Pasta dishes, with Spaghetti with fresh tomato sauce or Vermicelli with clams being the most popular, are the quintessence of simplicity. If you wish to enjoy more elaborate dishes, you can order Maccheroni with beef ragù or Lasagna, made with flat sheets of pasta layered with ragù and béchamel sauce, and then baked in the oven.

 

Fish and Meat Main Dishes

Seafood restaurants in Naples are as many as pizzerias. Taste a ‘Calamarata’ – pasta with squid rings and sauce – or Spaghetti with Anchovies, to enjoy the real Neapolitan tradition. Main courses range from grilled or fried fish, to ‘Paranza,’ a mix of fried small fish, such as cod, hake, red mullet, and soles. Recommended seafood restaurants include: “Da Salvatore” in Via Mergellina or “Mimì Alla Ferrovia” in Via Alfonso D’Aragona.

The most typical meat dishes of Neapolitan cuisine are prepared with goat and lamb meat. However, don’t miss out on a dish of ‘purpette napulitane’ (beef meatballs with tomato sauce), ‘cerviellatine and friarielli’ (pork with bitter broccoli), ‘spezzatiello’ (stewed beef) and ‘vrasciole a raù’ (pork chops in ragù sauce). You will enjoy excellent meat dishes at “Ristorante Bracconiere” in Via Falanga or at “Zio Jack Griglieria” in Via Palepoli.

 

Neapolitan Desserts

It’s quite difficult not to feel too full after a typical Neapolitan meal, but if you can, leave some room for dessert. The famous ‘Pastiera Napoletana’ is one of the most traditional Neapolitan desserts: this is a Shortcrust pastry filled with ricotta cheese, boiled wheat, eggs and candied fruit. We can’t fail to mention ‘Zeppole’, fried or baked, made of flour, sugar, eggs, butter and olive oil. Also ‘Struffoli’ are very tasty: dough balls (flour, eggs, lard, sugar and anise liqueur) fried in oil and drenched in warm honey, then decorated with pieces of cedar and candied fruit. To round off, the legendary ‘babà’ dripping in sweet rum, liqueurs or Limoncello. Some of the best pastry shops in Naples include the historic “Scaturchio” in Piazza San Domenico and “Bellavia” with shops in Via Vanvitelli and Via Pigna.

 

From Naples to the Sorrentine Peninsula, to the Amalfi Coast

The Sorrentine Peninsula shores a few kilometers up the southern end of Naples. You can drive from Naples to Sorrento following the A3 motorway and then taking the exit of Castellammare di Stabia; or, you can take a Circumvesuviana train from Naples Garibaldi Central Station; or one of the many hydrofoils and ferries departing from the port of Naples. Just south of the Sorrentine Peninsula, on the stretch of coast between Positano and Vietri sul Mare, lies the beautiful Amalfi Coast. Many buses connect Sorrento to all the towns of the Amalfi Coast: Positano, Praiano, Furore, Amalfi, Ravello, Maiori, Cetara and Vietri sul Mare.

 

Typical Products of the Sorrentine Peninsula

The traditional cuisine of Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast is very diverse. The people who have lived there over the centuries, have benefited from the fruits of the sea and land, as well as the crops and livestock of the Lattari Mountains. Typical products of these areas include: Mozzarella di Agerola, Fior di Latte (whole cow’s milk cheese), Provolone del Monaco, extra virgin olive oil, Limoncello, Sorrento tomatoes and walnuts.

 

Typical dishes of the Sorrento Peninsula and the Amalfi Coast

At the many restaurants of Sorrento, Amalfi or Positano, you can taste all the dishes of Neapolitan cuisine. What is more, traditional cuisine in the Peninsula has also developed independently, with peculiar local dishes such as Gnocchi alla Sorrentina, with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and basil; Spaghetti with zucchini or with walnuts, and of course the many pasta dishes with fish and seafood in general.

Among the main courses, fish dishes of course dominate the scene. Besides the classic ‘Paranza’, the aforementioned fried mix of small fish, some other specialties include: cuttlefish stuffed with bread crumbs, mozzarella cheese, raisins, parsley and hot pepper; squid stuffed with tomatoes, parsley and olives; the legendary fish soup with all the best the sea can offer; octopuses cooked in their juice with tomato sauce.

To end with, here are some of the best typical dishes of the Amalfi Coast: ‘Parmigiana di Melanzane’ in Positano; ‘Scialatielli’ – pasta with chopped parsley, pepper, parmesan cheese, tomato sauce and clams – in Amalfi; ‘Sarchiapone’ – pumpkin cylinders stuffed with ground beef and cheese – in Atrani; goat meat cooked in several ways in Tramonti; baked rabbit in lemon leaves in Conca dei Marini; spleen stuffed with parsley, mint and hot pepper, or fried beef offal in Vietri sul Mare.


A lunch or dinner in the Amalfi Coast always ends with a bottle of Limoncello, the typical local liqueur. Limoncello is a sweet liqueur produced by maceration in alcohol of lemon peel. According to tradition, the original Limoncello is produced only using ‘femminiello’ lemons, Sorrento lemons or Amalfi Sfusato lemons.

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