What Are The Best Italian Food Cities? The Answer Is Tricky

Ignore the lists of ‘Best Italian Food Cities’ (including mine). Ultimately, the search for “best” Italian food is linked to your travel itinerary and your tastes.

It’s challenging to name the “best” Italian food cities because the competition is so keen. Each region, city, small town, and even every kitchen has something unique to offer. 

If you ask an Italian about their favorite food or even ask them to name their favorite olive oil or pasta sauce, they are likely to name the ones they enjoyed in their mother’s kitchen.

The Lure of Italian Food Culture

Italy’s food culture is a big draw for both foreign and domestic tourists.

According to a study by Horizon Grand View Research, culinary tourism in Italy generated revenue of $344.8 million in 2023 and is expected to grow by nearly 20 percent (18.8%) by 2030. 

Culinary tourism revenue is generated from a range of food-related activities, which can include food festivals, cooking classes, culinary tours, restaurants and food tours.

What Are The Best Italian Food Cities?

Answering questions about which Italian foods or cities are best is likely to elicit different responses depending on who asks the question and how it is asked.

Do you prefer savory or sweet? Pasta or bread? Vegetables or meat? Are you eating at a small trattoria or a Michelin-starred restaurant? Is it winter or summer? What region are you visiting? 

When TasteAtlas announced its 100 Best Food Cities in the World, Italy snagged the first four places on their list, in this order: 

• 1) Naples
• 2) Milan
• 3) Bologna, and
• 4) Florence

TasteAtlas ranked Rome #6 and Turin #9.

All in all, the list offers quite an impressive showing for the Bel Paese compared to other countries around the globe.

Another study by the luggage storage network, Bounce.com, compiled a list of noteworthy cities for food enthusiasts. They based their list of “Best Italian Cities For Foodies” on several metrics:

• Michelin Guide restaurants per 100K people
• Tripadvisor restaurants per 100K people, and the percentage of them rated four stars or more
• Cooking classes per 100K people
• Food and drink tours per 100K people

In the Bounce study (which was limited to Italy), Florence topped the list of ten foodie cities, followed by Venice, Verona, Bologna, Cagliari, Rimini, Rome, Milan, Perugia, and Naples.

Best Food In Italy: Whom Do You Trust?

Not too long ago, I wrote a post on the 14 Best Food Cities in Italy, and tried to identify a not-to-be-missed food associated with each city.

My list (below, in no particular order) was deeply personal, derived from my experience obsessing over, eating too much, and writing often about Italian foods.

More Time To Travel’s List of Best Food Cities in Italy (illustration credit: Chat GPT)

1. In Turin, Eat Chocolate
2. In Naples, Eat Pizza
3. In Bologna, Eat Tortellini
4. In Milan, Eat Risotto alla Milanese
5. In Genoa, Eat Pesto Genovese
6. In Imperia, Eat Torte Verde
7. In Ferrara, Eat Zucca
8. In Florence, Eat BIstecca alla Fiorentina
9. In Alba, Eat White Truffles
10. In Palermo, Eat Cannoli
11. In Rome, Eat Pinsa
12. In Treviso, Drink Prosecco
13. In Venice, Eat Cicchetti

Interestingly, all six cities mentioned in the top 10 by Taste Atlas overlapped with my list. And six of my 14 cities aligned with those in the Bounce survey.

You can read more about some of my favorite cities and their signature dishes in my previous post. But I can’t help but conclude that the wide variety of foods one finds across all of Italy’s regions is well worth tasting. 

Ultimately, the “best” Italian food is a subjective concept. It is linked to one’s travel itinerary, the places you visit, and the specific foods and dishes you get to taste. 

Beyond that, like fine Italian wine, the company you keep can significantly influence your culinary perceptions, as shared experiences heighten the enjoyment of food wherever you travel. 

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