Rome: pastas such as cacio e pepe pasta, pasta with pecorino cheese and black pepper, or pasta carbonara which is pasta with bacon and eggs
Naples: pizza, especially margherita
​Venice: polenta
Florence: grilled meats
Pisa: bean soup
Milan: panettone, a special type of cake

(Not backed by research, but what I noticed from looking at many Italian menus were most popular. Also not in order.)

1. Tagliatelle
2. Ravioli
3. Tortellini
4. Fettuccine
5. Spaghetti
6. Linguine
7. Penne
8. Pappardelle
9. Rigatoni
10. Orecchiette

(click the highlighted types of pasta to see a picture, I didn't provide a link for pastas that you likely know the shape of)

​How many of these 10 have you tried? Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Before I went to Italy, I was told by many that authentic Italian food would radically change my view of American Italian food. I questioned this at first, trusting that the U.S. had "gotten it right."

However, sadly, Italy's cuisine is different from the Americanized version. This is reportedly because when Italian immigrants first introduced the food of their homeland to the United States, they had to figure out how to make Italian food with American ingredients. Thus, authenticity was lost.

Although, this doesn't mean all American Italian food is worse than the real thing. While I wish that Italy could teach the U.S. a lesson or two about how to make proper Italian food, there are some things that America actually does better. In order to see the difference, let's battle!

SALAD DRESSING
                       USA                         vs.                     Italy
The seemingly most authentic salad dressing to be found in Italy is balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Simple? Yes. But does it ever get boring? No. Best on insalata mistas (mixed salads), this is a much healthier alternative to the thick, fatty American dressings.

PRODUCE
                       USA                         vs.                     Italy
Apparently, the crops in Italy get more sun so everything is sweeter. Also, they use less pesticides, there are less GMOs, the whole breadbasket... Also, corn and soybeans dominate the American market and there isn't as much variety in accessible produce as there is in Italy.

FRESH BREAD
                       USA                         vs.                     Italy
I thought Italy was going to have much better bread than Italian restaurants in the U.S., but I was sadly mistaken. In Italy's Tuscan region especially, the complimentary bread they serve you at restaurants is much more bland and underbaked than the American take on it, in my opinion. Also, there is no salt on this bread, which leaves you to salt it for yourself. This is a pain and not as tasty as if it were partially baked into the bread.
​
PIZZA
                  USA                         vs.                     Italy
I'm going to say the winner for this one is, well, both. It really depends on what you like. I personally like Italian pizza better since the crust almost has two layers; the bottom is crunchy and satisfying while the top is soft and chewy. Italian pizza has more natural ingredients, too, and little to none of that disgusting American grease. But there are some Americans who can't live without their deep dish, their pizza grease, their cracker or completely chewy crust. That's not me, but there seem to be strong opinions on both sides of this debate. I respect the opinions of all pizza-lovers.

Breakfast-
Croissants with jam or nutella filling, mixed fruit salad, hard boiled egg, tomato, cucumber, assorted cheeses, ham, apples, kiwis, peaches, nectarines, plain cornflakes, bread, pound cake, jellies, honey, and Nutella.

​Lunch/dinner-
Caprese salad, cheese plates with honey and fig jelly, stuffed vegetable flowers (e.g., zucchini and pumpkin flowers), octopus and potato, eggplant parmesan, pizza (especially margherita), and pastas (especially with seafood).

Dessert-
Gelato, cantucci (biscotti), and limoncello.

Picture this scenario...

You sit down at a restaurant for dinner at around 8:00 p.m. There was no rush to get here, and you know the time you eat doesn't matter because you are going to get your food eventually. The present is more precious than the future.

The waiter starts by amicably greeting you and offering wine, perhaps their house red or white, and his extensive knowledge of the wines helps you pick the one you would like most. When he returns with the wine, you sip it slowly, savoring its flavor. (If you're 21 or older, of course.)

When it's time to order, your table asks for some appetizers to share, and while you're waiting, crisp bread is brought out with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt. You all nibble on the bread as the appetizers come, and then your main dishes. The meal lags on, but that's how you like it. You wouldn't want to be anywhere but here, enjoying time with your family and friends.

After everyone savors their main dishes, the plates are only cleared once everyone finishes. Then, the waiter asks if you would like to order dessert. Chances are, even if you didn't, he would still bring out some fresh, scrumptious cantucci (biscotti) and/or limoncello to prolong the fun you're having.

Everyone is talking and laughing as they nibble on the cantucci and sip their limoncello shots, enjoying the meal as long as they can before they ask for the waiter to bring the check, who has been waiting for the go-ahead.

You all leave the 2-2.5 hour meal happy and satisfied after eating like native Italians.

How long do you your dinners last? Even making it 15 minutes longer by adding more courses or not rushing through the meal can make for a more enjoyable experience.

I visited an estimated 26 different restaurants/gelato stores, and these are the ones that I would most highly recommend to travelers. This is considering location, service, pricing, and of course the quality of the food.

For lunch/dinner-
Antico Noe: This restaurant is perfect if you don't have time for a sit-down meal, which many Italian restaurants require. It has other items, but the thing you should get there are the paninis. The restaurant has a seemingly endless list of ingredients if you would like to make your own sandwich, but if not there are dozens of combinations on the menu to choose from. They're also fast; you order, in maybe 5 minutes grab your finished sandwich, and you're done! It's very simple, and extremely delicious. 
Locations: anticonoe.com/#locations

La Cornucopia: Although the food here is good, that isn't the focus of my high praise. The servers are quite nice and proud of what they are doing, and pride is rare to find. It's not just their friendliness that lands La Cornucopia a spot on this list, it is their seafood. I went there with my parents, who both said the sea bass was the best they have ever tasted, and my seafood gnocchi was exceptional. If you are a seafood person, I highly recommend La Cornucopia. However, the food is slow to come out, so make sure you don't have to be anywhere immediately afterwards.
Location: www.ristorantecornucopia.com/dove_eng.html
​
​Eataly: This was the best place to eat out of the 26, hands down. It doubles as an authentic, high-quality Italian supermarket with food stations, and an authentic, high-quality restaurant. It's fairly priced, has good service considering it's so popular, and the food is spectacular. Not only that, but it has locations in the U.S. too, so you can eat and cook like an Italian if you choose to visit the American Eataly's, which have many ingredients shipped overseas from Italy. I would eat there or buy food there 100 times before I got sick of it, so this is definitely a must-try!
Locations: www.eataly.com/us_en/stores/

Honorable mentions: Pandemonio and Vino Vino are also fantastic
​
For dessert-
GROM gelato: This gelato is pretty much as pure and healthy as it gets, and is still one of the best I had in Italy (and I tried much more than I want to admit). Everything is naturally colored and has high-quality ingredients. The lines aren't long and GROM serves a variety of items other than gelato such as sorbets, shakes, hot chocolate, and baked goods. Highly recommended if you're looking for a more natural, old-fashioned gelato!
​Locations: www.grom.it/en/gelaterie.php

Venchi: Oh boy. Do not get me started on Venchi. I'm not quite sure if the gelato or chocolate it makes is healthy, but it is a master of dessert. I did not try the chocolate, but Venchi has a plethora of fantastic gelato flavors, which includes three variations of Nutella. My personal favorite flavors are the hazelnut with chocolate spread and the caramel, but none of the other flavors I sampled were left uneaten. The only thing to watch out for are the lines (or as Italians would say, queues), go to smaller Venchis because once I was stuck in a 30-minute line for a small cup of gelato, which seemed almost not worth it (but then again, it's too good to pass up).
Locations: www.venchi.com/uk/stores

Which of these stores and restaurants are you most excited to try? Share your opinions in the comments below!

My scale:
       1-------------2-------------3-------------4------------5
  Awful            Below          Average          Above       Excellent
                          average                                   average
***(Semifredo is made of whipped egg yolk, sugar, and vanilla, with white chocolate truffle, meringue, caramelized walnuts, pistachios, cinnamon, and cocoa powder in a hard chocolate shell. Sounds heavenly, right?)

You may be wondering, what the heck is cantucci? Well, perhaps you might recognize it better as biscotti.

I have to admit, I hate American biscotti because it tastes flavorless and feels too stale every time. It seems, however, that the Italians have the recipe down perfectly.

In the instructions below (provided to me by a skilled Italian private chef), you will find how to make a flavorful and slightly fruity biscotti that is much better than the American version. (It's a fact!)

I have realized that this may be hard to read on some screens, so I have found another recipe I trust will guide you in making authentic cantucci. Visit Eataly's cantucci recipe here.

According to Oxford dictionaries, cake can be defined as, "​An item of soft sweet food made from a mixture of flour, fat, eggs, sugar, and other ingredients, baked and sometimes iced or decorated."