Italy
The country that invented cucina povera — beans, greens, bread, olive oil — is the easiest place in Europe to eat plant-based without anyone noticing you’re doing it.
- Best months
- Sep – Oct · Apr – Jun
- Trip length
- 7 – 12 days
- From
- $6,400 pp
- Fly into
- Milan · Venice · Florence
Italians will tell you their food is about the ingredient, and for once the cliché is right. Pesto in Liguria, panzanella in Tuscany, risi e bisi in Venice — these were never dishes with the meat removed. They were always this.
What we add is the layer above the trattoria: the palazzo hotel on a quiet canal, the Cinque Terre room with a balcony over the water, the Florentine counter that does a vegan tasting menu as a matter of pride. And we send your dietary needs to every hotel before you arrive.
A route we like
013 nightsVenice
A palazzo on a side canal, the Rialto market at seven in the morning, cicchetti bars that do more than crostini. Arrive by water.
023 nightsCinque Terre
A balcony room in Monterosso, the coastal path between villages, trofie al pesto and a swim before dinner.
033 nightsFlorence
A quiet hotel south of the Arno, the Sant’Ambrogio market, ribollita done properly, sunset from the bridge.
- Trofie al pesto
- Risi e bisi
- Panzanella & ribollita
- Farinata
- Pasta e ceci
- Cornetto e cappuccino d’avena
Cheese hides everywhere
Pecorino in the pesto, parmigiano on the pasta, ricotta in the pastry. We send hotels your notes in writing and flag what to ask for at the table.
Breakfast is the weak point
Italian hotel breakfast leans on pastry and cappuccino. We choose properties where the morning table is more than fruit, and confirm plant milk is stocked.
Shoulder season pays twice
Late September on the Ligurian coast is half the August rate, the sea is still warm, and the trains are half empty.
