Why is Italian food so awesome? We’re not talking red-checkered tablecloth chain restaurants but authentic, satisfying, unforgettable Italian food – the kind you’ll likely find only in Italy. It assails your senses strolling down the tiniest village vicolo, meandering through Rome’s bustling Piazza Navona – just about anywhere, really, where a kitchen exists.

The mere thought fires up sensory memories and the mouth waters. If food equals sensuality, Italy’s is Aphrodite incarnate. It’s no accident that vacationers return from Italy with one of the first exclamations being “The food was amazing!” What, then, are Italy’s secrets for superiority as the premier place to mangiare bene?