The U.S. has some stellar Italian restaurants, many of them run by Italian immigrants who understand the complexity and nuances of the cuisine. But despite their best efforts, says Rick Steves, U.S. Italian restaurants still fall short of their counterparts in Italy in a few different ways.

One is simply the quality of ingredients in Italy vs. those in the States. Take tomatoes: An American tomato is the pale, cardboard cousin of the southern Italian pomodoro, which is so juicy and flavorful that it's clear why a whole genre of Italian food revolves around it.