If you didn't know by now, Italian food is about way more than pasta and tomato sauce. The types of cuisine found in the numerous regions of the boot-shaped country couldn't be more varied, interesting, and delicious.

For example, in Tuscany, the cuisine stays true to its roots and excels in peasant food or recipes based heavily on vegetables, legumes, and bread. In northeastern Veneto, you'll find a lot of fish-based dishes because of its proximity to the Adriatic Sea. And in the Lombardy region in northern Italy, people opt for polenta and rice over pasta and butter over olive oil.