Vacation in Italy

thumper44

Hello,
I'm going to Italy next week for 11 days.. Even though I have a grasp of the calorie count I eat daily, I'm getting nervous about the food over there.
We're going to a wedding, and probably 1 or 2 family dinners.... I keep hearing people say...
Eat, Eat, Eat....
Hearing about multiple courses, etc.

I know I'm going to stay away from bread, and watch my portions with pasta.
I'm not too fussy on the "cured" meats? they cure it in salt, that correct?
Anything else I should be watching out for?

Definately going to try and get alot of walking in, to help out.


Thanks for any tips.

rosabella

Non so, ma sono molto gelosa!

I'm in my second year of italian study and I really wish I was going too!

My method for courses: find out how many courses there are, and eat just over that fraction of every dish. For example, a 4 course meal, I allow myself to eat just over 1/4 of every dish served... of course make your modifications for what the course is; I eat most of the veggies and only a little of the dessert. :laugh:

Buona fortuna!

TamTastic

Omg, all I can say is I had the best lasagna bolognese I have ever had...when I was in Italy(In a little mom and pop type place in Pisa)!! :laugh: :laugh:

Honestly, the only way you can be safe is by eating salad or minestrone soup!

THOUGH, things are different than they are here. Pizza is pretty thin, etc...and depending on where you are there is a lot of produce around..and paninis that include them. Nothing is better than fresh mozzarella, tomato, basil! SIGH!!

I would say enjoy yourself but watch the portions. A few bites of something tastes just as good as a whole piece!

Nich0le

Having an Italian father I know there will be a lot of encouragement to eat :laugh:

This is a vacation, and although you shouldn't just go crazy you SHOULD enjoy your time there! :drinker:

we are planning a trip to Italy and Spain and my son and husband can't wait to eat and drink coffee, foodies unite! I don't think they are as excited about the trip as the possible treats they might have :laugh:

Enjoy yourself, get your walks in and when you come home get right back on track and you should have nothing to regret! :drinker:

Skinnytime

Are you going to Northern Italy or Southern Italy. There is big difference in the food. In the north, you may find heavier sauces and more game (meat). In the south you will find lots of vegetables and fish and much less meat. Pasta over there is usually a small portion as a primo piatto or a side. Stick with veggies and watch out for fried stuff.
Enjoy yourself! Buon Divertimento.

Georg

You'll find that the portions are seriously smaller than here.
Pay attention & only eat when you're hungry.
Only eat what your body needs.
Then exercise a LOT!!!!!
:bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:
Enjoy!

Jenzi07

I just got back from Italy and it was fabulous. The food is awesome. I am a culinary manager, so I was there on business and ate out for all three meals each day. I was there for 8 days. So that was 24 consecutive genuine italian dining experiences. Let me tell you, I ate everything they served me and cleaned my plate, ate the bread and the desserts. I gained 8 lbs while on my Italy vacation. I was in Rome, Sienna, Florence. The type of Italian food varies from region to region. So, my attitude was, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. For each day that you eat out of control, plan to gain 1 lb. I say the heck with it. Enjoy it all. Just remember, I am exercising my *kitten* off to shed the 8 lbs. And it's not comming off too easy.....Good Luck!

thumper44

Thanks everybody for the replies.

Rosabella, :flowerforyou: That's what I will try to do, but when that plate is good, might be difficult to only have 1/4-1/2 of the plate.

TamTastic, :flowerforyou: That's what we have planned, rented a car, and will be touring around through some smaller cities, and hope to hit some of the mom and pop places that are off the beaten path.
Yah there's no way I can go on vacation and just have salad, so it will have to be portion control.
I've heard about the pizza, and been told you can't compare it to north american, it's just so much better.

Nich0le, :flowerforyou: Exactly the attitude I'm afraid off of some italian friendly stranger. I'm used to having 2nd servings at a dinner/function. Some people are going to see me and say, eat, eat, thinking, your a big guy, don't worry, eat more. We plan on walking, and yes, when I get back home it will be right back on track.

Skinnytime, :flowerforyou: we will be in the north. Milan, and then around 2 places around Genova east and west (on the coast). Any particular sauces I should be watching out for?. Besides Alfredo? or any cream sauce?

Georg,:bigsmile: Yes, our north american portion sizes are crazy aren't they, and from a small kid, my mom made sure I didn't "waste" any food, and left it on the plate. Unfortunately, that stuck with me for years, I will try to pay attention, and if it's bad, then will have to have portions or alternates.

Jenzi07,:flowerforyou: Glad to hear you had a great time. I've heard wonderful things about visiting there, looking forward to it. "gained 8 lbs".. Exactly what I'm afraid off :laugh: . That can be a 2 weeks to months work . Good luck in shedding those 8 back off.
When in rome, do as the romans do, sure, why not. I've been told, it's ok, you can use your bread to wipe the plate. Just afraid of gaining 8-10 myself.
I'm hearing various stories about breakfast though. I'm hearing it's coffee, pastry, breads, that kind of thing? or just depends on where you are?


Ok, this might sound stupid, but.

Do they use/have whole wheat pasta?
Wheat/multigrain pizza dough?

TamTastic

Hmm! Not sure about the whole wheat crust..

It might be kind of like going into a cafe and ordering "Decaf" :laugh: :laugh: They look at you like :huh: huh??

Yes, I think portion control is your best bet. Maybe share certain dishes. The food is just SO good and you should enjoy at least a few bites of the good stuff!

JoyousMaximus

I studied in Rome for a year. I ate SO much more there than I do here but I never gained weight. The food is generally made from better ingredients, the portions tend to be smaller, and I walked way more. That being said, expect to have someone offering food to you every place you visit and plan accordingly. I suggest eating small bits because you'll be offered something new way before you have a chance to get hungry again. But most all enjoy it. I have never had better food than when I was living in Italy.

ronkswife2000

My DH and I went to Sicily 2 times and I would agree that the portions over there are soooo much smaller than here which will be a plus for you!

It's like you either LOVE the food over there or you don't care for it at all... me and the hubby didn't care for it very much... just a little to bland for us but you might love it!

There's plenty of produce over there though so that's a good thing... snack on veggies and fruit!

HAVE FUN! :drinker:

thumper44

Well, I'm back... Thank you all for your info.

Awesome time. The weather was great, food was awesome. Overall I just ate a few times a day. drank beer, had some sprite, since I don't drink coffee for the kick in the morning, and got some water in me daily, but had to slow down as you don't know where the washrooms are.

We visited quite a few smaller towns and where we were staying, or when we drove and parked, we would walk around and stop for a few beers and a local establishment.

We started in Milan, Gessate, visited Belaggio, Como. Then came down to coast, and stayed in Spotorno, and then on the other side of the coast Mongelia near Cinque Terre.

Panini's, bread, pasta's, pizza got my veggies in when I could.
I didn't eat alot of meat as I'm not a sea food person and the pricing of the meats was expensive for what you got. except salami in the panini's

The portions were good in most places.
The wedding was a 10 course wedding, so that was interesting, but again small courses.


Good news, is that I had felt I might have gained some weight over there, but I'm back 2 days, and giving a quick flush out, I am down 2 lbs in the last 2 weeks, so I'm definately ok with that

Best news. I asked my Hunny to marry me overlooking the coast in Spotorno.

:happy:
She said yes!

ronkswife2000

Well, I'm back... Thank you all for your info.

Awesome time. The weather was great, food was awesome. Overall I just ate a few times a day. drank beer, had some sprite, since I don't drink coffee for the kick in the morning, and got some water in me daily, but had to slow down as you don't know where the washrooms are.

We visited quite a few smaller towns and where we were staying, or when we drove and parked, we would walk around and stop for a few beers and a local establishment.

We started in Milan, Gessate, visited Belaggio, Como. Then came down to coast, and stayed in Spotorno, and then on the other side of the coast Mongelia near Cinque Terre.

Panini's, bread, pasta's, pizza got my veggies in when I could.
I didn't eat alot of meat as I'm not a sea food person and the pricing of the meats was expensive for what you got. except salami in the panini's

The portions were good in most places.
The wedding was a 10 course wedding, so that was interesting, but again small courses.


Good news, is that I had felt I might have gained some weight over there, but I'm back 2 days, and giving a quick flush out, I am down 2 lbs in the last 2 weeks, so I'm definately ok with that

Best news. I asked my Hunny to marry me overlooking the coast in Spotorno.

:happy:
She said yes!

AWWW CONGRATS ON THE ENGAGEMENT!!!! That's so awesome, way to go!!!! :drinker:

thumper44

Thanks, she was quite surprised.
Trying to plan something when you don't know where your going or what atmosphere is tough as well.

ie, I didn't know where I was going to ask her, but the one day I had the ring with me all day until found a correct time.
I also had my words in italian and english, so if it was a busier spot I got nervous that I would not have the lingo down properly, so I proposed in a more private setting.

Georg

That's great!
Sounds like a wonderful trip all the way around!
Congratulations!
Did you like Cinque Terre? We didn't have a hotel reservation & SIL just HAD to be there for her bday, so we stayed in the restaurant manager's house!:noway:
I never thought we'd ever do anything quite so wild, but it was okay. Weird, but okay.
The food there was fantastic, though.

Tiddle

How exciting, congrats!!

thumper44

It was a wonderful trip, except it took some time to get used to the driving. They are very aggressive there, up your bumper, and passing if given a bit of room. Forget about dotted lines or solid double lines. Motorcycles and scooters were the worse, they were passing on the left and right, up the middle while both lanes were stopped.

Their superhighway, 130km/h max. I was going at 130-140 in middle lane and had a few mercedes pass me probably doing 180-200km/h. (that's over 120mph for easy conversion)

Cinque Terre . We got to Moneglia. which is in the area, but we didn't go hiking, or walking in that direction. This was the end of our trip and the beaches were wonderful, hot sand to walk on, while the other side of the coast was all small pebbles made up the beach. Walked into the town on few occasions.
Few days we just took the car and went for a drive.
Thank goodness for the GPS. it would NOT have been as fun an adventure if we didn't have a GPS.

TamTastic

Awww well sounds like you did well! I know how amazing the food is!:glasses: :laugh:

And congrats on your engagement! What a lovely place to do it!! :flowerforyou: :drinker: :flowerforyou: :drinker:

Wishful

Congratulations on the engagement. What a cool memory!