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Food & cultureBy Clever Tourists · Published
Italy rewards shopping more than almost anywhere, because the supermarket versions of the staples are better than the exported versions and cost a fraction. Esselunga, Conad, Coop and Eurospin cover the chains, and the mercato is where produce and cheese are bought. The labels do real work here — DOP and IGP are not decoration.
DOP means protected designation of origin: the product is made in a defined region by defined methods. Parmigiano Reggiano and Prosciutto di Parma are DOP.
IGP is a slightly looser protected geographical indication — the product is associated with a region but not every step must happen there.
Aceto balsamico di Modena IGP is the supermarket balsamic, and it is a different product from Aceto balsamico tradizionale di Modena DOP, which is aged for years and costs accordingly.
This matters most for cheese and oil: Parmigiano Reggiano is a specific thing, while grana or parmesan-style is not.
Pasta is the obvious one, and the useful distinction is bronze-die (trafilata al bronzo), which has a rough surface that holds sauce. It costs a little more and is worth it.
Pomodori San Marzano in tins are the tomatoes for sauce, and the DOP ones are labelled as such.
Olio extravergine di oliva is cheapest and best here. Buy a mid-range oil for cooking and one small bottle from a named estate for finishing.
Conserve — jars of artichokes, peppers and tuna — are heavy but excellent, and colatura di alici is the anchovy extract from Cetara that is worth seeking out.
Caffè in supermarkets is cheap and good, and Italian coffee is roasted for espresso rather than filter.
Spring is artichokes, broad beans and the start of asparagus.
Summer is tomatoes, peaches and basil, and the quality gap versus imported produce is widest here.
Autumn is porcini mushrooms, truffles and grapes. White truffles from Alba run roughly October to December.
Winter is citrus, radicchio and the start of the Christmas shelf with panettone and pandoro.
You weigh your own produce in most supermarkets: put the item on the scale, press the button for that item, and stick the printed label on the bag.
Restaurants charge coperto, a per-person cover charge. It is normal and legal. We explain it in coperto and cover charges.
Shops close for lunch in smaller towns, and many close on Sunday, especially outside the big cities.
Our Italy guides cover where to go and what to see between shops.
Protected designation of origin: the product is made in a defined region using defined methods. Parmigiano Reggiano and Prosciutto di Parma are DOP products.
Bronze-die pasta, tinned San Marzano tomatoes, olive oil and good coffee. All are far cheaper and better than the exported equivalents.
It is a per-person cover charge for bread and service, and it is a normal and legal part of the bill rather than a tourist surcharge.
White truffles from Alba run roughly October to December, with black truffles available over a longer season.
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