For our tours, we select the best of the local trattorie serving authentic regional specialties. These aren't "Frommer's Best Picks" but the kinds of places where Italians themselves choose to eat, and Italians are picky eaters: the food served had better be as good as what nonna dishes up at home, no frills please (and no menus translated into umpteen different languages either).

Generally speaking, you choose freely from the menu: antipasto, primo, secondo, contorno, dolce, café. Often the waiter arrives at the table with the menu of the day memorized and reels off a list (a guide comes in handy at these moments); you may see in-depth discussions going on at the tables around you between the waiter and his customers as to what exactly is in the ragu al contandino or what precisely constitutes un vero vincisgrassi.

Every region is different, with each its own specialties; a list of the possible dishes you might encounter would be long indeed. In the countryside, you're likely to enjoy scrumptious truffles, hand-made tagliatelle, and delectable wild boar, while close to the sea, you might try risotto al pescatore or the perennial Italian favorite, 'na bella grigliata.

No doubt you'll be pleased with the generosity of the portions too, because the Italians like to eat well!