Italy from the Inside

The truth about Italy’s highway rest stops

Autogrill- Italy from the Inside

Autogrill restaurant sign

Rest areas (aree di servizio) are open 24/7 and are available about every 60 km (40 miles). Most often they have a gas station and a snack bar (with or without restaurant) also known as Autogrill.

Autogrill restaurant- Italy from the Inside

Autogrill restaurant

Despite what you may think about “gas station food”, Autogrills offer excellent food either at the restaurant or at the snack bar. If you decide to get something at the bar, remember to pay first and then show the receipt to the bar attendant at the service counter.

The Autogrill restrooms are taken care of by an attendant and can be used free of charge. Sometimes attendants place a small plate on the counter to show that tips are appreciated. Keep in mind that they are not supposed to do it. A few years ago an attendant lost her job because of that. Nevertheless, some of them take the risk.

Autogrills have a small store which sells a handful of items for the car trip (food, music, drinks, drug-store necessities, etc.).

In these parking lots you may find fake car-park attendants whose goal is getting a little tip to watch your car. Thefts often happen in Autogrill parking lots, so giving them some spare change might actually turn out to be a good investment. However, if possible, always try to park your car in a spot that you can supervise from the restaurant.

{This is an excerpt from chapter 2 “ Driving in Italy” of the eBook “Italy from the Inside. A native Italian reveals the secrets of traveling in Italy”. Buy our eBook on Amazon and leave us a review! If it’s good, you’ll make us happy, if it’s bad, you’ll make us improve. Thank you either way!}

How Italians end their meals

Caffè corretto con grappa- Italy from the Inside

Caffè corretto con Grappa

At the end of the meals and after the dessert (and not with it), Italians drink coffee, either a caffè espresso (or simply caffè), or a caffè corretto, which is an espresso with a shot of liquor. Italians don’t use half and half in their coffee. Some Italians take the digestivo (digestive liquor) or amaro to help their stomach deal with such a large amount of food it has to work on. The digestivo (served in small, two-inch-tall glasses) is a bitter liquor made of herbs. In many restaurants, especially in northern Italy, people also drink grappa, which is a very strong liquor made from grape skins (see above).

{This is an excerpt from chapter 3 “ Italian cuisine and food establishments” of the eBook “Italy from the Inside. A native Italian reveals the secrets of traveling in Italy”. Buy our eBook on Amazon and leave us a review! If it’s good, you’ll make us happy, if it’s bad, you’ll make us improve. Thank you either way!}

Angela’s chocolate salami

Salame al cioccolato- Italy from the Inside

Last week I had the pleasure to attend an event where my Italian friend Angela, an experienced cook, was demonstrating how to make a super easy and most of all a super quick Italian dessert: il salame al cioccolato. As the name suggests, it does look like a salami for its shape, of course, but also for its marbled appearance (by the way, those are crushed cookies not fat!). The best part, besides that it is made with Nutella, is that you can freeze it for up to a month which means that you’d always have a sweet treat ready when your friends come to visit you for an afternoon caffe’.

Here’s the recipe:

Chocolate salami recipe- Italy from the Inside

If you live in the Seattle area, Angela will be happy to help you with private hands-on classes, catering, kids classes, and more. Visit her website for more information and to see many photos of her delicious Italian dishes.