The Absolute Must-Try Dishes In These Popular Italian Cities, According To Rick Steves

"Mangia! Mangia!" This is what Italian cooks, chefs, parents, and nonnas (grandmothers) have told people in dining rooms for generations: "Eat! Eat!" Europe is full of scrumptious culinary traditions, but Italy is in a class of its own; all over the world, people pine for lasagna and risotto, pizza and Tuscan wines, which have become the peninsula's most enduring exports. Italy is most famous for its pastas and fresh ingredients, but most diners aren't even aware how diverse Italian cooking is. From region to region — and even city to city — local kitchens have their signature dishes, which are tied to the land and sea around them.

With such range, travelers in Italy may struggle to keep up with the specialties of each region. How do you navigate a menu in a new city, tasting the pride of that specific place? Sure, you could order pizza in Liguria or seafood in Milan, but for first-timers who want the most authentic locavore experience, browsing the many options may be daunting, let alone knowing the entrées a district is most famous for.

Once again, travel expert Rick Steves comes to the rescue. A blog post on his website breaks down the best-known offerings of each region, from the top of "the boot" to the bottom. True to form, Steves suggests several types of food and beverage for each district. Here, we'll simplify things further by recommending a relatable dish that you might already know, as well as the community it's most connected to. Here are five familiar favorites from Steves' list. Buon appetito!

Creamy and savory, polenta is one of the best things you make out of cornmeal. Polenta is famous in Northern Italy, where most of the country's cornstalks grow. Versions of polenta date back to Ancient Rome, but the current form required corn, which arrived from the New World and was quickly embraced. The dish keeps fairly well and is best warm, which has always helped during the (comparatively) chilly winters of Lombardy and Piedmont.

Polenta is often described as a "porridge" that can be eaten on its own, or at least as a side-starch. As the picture above suggests, though, you could also pour all kinds of delicious ingredients on top, from sauces to cheeses to "funghi" (mushrooms). Polenta mixes extremely well with classic Italian meats and vegetables. One place to seek it out is Lake Maggiore, a tranquil resort town known for lakeside charm and alpine views.

Pizza comes in all forms, but none say "artisanal" like the Neapolitan version. Far from the greasy, foldable wedges we usually chomp down in the U.S., the pizzas of Naples are thin in the middle and puffy around the crust. When it's done right, the baked dough has little black spots, and the toppings are artfully picked; classic additions include basil, cheese medleys, greens, mushrooms, and giant medallions of mozzarella. In many Neapolitan restaurants, you don't use a knife or pizza wheel to cut slices, but rather a pair of special scissors, a system said to maintain the texture.

As many know, Naples is a must-visit destination for history buffs, and pizza is one of its most delicious artifacts: Its origins date back to the 1600s and the Neapolitan style gained nationwide fame by the end of the 19th century. Today, this elevated preparation has become popular in fashionable neighborhoods around the world. If you're traveling with kids, this is an easy way to expand palettes.

If "cheese and pepper" doesn't sound like much, you've never tried cacio e pepe, the iconic pasta dish from Rome. Like many Italian dishes, there are really only a handful of ingredients: spaghetti, grated cheese, olive oil, pepper, and minced garlic. Yet cacio e pepe is shockingly flavorful; this spicy powder blends so dynamically with the creamy melted Pecorino Romano and fried garlic cloves, and a squeeze of lemon goes a long way. The dish is often compared to American macaroni and cheese, with a subtler texture and flavor. You can order this dish at countless Roman restaurants, and it makes for a deeply satisfying dinner, with or without fixin's.

Lots of travelers discover cacio e pepe for the first time during trips to Italy's capital, and they daydream about eating it again for days and months after. It could easily be added to a list of the best things to do if you only have a one-day trip in Rome. Unlike the other items on this list, cacio e pepe can be easily made in the comfort of your own home, and you can riff on this classic base with meats, mushrooms, and vegetables.

The heartiest dish on this list is ossobuco, a steaming arrangement of marinated veal shanks. If you're yearning for red meat, this entrée is a veritable feast in itself: savory, deep maroon, and stewed in rich juices. Veal is a tender meat, but you'll still need a knife to slice through its many layers. This is another entry from Northern Italy; most Italians associate it with the restaurants of Milan. Traditionally, ossobuco is served with a thick bone in the middle; the bone is severed so that the inside is visible, which is the rough translation ossobuco: "bone with a hole in it."

Ossobuco is also the most problematic of these meals: Most of the others can be served in vegetarian versions, if not fully plant-based, yet ossobuco is animal-based by definition. Even among omnivores, the fatty meat will raise red flags for people with heart conditions and high cholesterol. Veal comes from calfs and the process of making veal is considered cruel on multiple levels. All that said, ossobuco has a lot of fans, and it remains a popular dish across Lombardy.

Americans tend to dismiss prosciutto as a mere "lunch meat," and it does go great in a generic sandwich. But curing meats is considered an art in Italy, and the process dates back to the Ancient World. The Italian version of a charcuterie board is called an "antipasto" platter, and it's customary to showcase cheeses, meats, and vegetables that diners can nibble on before their main meals. Prosciutto is a beloved addition to antipasti, and people will pluck up thin slices of rose-colored meat and devour them with condiments and complimentary bites. Only select pigs, raised in a particular way, are used for making the ham in prosciutto.

This kind of meat is often called "Prosciutto di Parma," referring to a city in North-Central Italy, and it's also associated with Bologna, hence the English catch-all, "baloney." You will definitely find a lot of prosciutto to enjoy in this livestock-heavy region, and you will likely taste the difference between the meats served in nice restaurants and the mass-produced packages from your local supermarket. Prosciutto may seem like the least exciting food on this list, but it speaks to ages-old Italian craft. And Rick Steves would love for you to try it.