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Food & dining
Italian cuisine may be the most internationally recognised in the world, but it's built on fierce regional specificity — each region, and often each city, defends its own pasta shapes, sauces, and techniques as distinct from its neighbours'. Pizza traces to Naples, where the Neapolitan style holds protected EU status. Fresh pasta culture and the daily espresso bar ritual — taken standing at the counter, quickly, rather than lingered over — are everyday habits rather than special occasions. Aperitivo, a pre-dinner drink served with snacks, is a genuine social institution. Italy historically resisted Americanised fast food more than most of Europe, though homegrown chains like L'Osteria and Autogrill have built fast-casual formats that still meet distinctly Italian expectations around ingredients and pizza size.
Restaurant chains