What surprised me most when I was visiting Italy was their aperitivo, which is a drink/light meal that takes place in the evening before dinner. Aperitivo was described to me as a kind of “warm up to dinner,” which actually is necessary since Italians eat so late (all our dinner reservations were for 10 pm)!
But what really shocked me is that aperitivo is free and is brought out the moment you order a drink. We were served large plates of cheese and meats, breads, pizzas, potato chips and nuts without even asking.
Traditionally aperitivo cocktails tend to be light on alcohol and bitter on taste, so they pair perfectly with these salty snacks.
When I looked around the bar in Italy, I realized everyone was drinking Aperol or Campari. Both are bitter Italian liqueurs, but Aperol is orange and sweet and Campari is red and more bitter.
Aperitivo is originally a northern Italian tradition and apparently Milan is the best place for this. So, I can’t wait to visit other cities in Italy and see if this aperitivo experience was unique to Milan or if it tracks across the country.
Stay tuned! 😉
The Jo Show 