For one thing, the crust is always made fresh and is a lot thinner than pizza you typically find in New York, for example. Also, chefs here use a lot of sauce on top of the pizza but less cheese than I am used to. The predictable use of fresh mozzarella means pizzas here are usually too difficult to eat by hand, so I had to use a knife and a fork.
Pasta in Italy is not too different from that in the United States. The main difference is that it is cooked for less time than we are used to. Pasta in Italy is cooked al dente, which means it is firm to bite but still cooked the whole way through. I found more carbonara pasta and creamy sauces being served in the north of Italy, while in the south, people use tomato sauces more frequently.
Gelato is the Italian word for ice cream! I think gelato tastes creamier than ice cream I have had before, and the flavors are much simpler. My favorite flavor of ice cream in the U.S.A. is chocolate peanut butter. Here, they prefer flavors like hazelnut, chocolate, and pistachio. I made sure to try them all!
I love Italian food in the United States and was surprised to see some differences in the food I was served in Italy. For example, I am accustomed to the pizza of New York or even Chicago: thicker crust with a lot of cheese and extra toppings. Here, the crust is so thin you can almost see through it. I felt like I was seeing a side of Italian cuisine that I had not experienced before. It was exciting to feel like I was getting an 'authentic' Italian experience and I wanted to learn as much about it as possible.
I found that I was willing to try more foods than I would.
