From Melbourne to Rome: The Unexpected Path to Italy’s Food Underground | Ep 232 with Maria Pasquale
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Hi everyone, welcome back. So excited today because we're going to talk through all things food

dining, tourism in Italy, one of my favorite places. I mean, who doesn't like Italian food? But Maria Pasquale, an award-winning journalist and best-selling author who has a new book, Mangia, which I'm really excited to read. I love Italian food. I'm getting hungry right now thinking about it, Maria. But what made you so passionate about Italy and then dining in Italy?

There's going to be something magic in the name because the word mangia, Daniel, actually means to eat in Italian. So I'm glad that even just the name of the book has got people getting excited about food and getting them hungry. But my parents are Italian. They're both born in Italy. And so I was born and raised in Melbourne. But

you know, we always had these really strong ties to Italy. My grandparents never emigrated to Australia. And so as a kid growing up in Australia, um, I used to travel to Italy, uh, on and off growing up. And, uh, you know, I was just enamored with Italy, like so many, um,

people around the world are, because why wouldn't you be? I mean, the food is amazing, the history, the culture. There's just something about Italy. It's spellbinding. It really gets under your skin. And, you know, and the gelato is great as well. Amazing gelato for sure. Why do you think people that have Italian heritage are so proud and excited about it?

I think, you know, Italy just has this long history of, you know, it has its ancient roots, but it has, I guess, such a short history of the Republic. You know, we kind of have this, the unification of Italy is only about 150 years old. And so it's so diverse and that's what makes it so fascinating. Italy as a country is this,

amalgamation of regions. So anywhere you go in the country makes it interesting. So whether you're in Tuscany or the Amalfi Coast or in Rome or, you know, the Dolomites up north or Sicily way down in the south, it makes it, you know, you can have a different holiday wherever you are in the country. And so I think this process

pride that Italians have. It's addictive and it's contagious. And I think that that's what makes Italy such a fascinating place to be. So what's one of your favorite places to visit? And then the other one would be to dine. That's a really hard question. It's kind of like asking someone that has kids to pick who their favorite kid is. But look, Sicily, I think Sicily is such a dynamic

food region and also Emilia-Romagna for me and there you go it's going to get harder just keep adding regions. Piedmont is another region these are some you know and I've kind of listed the far north the centre and the south to give you kind of three really diverse regions. Sicily is a region that has been you know there are so many different uh

peoples who have settled there. You've had the Normans, the Romans, the Arabs who have settled there. And that means that you have this distinct, diverse cuisine. And that can be said also by the Alpine regions up north, where you have the Dolomites, you have this Alpine cuisine, which is so distinct and diverse. And so you have things like apple strudel up north, which people might not kind of associate with Italian cuisine. But then down south in Sicily, you have things like

couscous, which might not be a dish that you would associate with Italian cuisine. And that's just such a great example of how diverse Italian cuisine can be. So when you thought to write this book, Mangia,

What inspired you? And then if somebody picks it up right now, what can they expect when they read it? Well, that was a good segue, I think, to probably what the inspiration was. You know, living here and having so many family, you know, so many times I have family and friends who come and visit and they don't often get sick and tired of pizza and pasta. But sometimes they'll say to me, gosh, you know, is that all you eat in Italy? Pizza, pasta, pizza, pasta. And I'll say, no, there is so much more to Italian regional cuisine. It's so diverse. It's so dynamic.

And, you know, we have legumes and seafood and, you know, there are some parts of Puglia where raw seafood, you know, where so many people associate that perhaps with Japanese cuisine. You know, we have like that's the sushi kind of capital of Italy where you'll eat raw seafood on the banks of, you know, Basque.

And, you know, I think for me, it was about really promoting the diversity of all the regions of Italy and really promoting this pride and this tradition that we have of each of these regions. You know, fascinating. I was in Florence. I looked up the number one rated restaurant on TripAdvisor.

was an Indian restaurant. But I have to say, I'm fascinated by these differences. So if somebody tells you, you know what, Maria, I read the book. I'm super hungry right now. I need to go to Italy. I've never been before. Where should I start? Oh, I think,

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slash founders. Cities and the capitals. But then please venture off into some of these regions that are lesser known. I think, you know, the Dolomites are starting to become a little bit more popular. Those regions up in the north, like Friuli, Venezia, Giulia and Trentino Alto Adige. But also some regions like Abruzzo, you know, the region in Italy, the central regions where, you know, my family, for instance, that's my family heritage.

That's a region that's an hour and a half from Rome, so it's not too hard to visit. Molise, Basilicata, which is the central south, you know, the centre of the, you know, that arch of the boot, if you look at Italy, you know, has this distinct shape of the boot. Calabria.

Some of these southern regions that up until maybe a decade ago, the southern regions of Italy had some tourism wasn't really a thing in southern Italy. But finally, we're starting to see some tourism into those southern regions. And that's really starting to makes me really happy to see. I can't wait to go back. I was just in Venice and we stayed at the Amman in Venice, which

was one of the best views of a lunch because I think the prince or king used to own the house that the Amman Hotel is in, and it was amazing. It was like going to a museum inside of...

a hotel so there's so much incredible places in Italy I've never heard of some of these places so I need to go back I need to check this out that's why we need to get Manja but if people want to get the book and they want to find out more information about you how can they do so oh they can follow me on social media my handle is heart Rome on Instagram on Facebook and and also they can visit at maria-pasquale.com and my books are available across the world anywhere book

are sold. Well, Maria Pasquale, manja. I'm thinking about eating pizza right now after this conversation. I'm curious though, before we finish, pizza or pasta? Oh, for me, that's hard. Pasta, but I definitely have to leave you with one tip for anyone that's watching or listening right now.

Don't eat them together. If you're in a tourist trap restaurant, you probably will see pizza and pasta together. Locals generally do not eat pizza and pasta together. So that's why. Starting your business should be simple. That's why I love what Northwest Registered Agent is doing. You can build your entire business identity in just 10 clicks and 10 minutes.

Seriously, whether you're launching your first company or your fifth, you get more when you start with Northwest. More privacy, more guidance, and more freedom to run your business from anywhere. They've helped businesses grow for nearly 30 years, and they've got your back.

For just $39 plus state fees, Northwest will form your business, create a custom website, and set up a local presence anywhere you need it. Want more? They'll protect your identity by using their address on your formation documents, and their premium mail forwarding gives you a real business address that keeps your home info-private.

which I have used this service for many years. Don't wait. Protect your privacy, build your brand, and set up your business in just 10 clicks in 10 minutes. Visit northwestregisteredagent.com slash founders and start building something amazing. Get more with Northwest Registered Agent at northwestregisteredagent.com slash founders. From the locals here in Italy. Wow.

You always want to look like a local. You don't want to act like a tourist at some places. And I like that. I will never again eat pizza and pasta together in one meal. But I'm more of a pizza person, if I can be frank with you. And some of the best pizza gelato I've ever had was in Italy. But thank you, Maria, for allowing us to talk to you today about this. And then also sharing with the world the amazing food and culture behind

behind Italy. And I didn't even realize like how diverse of a place it is. So thank you for joining us today, though. Thank you so much. Enjoy and happy travels.