An Italian trattoria is what the beloved café is to the people of France, its gastronomical heart and soul. Webster's Dictionary defines a trattoria as an “inexpensive restaurant or tavern serving simple Italian dishes.” The trattoria is not to be confused with the ristorante, which is a fancy dining establishment and provides the customer with a much more formal dining experience.
The trattoria holds no pretensions for what it offers to the diners who walk through its doors, as service is simple and straightforward. There are generally no printed menus and the wait staff is there to feed you, not to fawn over you. However, the food that is served in a trattoria is some of the best and authentic food you will encounter in Italy, while at inexpensive prices and generous portions.
The trattoria's chief success has always been the retention of repeat customers. Instead of continually changing its menu, the trattoria sticks to what it knows best, modest dishes but all with incredible tastes. Trattorias can be found in any Italian city or town. Try the ones that are on a random side street, away from the tourist attractions and the mobs of people who spend a good deal of their Italian vacation standing in line, instead of experiencing the real la dolce vita, Italian for the sweet life.
The number of trattorias in Italy is innumerable. Frommers Guide to Italy describes Maria Mante, chef of the Trattoria da Maria, as “something of a local legend in Genoa who has turned out delicious meals for decades.” Maria's trattoria is the epitome of this ubiquitous dining experience in Italy, good food at incredibly low prices. While any meal in Italy is bound to be a memorable one, the trattoria meal is what will be the most vivid in your mind.
(Frommers review of the Trattoria da Maria)
