Favorite Places to Eat in Italy? Back from Trip, Updated

I hear the Olive Garden is out of this world

I'm envious...I'd be willing to bet that the hole-in-the-wall establishments would give you more of an authentic experience. Have fun either way, and we'll need a report when you return!!!

in florence a place called Buca Mario

it means Mario's Basement, very good stuff, do not pass on the tiramasu (sp) when you order it, the lady who made it comes to you table with a big bowl of it, and fills up you plate.

Bologna is pound for pound the best food city in the world. Don't know if thats true, but the Viennese serious epicurean I hung out with in Europe told me that...my two meals there did not disappoint. He said restaurant-wise Bologna is the Italian equivalent of NOLA. Roma=NYC and Firenze=San Fran....just quoting what he said. I will take it further and say Sienna=Charleston.

Restaurant Zaza in Florence was my favorite restaurant of the weeks I spent all over Italy.

Sienna was a pleasant surprise as well.

I was in Florence and the surrounding area last year about this time and I would recommend these two:

In Florence, Trattoria da Tito. It is a small restaurant near the Church of San Marcos. Friendly owner, traditional foods, and all of the free cold Limoncello you can drink to finsh off the evening.

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In Colle Val d'Elsa (Tuscany) we ate at Cucina Poplare. Again, nice folks who run it.

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They were both recommended to us by locals.

Il Latina (sic?) in Florence

Thanks again to everyone for the suggestions. I got back from my trip a little over a week ago and had a fantastic time. Not going to go into great detail with this, but figured I'd touch on some of the high points.

Rome: no note-worthy food experiences for me in Rome outside Gelateria Giolitti -- which was by far the best gelato I tried in Rome. I tried the place many suggested near the Pantheon, but quite honestly, it wasn't anything special.

Montalcino: we actually extended our stay here because we were enjoying the local wines so much. But there was also some good food to be found here.

Taverna il Grappolo Blu was a great little no frills place on the hillside. I had a really nice beef ragu and the girlfriend had a tagliatelle with a truffle oil sauce that was fantastic. The wine list at this little hole in the wall was unreal. The '04 Fattoi Riserva (Brunello) was the highlight of the meal.

By the way, the Biscotini gelato in Montalcino (had little bits of the local biscotti blended in it) may have been my favorite flavor of the entire trip.

Florence: TA had this one pegged. Trattoria Za' Za' was the best place I ate the entire trip. It was so good, in fact, that I went back for lunch a few days later. The most notable dish I had was a ricotta-filled ravioli with wild mushroom and truffle sauce that was nothing short of spectacular.

Florence also had the best gelato of any of the places we visited. Gelateria Carabe, near L'Accademia was my favorite, but Gelateria Grom was pretty damn tasty, too.

Monterosso al Mare: food-wise, nothing that stood out except for the pesto at Ristorante Ely, which was some of the best pesto I've ever had. There was also this crostini at the little place we stayed with what was essentially an olive spread. Stuff was great!!! The limoncello was delicious, as was a local dessert wine I'd never had before called sciacchetra.

Venice: I didn't like Venice the first time I'd gone, and didn't really want to go back, but I really enjoyed it this time. Some early evening rain on our last night there sent most of the tourists indoors and kept them there once things cleared up. It's a really great city at night when you don't have to contend with shoulder-to-shoulder people.

The name of the restaurant that provided the culinary highlight escapes me (sorry, I had a lot of wine). The owner's name was Domenico, if that helps. I had a gnocchi and tomato dish that was served inside an edible bowl made of parmigiano-reggiano.

That about covers the highlights. We visited quite a few other areas, but I haven't the energy to go on...