Popular Italian Restaurants in Canada

Well braised ossobuco made by Veal shank, whit...

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There’s nothing like authentic Italian food. Zesty tomato sauce, meatballs, fine cheeses, and perfect al dente pasta come to mind for most people, if not the original pizza recipe. Using a search engine like Canada 411 makes finding fantastic Italian food easy. Here are some of the most popular venues.

Cioppino’s, Vancouver

Not only has Cioppino’s been voted Italian restaurant of the year by Vancouver Magazine, but head chef Pino Posteraro is the author of several award-winning cookbooks on authentic Italian food. Look forward to such delights as braised beef cheek ravioli with red wine truffle sauce, and white wine garlic sauce spaghetti.

Il Terrazzo Ristorante, Victoria

A famous Italian restaurant located in beautiful Victoria, Il Terrazzo Ristorante is often packed, so reservations are recommended. Authentic signature dishes include Linguine Marco Polo, Pizza Gamberi and more. Il Terrazzo Ristorante also offers great wine — it has received numerous awards from Wine Spectator Magazine and Wine Enthusiast Magazine, as well as from the City of Victoria itself.

La Terrazza Restaurant and Lounge, Vancouver

La Terrezza, located in picturesque Yaletown, offers many delicious Italian dishes. In addition to the food, this is a great choice for wine lovers. La Terrazza boasts one of Vancouver’s best wine lists, offering over 1600 different varieties.

L’Artista, Vancouver

Run by an authentic Italian-born chef who trained in Milan, L’Artista has been delighting visitors with delicious and beautiful menu options for nearly a decade. Prawns Vino Bianco, Veal L’Artista and Risotto Alla Marinara are just a few of the many dishes offered.

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Italy: Cuisine and Specialties

Italian cuisine is much more than pasta and pizza. Italy has one of the most diverse samplings of foods in the world and each region has food specialties to tempt the taste buds of hungry travelers.

Contrary to popular belief, pasta and tomato sauce is a small pittance of the Italian kitchen. It is more common to find national specialties include gnocchi (semolina dumplings), Parmigiano (parmesan cheese), pesto (basil, pine nuts, and pecorino cheese), and bagna caoda (anchovy dip).

Traditionally, Northern cuisine was based on a hearty staple of potatoes and rice rich meals, Central cuisine was influenced by pasta, roasts, and meats, and Southern cuisine relied on vegetables, pasta, seafood, and pizza. Cross-influence of regions flavor has now smudged the line between traditional offerings of the North, Central, and Southern regions.

Travel through Tuscany and the most noted dishes include flavorful beans. Some parts of the Italian region enjoy rich risottos, staples of potatoes, lentils, and soups, while others dine on vegetarian cuisine and hearty cheeses including mozzarella, pecorino, and gorgonzola. Italian food is based on varying ingredients and discriminating tastes, that often seem strange to visitors.

Traditional work day meals include a small breakfast, one-dish lunch, and one dish dinner. Coffee is the drink of choice and often ends a meal. Breakfast is very light and consists of cappuccino or coffee with a pastry or bread with fruit jam.

Lunch is considered the most important meal of the day and Italians have one hour reserved for eating. In the past a second hour was reserved for napping, which accounts for why many shops in small towns still close down for a two hour break during the day.

Dinner is always late in the evening and customarily eaten at 8pm. Weekend and restaurant meals typically has several courses; antipasto (appetizer), primo (rice or pasta), secondo (meat or fish) served with a side dish known as contorno, and dolce (dessert).

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Italy: A Tour of Rome

Picturesque Rome is the capital of Italy, the country’s largest city, and the location of the world’s greatest civilizations. This extraordinary city is filled with historical, artistic, and architectural treasures and is home to the Pope.

Rome is the city of romance with attractions accessible by walking, biking, or renting a scooter. Tourists enjoy the vast number of piazzas, Roman relics, and beautiful Roman churches. Other spectacular attractions include the Vatican, the Colosseum amphitheatre, the remains of the Roman Forum, the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain at night, and the Pantheon.

A visit to this city must include the Vatican Museums (Musei Vaticani) with the richest collection of art found in the world. The 12 museums require at least two days of attention to view the full 4 miles and over 1400 rooms of sights including Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel and Raphael’s four fresco rooms.

Located dead centre Rome is the Capitoline Museums which are composed of three main buildings (Palazzo Senatorio, Palazzo dei Conservatori, and Palazzo Nuovo) surrounding the Piazza del Campidoglio. The museums were conceived from plans by Michelangelo Buonarroti in 1536 and the execution took more than 400 years to complete. The vast space focuses on beautiful Greek and Roman paintings and sculptures.

Requiring a reservation in advance, but an extreme pleasure for art lovers is the Galleria Borghese. Located north of the centre, it houses a collection of sculptures and paintings include Bernini’s Apollo and Daphne.

Enjoy the local cuisine at Piazza Navona with its beautiful fountains, artists, and cafés. Stop by Campo dei Fiori open air market and for a real Roman night dining experience try the Trastevere area on the left bank of the river known for interesting, evocative, and local tiny eating establishments.

Rome’s weather of 59F and 86F is spectacular for May through October travel, but due to overcrowding and hot tempuratues in July and August it is not the best time for visiting tourists.

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Sharing a Love for Art

Palazzo di Montecitorio in Rome/Italy

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Italian art is an attractive, intriguing, and coveted area of creativity that many designers, sculptors, and artists aspire to learn about and mimic. Italian 20th century artists like Alberto Viani and Marcello Mascherini were prolific sculptors who made an impact on Italian art in their own way. Much of the work by Viani is on display at Museo di Arte Moderna e Contemporanea in Trento, Italy, where visitors and tourists see and enjoy his amazing work. Mascherini’s sculptures are on display in Rome at Palazzo Montecitorio where they have rested since after his death in 1969. Would they have ever imagined that their work would be on display one day in Italian museums?

Lovers of Italian art and design can appreciate what it takes to make something beautiful and presentable. There are a few who enjoy visually appealing art and may be interested in opening their own Italian art gallery or museum so they can share their passion with others. Art galleries are also a great place for emerging Italian artists to get discovered and to showcase their work.

Most suitable locations for Italian art galleries would be places near the city’s hub area where there’s lot of traffic, by foot or car. There should be a steady stream of people who will see the artist’s work, and even places like old warehouses or storefronts would be ideal. You can promote the gallery using flyers that have preview images of the artist’s work, along with their names and the location of the gallery.

Blasting the announcement to media channels with radio and television advertisingis effective. Email marketing is also effective, and starting an email subscription list as soon as possible lets you capture those names and start developing long-term relationships. You can continue marketing even after the gallery is open so you have a continuous stream of art lovers with whom to share your passion.

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Italy: Italian Art

A collage of Italian art.

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Italian art is best described as the visual artistry created in Italy from ancient times to the present. Each historical period of time created a distinct and well loved collection of artistic masterpieces.

Etruscans

Figurative or metaphorical art produced in northern Italy between the 9th and 2nd centuries BC by the Etruscan people. This period is marked by life-size sarcophagi and temples made from terracotta and engraved mirrors and metalworking made from cast bronze.

Roman

The Roman period is extremely creative and original style of replication of Greek, native Italic, Etruscan, and Egyptian illustration using sensible applications and stylistic eclecticism.

Byzantine

A period of 1000 years under the leadership of Constantinople, this period marked Italy’s strong Byzantine influence.  Most notable artistry includes the mosaics of San Vitale and St. Mark’s Oratory in Rossano Calabro.

Gothic

The transitional period from medieval to Renaissance highly influenced by the Franciscan and Dominican orders of monks and characterized by their styles and attitudes.

Renaissance

Renaissance art focused on religious influences and became the baseline for the modern era of art. It demonstrated the natural observation of light, figure, and perspective into its depictions. Most significant artists of this period included daVinci, Michelangelo, Botticelli, and Raphael.

Mannerism

Encompassed an array of approaches as a reaction to or influenced by the artists harmonious ideals and restrained naturalism associations. Mannerism is distinguished for its artificial traits and intellectual complexity.

Modernity

Modernity became the period of several art movements representing tides of beliefs and views that pushed the art world into various directions. Modernity represents the period of Baroque, Rococo, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, and Neoclassicism.

1900

The 1900s brought on the period of Expressionism, Cubism, Futurism, and Surrealism.  Futurists loathed everything that was old or traditional. Their art depicted and represented technology over nature and used the medium of art ranging from painting, sculpting, graphic artistry, architecture, textile, and industrial design.

Post Modernism

Nothing is forbidden during this period of art. Artists use a hybrid of styles, merging ideas and concepts of previous art periods to create post modernistic masterpieces. Italian Post-Modern artists include Sandro Chia, Francesco Clemente, Enzo Cucchi, and Mario Schifano.

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