How to buy a sandwich in Italy
One of the most basic tips for a cheap holiday is how to get a meal for a few euros. But in some parts of Italy sandwich can be hard to buy.
It’s kind of embarrassing, but it has taken me around fifteen years to figure out how to buy a sandwich in Italy. I know that in Rome and Florence and around the big tourist sights, there are sandwich cars and cafés advertising Panini, Piada, Piadina, and Toast, but they do not exist in ordinary southern towns. Or they are only available in the evenings, and I want my sandwich at noon.
I have lost count of the number of times, I’ve walked into a café and asked for a Panini, only to be met with a shrug, a shake of the head and maybe two palms making scissor movements. Sometime you can have a salad or a proper meal instead, but most of the time there is nothing.
Fastfood trucks drive up every time there is a festival.
Head for the Salumeria
Unless you go to a proper, old fashioned ‘salumeria‘ or ‘alimentari’ food store, where they sell bread rolls, cheese and cold cuts in slices from a counter at the back. Ask the man or woman behind the counter for a bread roll with ham and cheese, and he or she will cut and weigh off the proper amounts and hand you the most delicious wrapped panini to be paid at the cash register on the way out. It is really quite easy.
Outside in the sun, you head for the nearest park bench or café serving soft drinks, sit down and unwrap you luncheon package. It’s a admirably simple pleasure, but hard to figure out, if you are more familiar with supermarkets and cafés with a proper lunch menu.
A selection of bread, cheese and sausages from the nearest salumeria.
Super cute post! I love Europe because of all the parks. It is so easy to get a sandwich and maybe a bottle of wine and find a perfect little place to sit and people watch.
Yeah, a sandwich lunch doesn’t seem to be a Southern European thing. Sounds easy enough, once you know how.
It’s amazing how sometimes it’s the simple things that trip you up, but I’m a big fun of buying something to eat and then heading to a park to enjoy it.
I love grabbinf sandwiches in a good store and eating in in a parks while sunbathing! Furthermore Italian sandwiches are superb!!
a suggestion: panini (sandwiches) is the plural of panino (sandwich). when you ask for one, you should ask “un panino”.
recently, expecially if the shop is busy or if bread and cheese and salami are sold at separate counters, the shop assistants would not prepare you the panino. one will sell you the bread, and he or she will slice it as you please, ant the other will sell you the amount of stuff you want, wrapped separately. it’s up to you then to prepare il panino.
Thank you for putting that straight – I really am too slobby with my grammar. I also appreciate your explanation of the different counter system. To a tourist it is not at all obvious:)
HAD A GREAT PANNINO IN TARAMINA AT THE BEACH
Siracusa’s Ortigia’s Market store Caseificio Borderi makes the best panini to go – long line ups at lunchtime but worth it. Or if you want, go inside and buy the ingredients and make it yourself!
Fabulous tip. My mouth is watering already. Thanks for sharing:)