Wandering the streets of Italy requires eating the famous Italian street foods. We’re here to help you choose the best Italian street foods, depending on which part of Italy you’re at.
Walking along the streets is a main part of every adventure in Italy. This allows you to see the popular street foods offered in whatever part of the country you’re visiting.
Italian cuisine is world-famous – and that includes Italian street food.
There are numerous kinds of street foods in Italy, but here we will handpick the best you should partake in wherever you may be in this stunning country.
14 Best Italian Street Foods
There are plenty of Italian street foods to choose from, so to make choosing easier for you, we list down the best street foods in Italy according to the place of origin.
Let’s jump in.
1. Arancini
Arancini is a famous street food in Italy which originated in Sicily.
As the name means “little orange,” arancini is a golden brown, orange-like fried balls. If you want some rice on your meal on the streets, this is perfect for you.
There are many available arancini recipes online, but the original one is made up of minced meat and tomato sauce (ragù), peas, and mozzarella cheese as fillings. Arancini is rolled into a mixture of flour, egg, and breadcrumbs, and then deep-fried until golden brown. It is traditionally paired with arrabbiata sauce when served.
In Rome and everywhere else in Lazio, this Italian street food is actually called supplì. It’s basically the same, just different in shape and fillings.
So, whenever you are in the streets of Italy, go grab some arancini, one of the best Italian snacks on the go.
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2. Porchetta
In Rome, specifically in Ariccia, porchetta is perhaps the most famous Italian street food. Although it is well-known all over Italy as well.
Porchetta is either roast pig – a piglet or an older one – or just the pork belly, stuffed with garlic and rosemary or other herbs for aroma. The tender and aromatic meat is then thinly sliced and paired with freshly-baked bread when served.
Imagine how you’ll crave for this juicy boneless roasted pork once you see it in the streets of Rome!
3. Focaccia
Focaccia is simply a flatbread, but it is definitely one of the most famous Italian street foods you should not miss when in Italy.
Although there are numerous types of focaccia in every region, the Genovese one is the classic. More like a pizza in texture and style, focaccia in Genoa it is topped with olive oil, spices, and rosemary.
A coffee of your choice can be best paired with focaccia especially when you’re walking on the streets of Italy early in the morning or simply taking a break after a leisurely stroll.
- Must-read: 13 Best Italian Bread Types
4. Cicchetti
While you’re enjoying your tour of Venice, you should not miss the famous local street food called cicchetti.
From the Latin word ciccus, which means “small amount,” this Italian street food comes as a set of side dishes. A tiny sandwich made of a half slice of hard boil egg, a slice of bread topped with a combination of either meat, and seafoods or vegetables put together in one plate.
Cicchetti is often served in a bàcaro, a place that serves wine. These small bites can fill your empty stomach after wandering or as you wander the streets of Venice.
5. Arrosticini
When on a street in Abruzzo, Italy, and you smell something smoky, don’t worry – it’s arrosticini, a barbecue dish.
This famous Italian street food is made of flavorful lamb meat in rosemary and olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper. The meat is then put in the skewer and grilled until cooked.
Few things are more rewarding than a leisurely stroll as you savor the taste of arrosticini on the streets of Abruzzo!
6. Calzone
You can surely find calzone, a very popular Italian street food, anywhere in the streets of Italy but especially in Naples where it is said to have originated.
This salted bread is made with dough folded into two and stuffed with salami, either ham or vegetables, and different kinds of cheese and eggs. It is then baked in an oven and often served with marinara sauce for dipping.
Referred to as half-pizza half-sandwich, or just a folded pizza, calzone is best enjoyed with salads or fries.
The savory taste of calzone will surely give you extra energy while exploring the streets of Italy – Naples, especially.
7. Panzerotti
While calzone is referred to as “folded pizza,” panzerotti is considered a little calzone. But take note of the difference between how they’re cooked. While calzone is oven-baked, panzerotti is deep-fried. So, panzerotti can be called “fried little calzone.”
As for the ingredients, the savory taste of this popular Central and Southern Italian street food comes from cheese and other mouth-watering ingredients. However, it is also now famous for its fruity fillings such as apples, strawberries, peaches, and plums paired with creams and chocolates.
Panzerotti, which when translated literally means “little tummy,” will surely make your tummy big – giving you another reason to continue exploring the streets of Italy!
8. Piadina
Another flatbread that has become one of the most famous street foods in Italy – but most especially in Bologna – is piadina.
Piadina is a flatbread folded into two then stuffed with flavored cooked meat, vegetables, and various types of cheese – or it depends on your choice of combination. Even chocolates or jams can serve as fillings.
With your choice of ingredients, piadina is no doubt one of the best street foods in Italy that you must try when exploring the marvelous streets of il Bel Paese.
9. Stigghiola
Another grilled street food that can be found in the streets of Italy is stigghiola, which is another pride of Sicily. Stigghiola is typical of the streets of the Sicilian capital – Palermo.
Stigghiola is the cut gut of a chicken, goat, or lamb seasoned with parsley, onion, and other herbs; rolled around spring onions or leeks; then skewered before cooking on the grill. It is one mouth-watering Italian street food served freshly grilled with salt and lemon.
When you find a smoky street, go ahead and check out if stigghiola is cooking!
10. Cannoli
Delectable Sicilian street foods are quite many!
You probably have eaten different types of cannoli in your life, but cannoli in the streets of Italy – especially in Sicily – is definitely the best one you will ever taste!
Cannoli is a tube-shaped crisp pastry shell filled with either chocolate, cream, or sweet ricotta. Some people prefer mascarpone. Anyway, once deep-fried, cannoli is sprinkled with sugar.
Sicilians used to refer to this delicacy as Cappeli de Turchi (“Turkish hats”) because of its shape. Don’t miss cannoli when you’re in Italy!
11. Gnocchi
One of the most famous Italian street foods is gnocchi, a dumpling made from the mixture of wheat flour, egg, and boiled potato. This delicacy is particularly popular in the Italian regions of Abruzzo, Lazio, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and Veneto.
The best thing about gnocchi is that it is boiled until cooked instead of deep-fried. It is then paired with either marinara or pesto sauce when served.
While gnocchi can be eaten as an appetizer, a main course, or a sidedish, gnocchi eaten while wandering the streets of Italy is a fun treat!
12. Zeppola
Zeppola is another popular deep-fried street food in Italy that you must try when visiting the country, particularly Naples and Rome.
The traditional version of zeppola is unstuffed but rolled in sugar powder. However, this popular Italian dough ball is now stuffed with chocolate, cream, custards, or jelly – or a mixture of butter and honey.
This golden brown, soft and crispy Italian street food is a fritter that’s not only available in the streets of Italy but also in bakeries.
Zeppola is best served fresh and straight from the pan.
13. Michetta / Rosetta
A traditional Milanese bread, michetta is a stuffed bread that is widely deemed as one of the best Italian street foods you must try when in Milan and everywhere in Italy.
Michetta is called Rosetta – “little rose” – in the rest of the country. This Italian white bread is crispy on the outside, crumbly, and soft on the inside, and recognizable by its bulged shape.
Michetta is the Lombard version of the Austrian Kaisersemmel (Kaiser roll) called micca, which originally means “crumb.” It was brought to Milan in the 19th century during the Austrian rule. The recipe for michetta was adjusted to make the bread longer-lasting.
14. Gelato
It is impossible not to eat gelato in the streets of Italy, especially during summer. It is probably the most popular Italian street food.
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Made with frozen combination of milk, cream, sugar, and also egg yolks as stabilizer, this Italian frozen treat is something you would be craving for while wandering various Italian streets under the heat of the sun.
Gelato means “frozen” in Italian. It is said to date back to the 16th century. It’s not clear who originally invented this fabulous Italian dessert, but the modern gelato is believed to have been created by designer Bernardo Buontalenti of Florence.