Publisher Smith Street Books released “Mangia: How to Eat Your Way Through Italy” worldwide in March 2025, offering readers a passport to Italy’s 20 distinct regions, each with its own culinary dialect. The author, Maria Pasquale, is an award-winning food journalist with over a decade of immersion in Italian culture. She has crafted a work that goes beyond the familiar tropes of pasta and pizza, inviting readers to explore the hidden sagre (food festivals) of Umbria, the ancient olive groves of Sardinia, and the time-honored traditions of Calabrian licorice-making.
“Mangia! Mangia! Mangia!” writes Massimo Bottura in the book’s endorsement, echoing the childhood exhortation from his grandmother, Ancella. “And so Mangia is the perfect title for a book which will make you hungry and ignite your curiosity.”
One of Italy’s most celebrated chefs, Massimo Bottura, underscores the book’s credibility and appeals to serious food enthusiasts with his endorsement.
Beyond Pizza and Pasta
“Mangia” distinguishes itself through its rigorous organization around Italy’s 20 regions. It acknowledges that understanding Italian cuisine requires recognizing its profoundly regional character. Each chapter delves into the distinct culinary identity of a specific region, offering readers a guide to local specialties, traditions, and experiences.
Pasquale provides a curated list of 10 essential dishes, regional beverage recommendations, signature ingredients and produce, food festivals, and unique culinary experiences from truffle hunting to winemaking for each region.
“These chapters are designed to make your mouth water, to pique your curiosity and then, while you’re travelling, to prompt you and inspire you to keep uncovering, to keep eating and to keep loving Italy,” Pasquale explains.
The Hidden World of Sagre
Perhaps the book’s most distinctive contribution is its extensive documentation of sagre — hyper-local food festivals celebrating specific seasonal ingredients or traditional dishes. Conventional travel guides often overlook these events, but they provide unique windows into authentic Italian food culture beyond tourist pathways.
From the pistachio festival in Bronte, Sicily, to mushroom celebrations in Umbria, Pasquale catalogs celebrations that even seasoned Italy travelers might miss. She notes that many such events are not promoted online, requiring travelers to seek information from local sources. This reflects her deep familiarity with Italian food traditions beyond the well-trodden paths.
Culinary Collaborations with Masters
Pasquale enhanced the book’s credibility by enlisting some of Italy’s most celebrated chefs to contribute signature recipes representing their regions. Massimo Bottura, Mauro Uliasse, Anthony Genovese, and Enrico Crippa contribute authentic recipes that readers can recreate at home.
Bottura, whose Osteria Francescana in Modena has been ranked among the world’s best restaurants, contributes the book’s endorsement. These collaborations bridge traditional and contemporary Italian foodways, appealing to both heritage enthusiasts and those interested in Italy’s current culinary scene.
A Visual Feast for the Senses
Understanding that food is as much visual as gustatory, Pasquale collaborated with photographer Mark Roper and food stylist Deborah Kaloper to create a visually stunning work. Roper’s photography captures plated dishes, and the photos across the book capture their context: weathered hands shaping pasta and morning light filtering through ancient olive groves.
This attention to visual storytelling reflects Pasquale’s understanding of modern food media. With a social media following exceeding 50,000 across platforms and her HeartRome blog reaching readers in over 100 countries, she has mastered the art of translating sensory experiences into digital formats. The book’s visual appeal complements its informational depth, making it both a practical guide and a coffee table showpiece.
A Comprehensive Culinary Encyclopedia
“Mangia” functions simultaneously as a travel guide, cultural anthropology text, and cookbook. The book’s versatility attracts a wide audience beyond cooking enthusiasts, including travelers, historians, and anyone interested in Italian culture. The book explains over 600 dishes, showcases more than 100 unique culinary experiences, highlights over 200 food festivals, and includes 20 regional recipes.
Beyond these impressive statistics, the book includes practical guides for navigating Italian markets, understanding holiday food traditions, and mastering Italian dining etiquette. This outlook addresses the needs of both first-time visitors and seasoned Italy travelers seeking deeper cultural engagement.
The Future of Food Writing
“Mangia” serves as both a preservationist document and an invitation to authentic engagement, urging readers to experience food as a living history rather than a consumable commodity.
“Yes, food nourishes us. But it’s so much more than that — food feeds the soul, and memories of it are some of the most powerful,” Pasquale writes, articulating the philosophical perspective that elevates her work beyond mere recipe collection. Pasquale’s regional analysis and cultural contextualization represent a return to substance, inviting readers to experience Italy’s extraordinary culinary diversity firsthand.
