Child-friendly dishes to enjoy on your Italy family holiday

If you're a family of foodies, then Italy is the perfect holiday destination for you, being home to iconic dishes, such as pizza, spaghetti and creamy risotto, as well as decadent desserts, such as gelato ice-cream and tiramisu. However, some children are a little more picky when it comes to meal time, and this can leave you feeling a little anxious about child-friendly food that your family can enjoy on an Italy family holiday.

If you're visiting Italy on holiday and are worried about eating out as a family, here is our guide to the best child-friendly dishes and snacks that are available in the popular tourist cities.

Rome

The Eternal City of Rome is the perfect holiday destination for families and has a wealth of family-friendly activities to enjoy, including Gladiator school, family-friendly guided tours of the Colosseum and Roman Forum, and family cooking classes so you can learn the secrets of Roman cuisine.

If you're visiting Rome on a family holiday, then there are lots of Roman classics that you can tempt the children with, including:

• Supplì, which are fried rice balls that are typically eaten as a snack in Rome (you can read more about supplì in Rome on this recent travel blog by clicking here)
• Carbonara - this classic Italian dish is made slightly differently in Rome to how it is made in the UK and US, as it is usually made without cream in Rome making it a tasty and light choice for children (you can also ask for gricia, which is like carbonara but without eggs).
• Cacio e pepe is a simple spaghetti dish topped with cracked black pepper and Pecorino Romano cheese that is a safe choice for a picky eater.

But what about if your child doesn't like pasta?! There are still plenty of options as Italians have "primi piatti", which are pasta and rice dishes, and "secondi piatti", which are meat and fish dishes. So, if you're child doesn't enjoy pasta, look on the "secondi" menu for something they might enjoy.

Florence

Florence is widely regarded as the Pearl of the Renaissance and is a city full of beautiful art and unusual archiecture that is a joy to discover on an Italy family holiday. In Florence you can treat the children to a guided tour of the Accademia, where they can see the huge statue of the The David and you can entertain them with stories of David & Goliath as they take in the staggering size of this iconic marble statue.

The cuisine in central and North Italy is quite different to what you find in the south, with more of a focus on beans and grains in regions such as Tuscany. Some of our favourite must-try dishes include:

• Tuscan bean soup - this is known by different names across Tuscany (for example, it's called "zuppa di farro" in Lucca) and to different recipes, but most combine borlotti beans and wholegrain spelt with carrots and celery to create something so tasty and easy for little ones to eat.
• Pasta and ragu is a simple pasta dish served with a meat (or tomato) ragu that is reminiscent of spaghetti bolognese.
• Cinque e cinque (also known as cecina and torta di ceci) is a savoury pancake made with chickpea flour and flavoured with garlic - you can usually buy it buy the slice in pizzerias and it has a creamy taste and texture that is addicting!

As a word of warning, tripe is popular in Tuscany and so watch out for "trippa" on the menu as children, in particualr, may not like its pungent flavour and unusual texture!

Venice

The Floating City is one of Italy's most magical cities and, although popular with couples looking for a romantic getaway, it also combines well into a family multi-centre to Rome, Florence and Venice. If you are visiting Venice with older children on a family holiday, then we highly recommend booking a cicchetti tour that allows you to sample traditional Venetian snacks on a walking tour of the city's best bars - it's a great way to see Venice's hidden attractions and lesser known sights, but also learn a little more of Venice's local culture. Cicchetti are a little like Spanish tapas and usually include crostini breads served with imaginative toppings, small sandwiches and fritti (fried fish and vegetables), making it the perfect finger food that teenagers can enjoy.

If you're travelling with younger children then there are still plenty of dishes that they can enjoy. We recommend:

• Risi e bisi is a simple rice dish made with peas that is somewhere between a risotto and rice soup, and is both comforting and freshly flavoured.
• Bigoli in salsa, made with long, thick whole-wheat pasta that is generously coated with a salsa that usually includes salt-cured fish (although you can ask for it without the fish if that's your preference).
• Polenta, which is either made into a creamy mash or served as thick-cut chips that we think the children will love (in fact, they might not even notice that they're not eating fries)!

For a sweet treat during the Venice Carnevale, look out for fritole, which are sweet pastry fritters (a little like small doughnuts) flavoured with raisins.

Sorrento

The combination of Rome and Sorrento is one of our most popular Italy family holidays, as these cities combine the history of the Roman Empire with the undeniable coastal beauty of Sorrento.

Being close to Naples, Sorrento is the perfect place to enjoy an authentic Italian pizza and there are many pizzerias with wood-fired ovens that you can enjoy - we particularly recommend Da Franco's, which is a fuss-free pizzeria where you can enjoy lunch or dinner with your family. If your children don't like pizza, don't dispair! There are plenty of other Sorrentine dishes and snacks that you can enjoy on your Italy family holiday, such as:

• Arancini (also known as crocchette) are similar to the suppli that you find in Rome and are fried rice balls that are usually stuffed with vegetables.
• A simple gnocchi dressed in a tomato and basil sauce (the tomatoes from Sorrento are out of this world so this simple dish is certainly not lacking in flavour but is still simple enough for smaller children to enjoy).
• Sfogliatelle - a flaky pastry from Naples that is usually flavoured with sweet ricotta and candied citrus.

There is also plenty of seafood in Sorrento, but keep in mind that dishes with prawns, clams or mussels will usually be served with the seafood still in its shell, which could prove tricky for younger children.

Lake Garda

Lake Garda is the largest lake in the Italian Lake District and is a great place if your family loves seafood as most restaurants serve fresh fish from the lake that has been caught that day. Aside from the fresh fish and seafood, dishes that children may enjoy include:

• Frico, which is thinly sliced cheese that is coated in flour and fried to create cheese sticks that we're sure your children will love!
• Tortellini dishes are popular around Lake Garda and we especially love the ones stuffed with locally sourced mushrooms.
• Panna cotta is a traditional dessert from the Piedmont region of Italy that we're sure you've heard of - it's a sweetened, thick cream dessert and is especially good in Lake Garda, where it is made to a traditional recipe.

Italy is also the perfect place to sample creamy Italian gelato, no matter which city you are visiting! Due to the special way that it is made, it is slightly different to ice-cream and comes in a wide range of mouth-watering flavours, including pistacio, nutella and various fruit flavours.

We also highly recommend booking self-catering accommodation if you have a particularly picky eater in the family. Not only will this save you money as you will be able to prepare meals yourself, but you will also be able to prepare tasty meals that you know your children will enjoy using local Italian products, including authentic cheeses, fresh pasta and vibrant veggies.

If you're still planning your Italy family holiday and would like to find out more about our customised holidays, why not speak to one of our expert travel advisers? Call us locally on 01223 637331 or click here to send us an online enquiry.