Ligurian

Butter, rice, polenta — Alpine and risotto country. Less tomato, more cream and cheese.

Bread, beans, bistecca alla fiorentina. Rustic, salt-light by tradition, olive oil pour-over.

Egg pasta, prosciutto, parmigiano, balsamic — the deepest pantry in Italy.

Arab-Norman-Greek inheritance — pistachio, citrus, sweet-and-sour, sword fish, arancini, cannoli.

Pizza margherita, ragù napoletano, Vesuvian tomatoes, mozzarella di bufala — the south's loud and tomato-forward face.

Cacio e pepe, carbonara, amatriciana, gricia — pasta with four ingredients executed to the gram.

Wheat country: orecchiette, focaccia barese, burrata, vegetables stewed in olive oil.

Pastoral island cooking — pane carasau, malloreddus, suckling pig over myrtle.

Lagoon seafood, salt cod, polenta, sweet-sour spice — Venice's trade-route palate.

Peperoncino-driven heat, 'nduja smear, swordfish — the spiciest corner of Italy.