The Best Street Food in Italy

Gelato and pizza are terrific, but they only scratch the surface of Italy’s exciting, rich and colorful street food scene. We picked 12 essential street eats you must try on your next trip. (Two words: fried cream).
  • Image may contain Food and Cone

    PESCE FRITTO AL CONO

    Gelato's not the only dish you can eat from a cone; you can also get fresh, fried seafood served in a paper cone in the streets of many Italian port towns. And this is _fresh: _the seafood comes right off the fishing boats that arrive at the port each morning, and gets tossed in a basic flour batter and then deep-fried in front of you. Depending on the catch of the day, you can get a cone full of small fish or a mixture of shrimp and squid. Drizzle a bit of lemon on top and eat it with your hands or the "spear" provided as you wander the streets.

  • ZEPPOLE

    If you've ever set foot in an Italian bakery or been to an Italian street fair, you've probably already sunk your teeth into one (or ten) of these delicious fried morsels. Zeppole—essentially deep-fried balls of dough—are said to have originated in Naples, but you can find them on street corners across the entire country. Nowadays, zeppole can come filled with jelly, custard, pastry cream and even chocolate. But sometimes, nothing beats the original: straight out of the fryer, topped lightly with sugar, and tossed into a paper bag.

  • STIGGHIOLA

    You'll find some form of meat on a stick on the streets of most countries, and Italy is no exception. This isn't your ordinary shish kebab, though—the beloved Sicilian stigghiola is sheep (or sometimes goat or chicken) intestine seasoned with salt, skewered, and grilled. You might squirm, but offal-based street food is pretty ubiquitous—you'll find near-identical versions of stigghiola in Beijing, Argentina, Uruguay and Turkey.

  • PANI CA MEUSA

    If you've ever been to Palermo, chances are you'll have seen these beauties being hawked on every street. It's a traditional Sicilian sandwich containing—brace yourself—chopped veal's lung and spleen. (The term pani ca meusa in Italian literally means "bread with spleen"). Trust us, it tastes better than it sounds—if you can get past the fact that you're eating a spleen sandwich, you'll find yourself pleasantly surprised. The combination of tender meat, grated caciocavallo cheese, and soft, nutty vastedda bread make for a hearty and flavorful dish. Squeeze a little fresh lemon on it before taking a big bite.

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  • ARANCINE

    If spleen sandwiches and skewered intestines are a little too adventurous for your tastes, we recommend the all-round crowd-pleasing arancini ("little oranges" in Italian). These golden, deep-fried rice balls are crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside, filled with cheese, peas and sometimes minced chicken or beef, similar to a croquette. Though the delicacy originated in Sicily in the 10th century, it's since grown into one of the country's most popular street foods with "cousins" all over the country, like the suppli in Rome and the pall'e riso in Naples. Order two or three with a side of tangy arrabiata sauce, and call it a meal.

  • PANZEROTTI

    Native to Puglia, the panzerotti is a stuffed, half moon-shaped pastry that's similar to a small calzone, but with softer dough. It's generally filled with a combination of cheeses and tomato, then fried until it's crisp and slightly flaky on the outside. The result is a pillowy, cheesy parcel that's kind of like the Platonic ideal of a Hot Pocket. Over time, panzerotti have graduated from being strictly a street food to appearing in restaurants across the world—but we still think that nothing beats eating it off a napkin, on the street, fresh from the fryer.

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  • PANINO CON PORCHETTA

    Porchetta is arguably the most widespread street food throughout central Italy; you'll find white-painted trucks slinging it all throughout Umbria, Tuscany, Lazio, and Abruzzo. To make it, pork that's been deboned and gutted is then stuffed, seasoned with salt and herbs, and rolled up and slow-cooked on a spit. The pork is then sliced into fragrant, juicy pieces and either eaten on its own, or served in between crusty bread (panino).

  • PANELLE

    Panelle are possibly the simplest of all Italian street food: chickpea polenta that's cut into thick slices and then fried in olive oil. The fritters are then served alone or with croquettes (as pictured), or piled into a bun and eaten as a sandwich. Because of its humble ingredients and simple preparation, panelle are considered "cucina povera"—poor man's food, or peasant food. That may be so, but we'd still happily eat it every day of the week. (They're even better topped with a little pecorino romano or a squeeze of lemon).

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  • PIADINA

    Like panelle, the piadina is one of the few vegetarian-friendly Italian street foods. A specialty of Emilia-Romagna, the dish is essentially a flatbread made of flour, olive oil, salt and water. It's traditionally cooked roadside on a terracotta plate, though modern day vendors will use metal pans or griddles. Piadina can be served alone or stuffed with anything you like—like a wrap—though it's wise to keep it simple. Get it with some fresh mozzarella and chicory for a simple, healthy, and cheap eat.

  • CREMA FRITTA

    In the cooler months, every street market and fair in Veneto is filled with the heady aroma of the addictive, belly-warming crema fritta: thick custard cream that's been breaded and deep-fried. (Yes, it's fried custard). The crisp, golden diamonds come hot off the fryer and are tossed into a paper cone for you to enjoy as you wander the streets, though we suggest taking a moment to enjoy its warm, gooey deliciousness.

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  • LAMPREDOTTO

    You'll have to get behind a long queue of locals if you want to sink your fangs into some tasty lampredotto, the ultimate Florentine street food. Like the _pani ca meusa, _it doesn't sound particularly appetizing—it's basically cow stomach, cooked in a piquant broth of tomato, onion, celery and parsley—but it's highly flavorful. Lampredotto can be served alone on a plate (as pictured), or, more typically, in sandwich on a semelle bun. If you opt for the sandwich, we recommend having the bun bagnato, dipped in the cooking broth, and then topped with salsa verde. Buon appetito!

  • OLIIVE ALL'ASCOLANA

    You might pass up a bag of these unremarkable-looking golden nuggets being hawked all over the streets of Le Marche, but that would be a huge mistake. Under the crisp, breaded coating, you'll find a little gastronomic jewel: a delicate Ascolana olive stuffed with spiced ground meat and sometimes parmesan. You'll be hard-pressed to find a bite-sized snack that packs such an intense flavor punch.