Hi there. We are Barbara and Silvana, two longtime friends who share much more than memories of travels, dinners, and adventures together. We live in Milan, we became moms around the same time, and today our kids are grown up and friends too. What has always connected us is a deep love for travel and, above all, for Italian home cooking.
A few years ago, during a family trip to London, something caught our attention. While browsing a large store in the city center, we stopped in a section dedicated to “Italian food.” Pasta, sauces, cheeses, rice. We were curious to see which Italian products had made their way abroad.
What we found was surprising. Only a handful of pasta shapes, a couple of sauces, and the usual suspects: Parmigiano, Pecorino, pesto, marinara. No explanation of the differences, no variety, and often brands unknown in Italy. Some products were labeled “made in Italy,” yet produced elsewhere. It felt like a simplified, sometimes misleading version of our cuisine.
That moment made us realize something important: outside Italy, people often know Italian food by name, but not by culture.
Soon after, we came across a question online: “Why aren’t Italians fat if they eat pasta all the time?”
The answer, for us, was obvious. Pasta itself is not the problem. What matters is quantity, ingredients, balance, and how food is cooked and eaten. In short, lifestyle. But reading questions like this made us understand how little is really known about everyday Italian food.
We don’t eat junk food.
We cook at home.
And yes, this is how we actually eat.
The idea for Recipes from Italy was born from that realization. We wanted to create a place that explains, in a simple and practical way, what Italians really cook and eat every day. All the recipes you find here come from our home kitchens. These are dishes we cook for lunch and dinner, for our families, again and again, because we love them.
Our husbands and kids come home knowing they might find a freshly made carbonara, amatriciana, lasagna, arancini, chicken cutlets, or a pizza straight out of the oven. And often, a jam tart or tiramisu for dessert. This is not “special occasion food.” This is normal Italian home cooking.
In Italy, cooking is not reserved for chefs or grandmothers alone. It’s part of everyday life. Men and women, young and old, know how to prepare traditional dishes. Of course, many recipes come from our mothers and grandmothers, but what really matters is that Italian cooking is simple, practical, and based on good ingredients.
That’s why we believe anyone can learn to cook Italian food properly.
Our goal with Recipes from Italy is to show you how Italian dishes are really made. We explain the techniques, the small tricks, the ingredients Italians actually use, and the tools found in a real Italian kitchen. You’ll learn why carbonara is made with guanciale, not pancetta; why garlic is used sparingly; why parsley doesn’t belong everywhere; and how regional cuisine changes from north to south.
You’ll discover that lasagna in Bologna is different from lasagna in Naples, and that pizza is not one single thing, but many styles, depending on where you are in Italy.
All our recipes are explained step by step, with clear instructions and photos for each stage. Our hope is simple: to help you cook, eat, and enjoy Italian food the way we do, every day.
Barbara Felicità Lucchini
