Here are The Traveling Professor's top 3 Italy lunch spots:
Cantina del Vesuvio: On our The Traveling Professor tours we always stop here on our way from touring Pompeii. The cantina is on the breezy side of Mount Vesuvius located on the property of a winery. The ashy soil gives the wine a unique taste but for me, it is the lunch that brings me here. It is served family style and constantly accompanied with generous pours of their delicious wines. The outdoor dining area has a view of the Bay of Naples. The billowing linen covering the dining areas blow in the breeze while appetizers of cheeses and meats are served up. After that, gigantic bowls of spaghetti, with organic tomatoes, grown in the volcanic soil makes up the lava red sauce. It’s nap time for me after lunch at the cantina.
Fattoria La Tagliata: Perched on the dramatic cliffs overlooking Positano, I would have to say this is the best lunch in Italy. Mama is in the kitchen and everything served is grown locally on the farm. Make this the first meal of the day because the food keeps coming and coming, all-you-can-eat family style. Start off with fresh mozzarella, salads with fresh tomatoes, chick-peas, salamis, steamed peas and broccoli. Then the pastas come. I love the pumpkin stuff ravioli, cannelloni, and gnocchi. If you have room, the freshly grilled beef, rabbit, sausage, and chicken is what you dreamed eating Italian would be. And the wine is included and generously poured. For me, there is nothing more authentic than this.
Osteria dei Fabbri: My favorite restaurant in my favorite Italian city of Padua. Located just inside the Jewish Ghetto, the restaurant has friendly staff. Meet other dining guests at the communal tables or with that special someone at a private table. No English menus here but I can tell you the zuppa di orzo e funghi procini e pancetta is a heavenly mix of orzo, porcini mushrooms, and bacon. As the main meal I enjoy the radicchio lasagna or the orecchiette with shrimp and broccoli. Sometimes when I visit Padua, I will have 3 or 4 meals here. I've posted a copy a copy of the menu on my Facebook page.