Imagine this: You are sitting at a long table inside a structure suspended right over the water, a historic trabocco (an ancient, wooden coastal fishing platform), hosted by my dear friend, the passionate traboccante Rinaldo.
As you look out, you are completely surrounded by the endless blue of the Adriatic Sea, listening to the waves crash beneath you.
The local wine is flowing, and a basket of warm, crusty, wood-fired bread is placed on the table. Naturally, you reach for a slice.
Then another. It is absolutely delicious, and you are hungry after a beautiful morning of travel.
But then, the real magic happens. Out from the kitchen comes a massive clay pot of authentic Brodetto alla Vastese, our rich, traditional seafood stew packed with the fresh daily catch. Your mouth waters. You take one bite and realize it is one of the most incredible things you have ever tasted.
You want to devour it. But suddenly, a wave of fullness hits you. You look down, defeated, and realize you filled up on the bread. Just plain bread, without even any toppings on it!
This exact scenario inspired a foundational philosophy on my tours, a concept I share with all our travelers, and something I affectionately call the “Organize Your Room” moment.
The day I discovered the secret of the ROOM
The story goes back fifteen years, during one of the very first experiential tours I ever hosted here in Abruzzo. We were sitting down for a magnificent, multi-course lunch. One of our guests, a lovely woman from the United States, was so enthusiastic about the antipasti and our local bread that she ate heartily right from the start, filling up on plain slices.
By the time the star of the show arrived, the Brodetto alla Vastese, a dish she had been dreaming about trying for years, she could only manage a tiny bite. She looked at me with genuine heartbreak in her eyes, patted her stomach, and sighed in her perfect American English, “Fabrizio, I am so full. I just don’t have any more ROOM!”
In that moment, a lightbulb went off. I realized that when travelers come to Italy, they are treated to an abundance of fresh food unlike anything they experience back home. Every lunch and dinner is an unhurried, multi-course celebration of local agriculture. But if you don’t strategize, you miss out on the crowning jewels of regional cuisine.
So, I told her, and I have told every traveler since: “You need to organize your ROOM!” To be absolutely clear, I do not mean your hotel suite! I mean your stomach space. You have to view your appetite as a beautifully curated ROOM, and you must design and organize it wisely.
“Fabrizio, I need a new house!”
Over the years, running out of space has become a hilarious recurring theme. My travelers often come up to me mid-meal with big laughs and funny jokes. It happens all the time!
Someone will inevitably pat their stomach, look at me with wide eyes, and say: “Fabrizio, organizing my room isn’t enough anymore… I don’t need a larger room, I need a whole new house!“
Others joke that they urgently need to buy an extra plot of land just to build an extension on their stomach.
It always gets the whole table laughing and perfectly captures the joy of an abundant Italian family meal.
A secret turn, a custom polo and a big laugh
This phrase became such a beloved running tradition on our adventures that I decided to make it official.
I had custom polo shirts, t-shirts, and cozy hoodies printed with the Italia Sweet Italia logo on the front and this exact catchphrase slashed across the back.
Now, at the beginning of our very first meal together, right before the appetizers hit the table, I love to create a little theatrical suspense.
I stand up, look at the group, and say, “My friends, before we take a single bite, there is one critical golden rule of Italian travel you must know.”
Then, I slowly turn my back to the table, pointing right over my shoulder to the bold text on my shirt or hoodie so everyone can read it.
It completely hooks the room! Everyone bursts out laughing, reads the words out loud, and the ice is instantly broken.
It’s my favorite way to capture everyone’s attention and set a fun, relaxed tone for the rest of the journey.
More than a joke: a philosophy against food waste
But beneath the humor and the custom gear lies a deeply rooted Italian value that my team and I hold sacred: a profound respect for the land and a strict commitment to zero food waste.
Think about the sheer authenticity of making fresh pasta alla chitarra (traditional square-cut egg pasta) or pallotte cacio e ova (cheese and egg balls) alongside my mother, Mamma Anna Maria, and our cousin Rosa. Picture yourself sitting down with my family at a long, beautifully set table right under the olive trees in our backyard garden. As you eat, you look out at a panoramic view of the Adriatic Sea on one side and rolling vineyards of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo on the other, sipping on wine crafted right on the premises by my cousin Angelo.
In our traditional lifestyle, food like this is a masterpiece. When we gather around the table, eating Chilometro Zero (Zero-Kilometer / farm-to-table) food, wasting a single bite because you filled up on plain bread feels like a tragedy. We select and propose our menus specifically so that everyone can try everything on the table, experiencing the full depth of our culture without feeling uncomfortably stuffed when the main course arrives. Organizing your “ROOM” is how you honor the artisans and the family who cooked for you.
My Golden Rules for Savvy Appetite Strategy
When you join me on the backroads of Italy, mass tourism and rushed buffet lines do not exist. We slow down. We savor. To help you maximize your culinary journey, my team and I use a specific strategy:
- Pace the Pane (Bread): I will never deny you bread! But remember: it is the opening act, not the headliner. Avoid eating slice after slice of plain bread with nothing on it at the very start. Save that precious ROOM.
- The Strategic Menu Preview: Right after I show off the back of my shirt, I will personally present the entire menù of the day to you. This isn’t just to make your mouth water; it’s so you can look ahead, see if our famous arrosticini (tender mutton skewers) are coming, and budget your stomach space perfectly!
- Trust the Ammazzacaffè: If you do happen to over-indulge and run out of ROOM, don’t panic. The final step of an authentic Italian meal is a tiny glass of regional liqueur, like our sweet local Ratafia, served right after your espresso. We call this the ammazzacaffè (literally, “the coffee killer”).
It is a time-tested digestif designed to settle the stomach and magically clear out a little extra space.
Traveling through the authentic heart of Italy is a journey meant to nourish your soul. By learning to organize your stomach, you ensure that every magnificent flavor has the perfect space to leave a lasting memory.
If you are ready to experience Italy like a true local, don’t just browse the web blindly. Head straight over to our Italian Cookery Holidays Calendar and Booking Page to save your seat at our next table!
Ciao for now,
Fabrizio
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