When Katie Parla set out to study art history in Italy, she found herself far more interested in food and wine. A New Jersey native who grew up in a restaurant family, she thought she knew Italian food until she moved there. She’s spent the past 16 years exploring the cuisines, living in Rome and pursuing recipes from chefs and grandmothers alike.

Following her popular “Tasting Rome,” written with Kristina Gill (Clarkson Potter, 2016), she headed south and visited Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Molise and Puglia for her newest book: “Foods of the Italian South: Recipes for Classic, Disappearing and Lost Dishes” (Clarkson Potter, $30), which arrives in stores in March.