It’s breakfast somewhere in Southern Tuscany and my husband is rolling his eyes because I’m devouring a plate of pancakes with bacon and maple syrup. Italians can be insufferable when it comes to food and my own born-and-bred Toscano makes for the most annoying mealtime companion, complaining about everything from drinking soda with dinner to mixing sweet and savoury. 

I’ve developed an unhealthy addiction to, of all things, tabasco, since I moved to Italy, so he gave up lecturing me a while back, biting his tongue as I slather hot sauce on everything, but there are still plenty of expats and intrepid travellers who do want to eat like a local.