For all its versatility, Italian cuisine often comes down to basics. Its simplicity is what first captured the attention of Gina Marinelli, partner and chef at La Strega in Las Vegas. “The first time I actually went to Italy and saw the simplicity behind the dishes,” she says, “that’s when I fell in love with it.”

Over the course of her career, Marinelli has worked with a handful of noteworthy chefs, including three-time James Beard Award winner Scott Conant. But after cooking for years in Las Vegas, she yearned to better understand Italian cuisine and decided to go on a self-guided gastronomic tour.