In Italy the trattoria is a casual restaurant where Italians go for typical home-style food made with local ingredients. From region to region the meals change to reflect the specialties of the area: the olive in Puglia, prosciutto di San Daniele in Friuli, truffles in Piedmont. Trattoria Italia is a tour of culinary Italy, with recipes for foods from the country's regions from Trentino to Sicily. Each chapter presents the beauty and bounty of the region's landscape, followed by the favorite recipes of the people--Italian soul food such as the Ligurian fish stew caciucco, herbed fava bean salad, sausage and polenta gratin with tomato sauce, and sweet fried ravioli. Detailed essays on the production and uses of essential regional ingredients make this a book for reading both in and out of the kitchen. For travelers, there are listings of area restaurants, typical wines and cheese, and local sources for shopping. For the home chef or the gourmet voyager, Trattoria Italia is the key to Italy's soul food.