Osteria Il Vicolo

Rick Steves says to go a little off the tourist street to get an authentic meal. I was lucky to find the Osteria Il Vicolo. It is down a side street and only one employee speaks English. Thanks to translation apps, no problem. Plus you gotta love a restaurant with an antique Moto Guzzi in the foyer and scooters decorating the dining room.

My primo plat was cannelloni alla Valdostana. Pasta tubes with a mixture of local cheese served in a casserole.
My secundi was beef alla Valdostana. I'm eating locally tonight. Beef is sliced thinly and covered with a slice of ham and cheese and then grilled. It's served with polenta, which I love because it's like grits and I love grits. I had to have dessert and ordered a panne cota. Now I know how it is supposed to taste like. Not just smooth and a little sweet (just a little so the fruit confiture can add its sugars) but solid, like a flan. Everything I've eaten at Italian restaurants in the States is put to shame.
I topped it off with a digestif, Gin Genesi an aromatic gin from Sardinia.Read more