---
title: "Happy Table: What to Eat on Your Italy Road Trip"
description: What to eat in Venice, Lake Como, the Cinque Terre, Florence and the Val d'Orcia on our Italy road trip this autumn, from moeche to white truffle.
author: Dr Marina Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
date: 2026-09-15T13:00:00.000Z
updated: 2026-09-15T13:27:51.193Z
canonical: https://richwoman.co/article/happy-table-what-to-eat-italy-road-trip-autumn
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/pexels-cozy-venetian-canal-side-restaurant-with-patrons-enjoying-a--15710118.jpg
categories: Food & Culture
content_type: Guide
region: Italy
publication: Rich Travel Magazine
schema_type: Article
---

We are driving Italy this autumn in five stops: three nights in Venice, five on Lake Como, three in the Cinque Terre, four in Florence and one night in the Val d'Orcia before we turn for home. The route and the nights are in [our road trip plan](https://richtravelmagazine.com/article/italy-road-trip-venice-como-cinque-terre-florence-val-dorcia). This piece is the other half of it: what we intend to eat at each stop, and why each thing is worth ordering in these weeks rather than any others.

In Italy the season decides the menu more than the cook does. The same osteria serves a different plate in November from the one it served in June, because the lagoon crabs are only soft for a few weeks, the anchovies were salted in July and are only ready now, the olives go to the mill in October and the white truffle comes out of the ground in November. Travelling in October and November means we miss things. The violet artichoke shoots of Sant'Erasmo, for one, are a late April to June crop, and no amount of asking will produce them. It also means we arrive in time for a short list of things that happen only now.

## Cicchetti and Moeche in Venice

---

*This article is only available to registered readers. Visit the article URL to read the full piece.*