Italian Cuisine Hotels & Restaurants With a culinary history that stretches back centuries, Italian cuisine is one of the world’s favorites. Spumoni ice cream, spaghetti, lasagna and pizza are traditional dishes that are widely available in the United States. Beyond these basic dishes, there are a number of regional favorites like Parmesan cheese and Parma ham. One part of Italy is even known for making a kind of maggot cheese. The cheese is fermented and allowed to sit out so that flies lay eggs. Afterward, it is packed at the perfect time for maggots to develop. It might not suit everyone’s taste buds, but it is a specialty from the country. If this cheese is not to your liking, the country has more than 400 types of cheese. Although Italian cuisine varies from region to region, each meal will generally be set up in a similar way. It will begin with the antipasto or appetizer menu. Next, diners enjoy the primo course which consists of pasta or rice. The second course is a meat. To top it off, the last course is the dolce or dessert course.