Italy

Pizza forms a significant part of Italy’s success stories, but surprisingly, it doesn’t have a unique national recipe. Out of the extensive pizza types in existence, Neapoletana is the country’s most famous pizza, prepared with simple and fresh ingredients: a basic dough, raw tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, and olive oil. No fancy toppings are allowed! UNESCO classifies it as an intangible cultural heritage. The Roman pizza is flat and crispy. The Sicilians like theirs thick and fluffy, while Apulians prefer frying small dough pockets called panzerotti.

Pasta is a favorite delicacy among Italians and has varied ways of making it depending on the region. Apart from the various recipes and shapes, Italy has some rules on how to make authentic pasta. For example, you shouldn’t overcook it or serve it with chicken or ketchup sauce.

Vespas are to Italy as yellow cabs are to New York. Introduced in 1946, these stunning scooters gained fame following their numerous appearance on silver screen. Actors like Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in Roman Holiday, and Anita Ekberg in La Dolce Vita steered the scooters popularity further after taking scenes that featured vespas.