In most of Italy restaurants only serve lunch between 12.30 to 15.00. As you go from shop to shop in this Christmas frenzy, timing goes out of the window and before you know it you have missed your lunch slot. De Santis on Corso Magenta is a very small gourmet panini restaurant that is open from 12.00 to 24.00. A true blessing in Milan!

Imagine choosing from 200 different types of paninis. Each one with fresh ingredients, served between De Santis special fresh grilled bread, and then presented on a wooden board. This is no Subway! I am talking about basil flavoured goats cheese and marinated artichokes as just one of the tempting options.

Quick service, warm and rustic atmosphere, and fantastic paninis for approximately 10 euros a head. If you ever get a craving at 17.00 on a lazy Sunday you know where to get a delicious panini.

De Santis, Corso Magenta, 9, 003902875968, Milano 

I was recently told that I normally only write about the places I love. So, here is a place I do not recommend spending 100 Euros on: Joia, a Michelin star vegetarian restaurant in Milan. Pietro Leemann, the chef of this quite famous restaurant has come up with a very creative and unique menu. It is really difficult to choose from a menu when you have no restrictions, as everything is vegetarian! I chose to go with the Zenith menu, a 14 course menu at 100 euros per head. (The 8 course menu was at 80 euros.)

To wet our appetite we were given quite literally a small boiled carrot in a yogurt sauce. My sister was not impressed! (Background: before my sister’s visit I received texts such as: ”can we go to Napoli to eat pizza?” A boiled carrot was not quite what “Eat, pray, love” had portrayed to her!) Each course did get better, the flavours got more intense, and the colours more dramatic. There was clearly a careful logic in the flow of the menu. However, we would go from one course thinking it was a creative explosion of flavours in our mouth to simply disliking a particular dish.

Out of 14 dishes, I absolutely loved about 5, 4 were good, and I disliked 5. On average that does not merit 100 euros a head. We also felt that some concepts like frothed parmesan or ginger, or raspberry sauce were repeated far too often, for what was supposed to be a highly creative menu.

What is interesting about the menu is that each dish is given a very distinct name, from “An apparent egg” to “Simone was thinking of me”, which is then reflected in the ingredients and the type of presentation. I have to say I almost burst out laughing when we had the “Gong” desert. The waiter brought a gong for me to hit before I bit into what was actually a delicious desert. We did not appreciate being served on a plastic tweety plate for the “I remember” desert, in a Michelin star restaurant.

If you are being taken to Joia, I think it is an interesting experience and would suggest being open minded. Perhaps go for the 8 course menu. On the other hand, if you are forking out 100 Euros yourself there are better restaurants in Milan where you can get more value for your money.

Joia, Via P Castaldi 18, 0039229522124, Milano

It has been a year that I have been trying to go to Innocenti Evasioni. Finally I had the perfect excuse to totally indulge, not look at the prices on the menu and just go full out! I did not quite tell my dinner date that this was not a normal Saturday night restaurant. As we entered and we saw a “Jeunes restaurateurs d’Europe” plaque on the wall, I got that look, the “oh did you not check the prices on the website” look.

Homely, elegant and classic. A simple intimate layout, that by no means is posh, but restaurant eticacy is advised and southern Italian story telling can probably be left for another occasion!

When you are presented with such a tempting menu, it is difficult to share an appetizer and just have a main course. Have each course!  Innocenti Evasioni’s menu changes every month based on what is in season. Choose your antipasto carefully as I would not give top marks for mine; a stack of cut pumpkins and apples ! My first course was phenomenal – tortellini filled with chicory, pine nuts and grapes in a red wine sauce. I savored each and every bite! For my main course I enjoyed a wonderful display of porcini mushrooms and chestnuts layered between some sort of chestnut disks. For desert I could not resist a homemade sorbet of fichi d’india (prickly pear cactus fruit) with almond milk. Absolutely divine! To our surprise when we came to the end of our fine dinning experience we were presented with a dish of mini deserts…a perfect way to end a lovely meal.

We spent 80 euros per head, but we went all out, including an appetizer wine and a Barolo. I think you can easily dine at Innocenti Evasioni for 60 euros a head. The only negative thing I can say about Innocente Evasioni is the secluded location. If you do not have a car or scooter, take a taxi as we found it quite hard to find.

Innocenti Evasioni, Via Priv della Bindellina, 0039233001882, Milano

…wherefore art thou Romeo?

Deny thy father and refuse thy name;

or if thou will not, be but sworn my love,

And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.

Walk around the streets of Verona and it is hard not to feel like you are in the magical world of Romeo and Juliet. As you pass through the lovers’ houses and wonder the little streets of Verona, try to resist the tourist trap of dining at Osteria di Juliet or Trattoria di Romeo. When it comes to the matters of the stomach, you can leave Romeo and Juliet aside and instead dine at Osteria da Ugo (Vicolo Dietro S. Andrea 1/b, 0039 45 594400, Verona).

Whilst approaching Osteria da Ugo, which is tucked away behind the centre of Verona, we could hear the loud clatter of plates, the theatrical voices of Italian families and babies screaming. This is exactly where we would find a good Italian lunch on a Sunday.

I am not going to ruin the surprise of what you can eat here. Trust me, just go there, indulge in food from Veneto and make sure to try the torta with cheese, truffles and leeks…divine. For meat eaters, this place is a sanctuary or so I was told by my friend! And the deserts…well just take a look at this…yum!

 (Above picture – courtesy of Osteria da Ugo)

Zucca e Melone is where the idea of Travellers’ Places was born. It  is exactly this type of restaurant that inspired me to write about the unique places I have stumbled upon. Be it lunch or dinner, it is always such a pleasure to eat at Zucca e Melone. Christina and Miriam, the owners are so warm and friendly that I always feel like I am at their country home and they are my delightful hosts serving me delicious regional food.

Zucca e Melone ticks all my boxes. Cosy and rustic atmosphere, yet refreshing as Spring. Excellent hospitality. A good range of delicious vegetarian choices. Reasonable price. No wonder I keep on coming back!

All the dishes are great, but if I had to choose two then it would have to be 1) pear, cheese and pistachio risotto. 2) pumpkin soup with a dash of ricotta.

Zucca e Melone is simply a must. If you tell them you know the British Indian girl with her big camera, I am almost certain Christina and Miriam will be delighted to host you in their country kitchen.

Via Gian Giacomo Mora 3, 0039289455850, Milan – Italy

In the back streets of Sempione, quite close to Paolo Sarpi I was taken to a very cute, small Friulian osteria. From first impressions it may not be obvious just how good the food is.

Julian the owner is a serious connoisseur of the Friulian wines, cheeses and cold cut meats. Tell him your tastes and he will prepare a platter of his finest cheeses and will match the wine accordingly.

Absolute must is the risotto with Gorgonzola, nuts and rosemary. Each bite melts in your mouth as the risotto is so creamy. The rosemary gives a beautiful fragrance and subtle kick to the dish.

For desert I recommend either the chocolate crostini with pistachios or with pine nuts and apricot. The chocolate in both the crostini’s is fresh, dense and intense.

If you do not like cheese then this may not be the best place for you, as the osteria houses some quite strong smelling (though delicious) cheeses.

Well priced, excellent service, informal ambiance and superb food.

Ostarie Vecio Friul, Via Rosmini 5, 0039233601498, Milan – Italy

Quick, tasty and cheap. And for that reason, every time I have been to Pizza Biagio there has always been a queue outside the restaurant, even when its raining!

Biagio is a Napolean pizzeria, rustic and small, with tables covered with traditional red and white checked tablecloth. Its one of those places that is so good that you will find a mix of locals, international students and even models.

The pizzas made in a wooden oven with fresh ingredients are excellent, but the service is not the best. Note – Biagio do not accept cards.

For desert, I suggest you walk a few metres down to Chocolat on via Boccaccio, 9. One of the best gelaterias in Milan.

Pizza Biagio, Vincenzo Monti, 28, Milan - Italy

After a cold day in the snow, Capanna Carla in Gressoney – La – Trinite, is a perfect place to enjoy a warm hearty meal in an atmosphere that is so homely you feel like you are at your grandmother’s house for dinner.

Low wooden beam ceilings, narrow corridors, pots and pans lining the stair case and walls decorated with tapisseries dating 1800 fill this beautiful chalet looking building dated 1600.  With the negative temperatures outside you simply don’t want to leave Capanna Carla.

For starters I recommend the chestnuts in a mild honey sauce or the goats cheese with a hot chicory gravy. Both are delicious, and quite light on the stomach.

The zuppa valdostana is very typical of the area and is not what one expects of a soup. As oppose to a liquid soup, the zuppa is an ensemble of bread, cabbage and fontina cheese. It may not sound tempting, but trust me it hits the spot!

The combination of the cheese and cabbage gives a very rich taste. The dish itself is quite heavy and very warming - a perfect dish if you have spent the day skiing.

For desert the chocolate cake is just divine. It is not just a cake, but layers of chocolate in different textures from mouse to cake to small balls of chocolate. So light and fluffy I could have easily of had two!

The other deserts look delcious too, or that is what it seemed like from the tables near by!

If you are in the area and have a car, Capanna Carla is a must. Food, ambiance, service and value for money all rank very highly. What more could you want?

Capanna Carla, Loc Ciaval, 33, 11020 Gressoney-La-Trinite, 0039125366130, Val D’Aosta – Italy

I have been to this hidden Enoteca in Garibaldi 3 times, and the 4th time I took 5 Italians with high culinary tastes and 9 British Indians who were novice to beautifully selected wines and mouth watering cheeses. All 14 loved it! Cinghiale Rosso is one of my favourite places in Milan. It is an enoteca that is a hidden gem, warm and cosy and so inviting that you can spend hours and hours here.  The atmosphere is almost perfect for a date but at the same time perfect for a group of friends or family.

Cinghiale Rosso is the opposite of most places in Milan, where service is poor, prices are more expensive than London, and people are people watching. Each time I have been to Cinghiale Rosso, I have been given great advise from the owner on which wine to choose from their endless list and which selection of cheeses I should match with it. The cheeses which are combined with fresh jams are divine. My favourite is the mozarella di bufala oozing with cream.

Though it is not just all about wines and cheeses. The artichoke salad is the best I have tried in Milan; a simple mix of carefully selected ingredients. In addition the Roman salad (I have still not figured out what the vegetable is in English) though slightly bitter is a refreshing taste on the palette. The mains (the pumpkin lasagna and black rice) are not much to boast about. However deserts absolutely are! You can not leave here without trying the Tiramisu with Moscata wine or the Salame de Chocolate (salumi shape slices of chocolate and nuts).

All the deserts are great but those two are my favourite. You can choose your desert with or without a desert wine.

All in all an absolute must, a warm and cosy atmosphere with delicious wines, cheeses, salads and deserts. Excellent service and great value for money.

Cinghiale Rosso, Viale Monte Grappa 6a, 00392 87386336, Milan - Italy