During the Italian Renaissance, trade, science, music, spices and the arts flowed both in and out of Italy in great waves, further contributing to its assimilation of multi-cultural elements. In fact, during this period the Italians developed our modern day cooking techniques and in turn taught them to the French. While the Italians were later suffering the domination of othe rs, it was the French who codified these techniques and subsequently became famous for them, returning them to Italy in the 18th and 19th centuries. While the Italians are the unsung heroes of today's culinary arts, it is not surprising they were not concerned with documenting their contributions. The culture and people always survive on their own.
Structure is superfluous.
Geographically speaking, Italy revels in a most desirable range of agricultural settings, with rich soil as well as temperate climates in the central mass, warmer regions in the south and extreme cold only in the higher elevations of the Alps. Consequentl y, the cultivated crops and livestock are of premium quality, which the Italians ensure through numerous guilds and government enforced standards of quality. Italians may not respect many laws, but those concerning the superiority of their food products a re not ones to be violated. The most difficult part of planning a gastronomic trip to Italy is not figuring out where to go, but rather what regions you could afford to miss. The specialties of each area are so distinct and vibrant that you will want to explore every region, and not just for the food, but for the people, arts and sights as well.