I'm not telling you this Stefano, this is for everyone else... I've eaten Pizza (and derivatives) in a few cities in Italy. But apart from that, I also know a bit about food in general.

Mozzarella - *REAL* mozzarella, isn't the typical "cheese" most Americans would think of. First, you could be talking about buffalo milk. Next you could be talking about FRESH. Not that slab in a plastic shrink-wrap that looks like any other Kraft product. The US also doesn't have some of the cheese selection available in other countries due to its pasturization requirements.

In Toronto you can get Pizza at any number of places that is pretty much the same as you could get in many places in Italy. There are all the same garbage fast-food places as in the US of course.

Damn, in Firenze (Florence), I had a calzone with an entire mozzarella inside (at least the size of a baseball). And that was my second plate. My first was an enormous platter of gnochi (mmm!) with a side of beans (hey, you have to have them when you're in the region). Needless to say, I didn't finish the calzone.

If you want to sample the best foods from all nationalities in one place, there is absolutely no other place on earth to do it other than New York City. The second best for variety would probably be Toronto. You can find "authentic" in some US cities, but you have to look very carefully. Even in NYC. And certainly in Boston (though their Italian neighborhood has some excellent restaurants). Toronto has a fresh-enough supply of immigrants that you can get pretty much exactly what they're making in whatever country, the same way it's being made that same month.

Oh, and in Italy (or just plain in Italian), if you want anything similar to American Pepperoni, you're looking for a type of "sausage". So your best bet is to ask for that: "salsiccia." But why bother. You can get so many other things. Just remember, when in Italy, KEEP IT SIMPLE. Italian food is about simplicity. They're just going to look at you funny if you want everything but the kitchen sink in a dish.

Bruno

I pity the fool that eats any of that Prego or Ragu crap.