Cookies are a beloved treat enjoyed by people of all ages and around the world.

In Italy, one of the go-to cookies are Brutti ma Buoni. These Italian cookies, aka biscotti, literally translate to "Ugly but Good." If you see them, to us Americans, they look like an ordinary homemade version of one of our cookies. However, in Italy, where the “bella figura” is “mandatory,” in every sense of the word, even food has to “look good:” there are no exceptions to the rule, not even the humble cookie.

So, when Italians started to make cookies that look like the typical lumps of baked dough that we love so much in America, they started to be called what they literally look like, and, when you think about, they do have an unappetizing look to them… But, boy, are they good!

Get an authentic recipe from a trattoria in Italy inside.

This is not a pot roast recipe from your grandma… but a beef roast recipe with a piedmontese cuisine flair. Explore the bold red Nizza barbera wine and enjoy it with this traditional Monferrato roast recipe. It has a Piemontese touch with a hazelnut gravy and a wine pairing that will wow at your next dinner, and warm you up as the days get colder heading into fall.

To get the full-on experience of the Langhe, a gorgeous land of plenty in Piedmont Italy, known for having some of the best red wines in the world, you have to try it food. Read about it and get a recipe for a delicious yet kinda unusual dish, called Bagna Cauda, a recipe from a real Italian Nonna.