The fact that what you eat before the main course is called the before-pasti makes it pretty clear. The word for meal is basically also the word for pasta.

The last time someone took issue with my opinion on this, they gave me a list of foods demonstrating the huge range. It was a few different kinds of pasta, and some sauce that goes on pasta. You have done better than the last person, but the point isn't that there's anything wrong with Italian food. It's that in many parts of Italy, that's all there is, and they seem to be proud of this limited range. Just Italian food. Compared to the richness of food from a much broader range of origin countries that is on offer in many other countries, it can't compete, and it appears limited and dull.

I had to look up the Jon Snow reference. I though it would be some clever quip about the veteran British journalist. Turned out to be a meme based on a similarly dull soap opera. Spare me (although as a way to soften telling someone they don't know anything, it's not bad).

Here's someone else failing to find a curry in Naples: http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g187785-i421-k2751875...