Eating and Travelling Around Italy

I feel as though many people, particularly foodies, want to be Italian at some stage or at least want to emulate their lifestyle. To the casual observer, they look as though they have the meaning of life sorted out. And even if they don't, they look like they are having a great time. And one arena in which Italians do it better is with slow food. That is, food that takes time to mature and ripen and perfect like traditional aged balsamic vinegar. Maybe that's their secret?