Mamma mia! Is it time for a new issue of delicious. already?

It is, and it’s not any old issue, either. It’s our annual Italian blow-out and it’s on sale now, an indulgent celebration of pizza, pasta, polenta, risotto, gelato and everything else that makes the country’s cuisine one of the best in the world. Editor-in-chief Kerrie McCallum calls it “a carb celebration of the highest order” – and we’ve got the recipes to back that up and keep you cooking well into spring.

While it’s hard to pick from the issue’s many highlights, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention our lunch with the godfathers of Italian-Australian cooking. Managing editor Shannon Harley spent a long, boozy afternoon with Guy Grossi, Giovanni Pilu, Adriano Zumbo, Massimo Mele, Richard Ptacnik, Federico Zanellato and Nino Zoccali. As Mele wisely observes (or perhaps warns): “It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon!”

We also head to Italy itself, with some of the best guides going. We follow Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi to Sicily, Kate Gibbs to Rome, and Shannon Bennett to Milan, where he gives himself just 24 hours to discover the quintessential Milanese meal. Matt Preston tells us why he loves Sicily (well, sort of, anyway) and tells us about his experiences with Nigella Lawson on MasterChef.

Closer to home, national restaurant critic Anthony Huckstep heads to the Adelaide hinterland, where he gets hot and bothered learning about olive oil extraction, and to the Dolphin Hotel in Sydney’s Surry Hills, where he marvels at the redesign and lauds Maurice Terzini’s simple but masterful fare.

Recipes? Sì. Molte ricette. Colin Fassnidge invents a saltimbocca to rival nonna’s, Phoebe Wood gets her Italian on with collections of trattoria-inspired dishes and dolci, and Samantha Coutts ramps up the health factor in time for spring with a series of nutritious Mediterranean offerings. If you’re looking for one last blow-out before spring, Valli Little’s got you covered, putting Italian cheese front and centre. And we haven’t even mentioned the stuff that Jamie Oliver, Silvia Colloca and Matt Moran have lined up for you. Everyone’s going Italian this month!

The September 2016 issue of delicious. is on sale now. Prepare yourself for another month of cibo ottimo, vino grande and great reading. Salute!