Ever year on 2 June, 60 million Italians celebrate their annual holiday of Independence. Not to be left out of the celebrations, another 20 million people, descendants of Italians who have settled in cities as diverse in character as Sydney, New York, San Francisco and Tel Aviv pass the day reminiscing about the joys of the good old days in the old country, and many of those reminiscences will center about the consumption of Italian food and wines. There is no reason, in Italy or in Israel to wait to celebrate Italian food on that specific day, and a good deal of Italian culinary pleasure awaits in any of the following restaurants. Unless otherwise noted, prices are moderate.

Il Pazzo 2 Vital, Florentine Quarter. Tel Aviv. (03) 681-3992. Mon- Sat 12:00 - 24:00. Excellent Italian dining in a sophisticated setting with an broad wine list. Conchilli with arugula and cheese, seafood pasta, stuffed quails, designer pizzas, meat patties filled with cheese.

Pronto 26 Nachmani, Tel Aviv. (03) 566-0915. Daily 12:30- 24:00. A long established Tel Aviv favorite. Pleasing ambiance, good service and good wine list. Panzaroti (fried balls of cheese and basil), cannelonis with pureed liver, parpadelli with beef ragout, risotto with porcini mushrooms.

Spaghettim 8 Rabbi Akiva, Jerusalem. (02) 623-5547. Daily 12:00 - 01:00. 57 sauces to go with your spaghetti. Try the carbonara with bacon, ham and white wine or the aravietto with tomatoes, pepper and garlic. Reasonable prices.

Bella Venezia Yad Charutzim (near corner of Maskit), Herzliya Pituach. (09) 957-6126. Daily 12:00 - 23:00. A comfortable Italian restaurant with a warm welcome and good service. Best bets are the fish soup, gnocchi with cream sauce and pine nuts, scallopine alla Marsala.

Isabella 6 Ben Gurion, Haifa. (04) 855-2201. Daily 09:30 - 00:00. This informal restaurant offers great designer pizzas and foccaccio based dishes. Also good antipasti, beef fillet with mushrooms, and pasta dishes (the sauces are often excellent).

Bellini 6 Yehieli (Suzanne Dellal Center), Tel Aviv. (03) 517-8486. Daily 12:00 - 16:00 and 19:00 - 24:00. A lovely setting, relaxed atmosphere and friendly service. Foccaccia with olives, eggplant and cheese, fettuccini with seafood; gnocchi in four-cheese sauce, veal alla Marsala.

Pasta Mia 10 Wilson, Tel Aviv. (03) 561-0189. Mon - Sat 12:00 - 24:00. The kind of place that gives simplicity its good name, with what may be the overall best pasta offerings in the city. Gnocchi with butter and garlic, cheese filled raviolis with a mushroom and red wine sauce, fettuccine Alfredo. Reasonable prices.

Piccola Pasta 12 Mendele, Tel Aviv. (03) 620-3257. Mon - Sat 18:00 - 24:30. A tiny, hyper simple trattoria offering primarily pasta dishes, all of which are good, and an amazing selection of wines, many of which can be ordered by the glass. Nothing tricky or experimental here but delicious. Trust me on this one! Reasonable - Moderate Prices.

Stuzzi 60 Rothschild, Tel Aviv. (03) 566-5655. Sun - Thurs 12:00 - 02:00, Fri until 17:00, Saturday night. The pizza joint par excellence and remarkably in. Thin crusted pizzas, many of which quite imaginative and a few pasta offerings appear daily. Reasonable prices.

© Daniel Rogov