From Kyle Phillips,
Your Guide to Italian Food.
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With the arrival of the summer months, Italians flee the cities whenever possible -- down to the shore to catch some rays, or up into the mountains to escape the heat. Food plays an important part in this, especially in escapes to the hills, where, come lunch time folding chairs, picnic tables, and coolers appear, and everyone settles in the shade of the trees.

Though people will grill up sausages, a steak, lamb chops, or perhaps a chicken if lighting fires is permitted, they generally bring cold cuts such as prosciutto, salame (usually raw pork), finocchiona (a salame containing a healthy jolt of fennel), capocollo or coppa (cured pork shoulder butt), and a variety of cheeses, especially pecorino (in Tuscany). Of course a picnic that consists primarily of sandwiches isn't much of a picnic -- one really needs something else as well, some sort of a salad, or cold pasta, or rice. These dishes need not be limited to picnics; they're perfect at home too, when it's hot enough that something cool and refreshing (which can be made ahead and refrigerated) is ideal.

Bollito Misto di Verdure
It's difficult to imagine summer without mixed boiled vegetables served cold. They're excellent on picnics too.

Bowties with Almonds, String beans, Feta and Tomatoes
A tasty pasta salad that gains zest from feta cheese, richness from almonds, and balance from string beans.

What's in a Name? Or, a Different Pastiera
Pastiera is usually a sumptuous grain pie laced with oranges that no Neapolitan would feel right without on Easter. However, the word can have other meanins, and here is Anette's Mom's savory pastiera, eggy, cheesy baked pasta that's perfect picnic food and ideal for Pasquetta, Easter Monday.

Conchiglie al Pesto Rosso
The work pesto derives from pestare, to step on or grind, and therefore the sauce need not be green, especially if it's based on sun-dried tomatoes.

Fagioli alla Mugnaia
I'm not quite certain what millers have to do with this refreshing bean salad from the Marches.

Fagiolini in Insalata
A quick, refreshing summer string bean salad from Friuli Venezia Giulia. Good for a picnic too!

Fagiolini e Tonno in Insalata
String beans and tuna, seasoned with lemon juice: Profoundly refreshing.

Farfalle Con Pollo e Fagioli in Salsa Piccante
Chicken, beans, and a spicy sauce: Deft, and quite refreshing.

Fusilli ai Fiori di Zucca
Zucchini blossoms mark the arrival of summer, and work quite nicely in this pasta salad.

Fusilli Con Verdura e Mozzarella
Grilled vegetables have a spicy tang that blends quite nicely with mozzarella's richness.

Insalata Caprese
Mozzarella and tomatoes: In small portions this is a nice summer appetizer; in larger amounts it is refreshing summer meal or fine picnic food.

Insalata di Farfalle e Peperoni
Butterflies with bell peppers, tomatoes and mozzarella.

Insalata di Pasta Profumata al Limone
A tasty lemony pasta salad with plenty of tuna, which makes it a meal by itself (or with a green salad)

Insalata di Riso
Chilled rice salad varies greatly from cook too cook, but it's invariably delightful and refreshing.

Marinated Tomatoes, Pomodori Marinati
A quick, simple tomato salad that will be nice at a picnic or barbecue.

Panzanella
Like ribollita, this is a solution to the problem of what to do with stale bread. An extremely refreshing solution.

Paste all'Ammiraglio
Chilled pasta, perfect when the weather's hot and the tomatoes are first-rate.

Timballo di Spaghetti con le Melanzane
An unusual pasta pie whose crust is made of eggplant rather than dough. Perfect for the summer months!

What to serve with these? Depends; if it's quite hot a lightly chilled Lambrusco (I especially like these) will be wonderful, as will a light white wine, for example a Colli Albani. So will water or beer.

Last thing -- Frittate also make nice picnic foods, as do friselle.
And you will find instructions for making salami, prosciutto and other cold cuts (winter projects, these)here.

Good Food & Drink,
Kyle Phillips