fwiw if you want to ship DOP stuff from Italy directly I've had good luck with Emporio del Buongustaio out of Rome. they ship to Berlin in about 4-5 days and their pecorino Romano is the real deal with the DOP stamp. their pasta selection is mostly dried though so not what you're after for fresh

for fresh egg pasta you could also try Mercato del Vino in Kreuzberg near U-Bahn Mehringdamm. they make their own pasta on tuesdays and thursdays and will tell you exactly what they have in stock if you call ahead. their rigatoni is a bit thicker than usual which I actually prefer

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honestly for fresh egg pasta your best bet is probably a local italian deli rather than shipping. there's a place called Feinkost Focacceria near U-Bahn Schönleinstraße that makes their own pasta fresh a few times a week, they do rigatoni and pappardelle. their pecorino is solid too but not DOP labeled

for online DOP stuff I've used gustiamo before they ship to germany no problem but shipping can take like a week. also check out the italian market at Arminiusmarkthalle in Moabit, the guys there have a great selection of imported cheeses and they'll order stuff for you if you ask. prices are a bit higher than online but you can see what you're getting

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just go to Lidl or Rewe like everyone else. they have fresh pasta in the refrigerated section and it's fine. for DOP cheese you're overthinking this, order from galbani's german site they ship in 2 days. nobody's importing artisanal pasta from ital

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i'd say skip the big names and look at studiowest in prenzlauer berg, they do amazing japanese style but the waitlist is like 6 months. if u want something quicker, the artists at bitterlich tattoo in mitte are super underrated, especially for fine line. and honestly, walk past the instagram hype, go to a shop in person and ask to see their portfolio book, that's where the real stuff is.

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The Berlin tattoo scene is pretty spread out, so it depends on what style you're after. For fine line and minimalist work, I'd look at A Fine Line in Kreuzberg, they're booked out weeks in advance for a reason. If you want bold traditional, check out Die Wilde Ecke in Neukölln, they've been around forever and the artists there are solid. Honestly, your best bet is to scroll through Instagram and find someone whose healed work you like, not just the fresh photos, because that's where the real skill shows.

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One thing nobody's mentioned yet is the tattoo convention at Arena Berlin, usually in early summer. It's a good way to see a bunch of styles in one afternoon and talk to artists face to face without committing to a shop. I found my guy there three years ago, he works out of a tiny studio near Boxhagener Platz and does amazing neo-traditional, but he rarely posts on Instagram so you'd never discover him otherwise. Bring cash if you go, a lot of the booths only take that on the day.

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