Archive for 'Food and Wine'

Altopascio is a charming small Tuscan town which is famous for its great tradition of bread making that has survived for centuries in the area.

In fact, though it may be little-known to tourists and a little off the beaten track, it is a bit of a mecca for bakers and even hosts a bread festival each year.

For this reason, it is known as the “town of bread”. In addition to delicious baked goods, however, the town has a lot more to offer and to be discovered.

If you like your holidays authentic and undiluted by tourist crowds and selfie sticks, this is a perfect destination, just find a vacation rental in Altopascio.

Gelato is a staple of most people's idea of Italy. One imagines children eating it while dashing around historic old piazzas and couples sharing some while walking pretty strands. It is deeply entwined with Italian culture and first appeared during banquets at the Medici court in Florence. It is said that Bernardo Buontalenti invented the ice cream for the court of Catherine de’ Medici in 1565. With a cold cream made from a base of milk, honey, and egg yolks with a splash of wine and aromatized with bergamot, lemons and oranges he wowed guests and the rest, as they say, is history.

Florence remains a great place to get gelato to this day with famous shops such as Edouardo's and Perche No! being musts. The Gelato Festival began in Florence last month and continues to travel around Italy, adding to why ice-cream lovers should find a holiday rental in Florence or in Italy and follow the delicious festival on its tour of the country this year!

Monte San Savino is a beautiful little Tuscan town located halfway between Siena and Arezzo and each year, it is home to a delicious food festival: the Sagra della Porchetta.

Food festivals are a penny a dozen in Italy with most towns having at least one but this one, in particular, promises some good eating. A well-known and popular event, it centres around suckling pig and is celebrated each September with a big festival and market where you can try the star of the show (the pig) or sample countless other local products and dishes.

Just find a luxury villa in Monte San Savino and you will be tasting the best pork of your life this September.

Torta coi bischeri is a typical Pisan dessert. “Torta” means cake and the word “bischero” literally means the small key which is used to adjust the strings of a violin. However, the word has developed dozens of other meanings in Tuscany. In the case of the Torta coi Bischeri, the word refers to the rolls of dough which are arranged during preparation to surround the cake, and which look exactly like the aforementioned violin key.

This “cake”, is actually closer to a tart and is made of chocolate decorated with currants, pine nuts and candied fruit. As well as the traditional recipe, there is also a green version which sees the rice mixed with beets. Although it is widely sold throughout Pisa, this cake actually originates from Pontasserchio.

In this village, the cake is especially popular during the month of April due to a festival where all residents must bake a spring dessert. As it is a popular gift amongst family and friends during Easter, it is an obvious choice. However, as so many of the cakes are made, each with the family's own recipe, the festival turns into a competition.

The best place to try the cake is in its birthplace or in the surrounding but if you’re too far away, you can try to make it at home with local ingredients. Follow our recipe for now and find a holiday rental in Pisa so you can try the real deal later – or, maybe, even compete in the festival yourself!

Once you have found the perfect holiday rental in Tuscany, the googling begins as you try and make a list of the things to see and do in this beautiful region of Italy. Food is probably going to be high on your list as Tuscany, in particular, is known for her delicious, hearty, simple and wholesome cuisine. You have probably sampled Tuscan dishes already but there is nothing quite like the real thing, especially if you are on holidays and enjoying the pace of life and surroundings of Tuscany. In order to make your life easier, we've gathered together some of the best treats that the region has to offer in this one series of posts on sweets in Tuscany. So, when you go to order a coffee to enjoy some afternoon as you sit in a piazza in Tuscany, you'll know exactly what kinds of sweets to ask for as the perfect accompaniment.