Archive for 'Products & Specialities'

Tuscan food is one of the main things that draws people to the region as a holiday destination. So, if you have found a luxury villa in Florence, a vacation rental in Chianti or a holiday villa in Pisa, then you're probably looking forward to all the delicious foods you will get to eat! We have written about a lot of classic Tuscan dishes in the past and have given recipes so you can try and make them for yourself. Here are some of the most famous and important of those that we have covered and links to the recipes so you can get cooking while you plan your holiday!

1. Cacciucco Alla Viareggina

This typical Tuscan seafood soup comes from the famous seaside resort town of Viareggio and consists of octopus, cuttlefish, mussels, shrimp and more. It is a hearty traditional dish that will delight seafood lovers and while the garlic and fish may not leave you smelling the freshest, it's definitely worth the strong scent!

If you have found a luxury villa in Florence, you are probably planning to track down and visit as many of the city's important tourist attractions and cultural gems as possible and that's busy work that will be sure to work up an appetite! Tuscany and Florence, in particular, are wonderful places to be hungry as there is a wealth of incredible dishes and a staggering amount of restaurants and eateries to choose from. If you are planning your visit for March, then you're really in luck as that is when Taste, the biggest foodie festival in the city, takes place!

Now in its 13th edition, Taste is an annual hybrid fair for both traders and the general public that began in 2006 and is an exploration and celebration of food, beverages, hospitality and restaurants in Italy. Planned as a collaboration between Pitti Immagine Srl and Davide Paolini, the fair will take place at Stazione Leopolda from March 10th to 12th this year.

There are lots of different pastries and sweets that are produced in Tuscany and that typical of her towns and cities. This is particularly true of festive treats like Pienza's panforte and Siena's penpepato. There are lots of lesser-known Christmas sweets from around the region, as well, such as Pitigliano's “sfratti“. Shaped like a stick, they are made of a tube layer of pastry filled with a delicious mix of honey, candied orange, walnuts and nutmeg. Just as this is a well-kept secret and unique traditional treat for international tourists, the town, too, is an underrated and charming gem. Just find a vacation rental in Pitigliano and discover these sweets and its many other charms this festive season.

Christmas in Tuscany is a magical thing. There is no shortage of wonderful sights to see, events to attend and foods to try during the festive season.

Of course, if you're interested in food, in particular, there is one destination that stands out as a perfect choice of a Tuscan city in which to spend Christmas...Siena, of course! There are plenty of great options for places to spend the festive period, as we have been discussing in this series of posts, but here are some more of our particular picks of Tuscan cities that make for great Christmas travel destinations.

Lardo di Colonnata is one of those must-try typical food products in Italy. Interestingly, it is also actually made using two great Tuscan products: the white marble of the Apuan Alps and Tuscan pork, the main livestock of the region. Both products have long histories in Tuscany, as well, with marble having been quarried since the time of the Ancient Romans and pork having been raised consistently since the time of the Barbarians who came after the Romans.