ITS FOOD & DRINK
From fish to meat by way of soup. Tasty Tuscan cooking knows no bounds and extends from 'Finocchiona' (ground seasoned pork) to 'caciucco alla livornese' (a delicious fish soup made with scorpion fish, scampi and red mullet) and 'ce alla pisana' (eel fry mixed with egg, oil, sage and parmesan cheese). A rich menu of titbits such as 'soppressata' (salami made from cured-dry pork and flavoured with and black peppercorns), raw prosciutto (especially wild boar), ribollita (Tuscan vegetable and bread soup), bean soup with lard or spelt soup. In the pole position among first courses, 'pappardelle al sugo di lepre' (wide noodles with hare sauce), 'pappa al pomodoro' (tomato soup thickened with bread), black rice with cuttlefish and acquacotta (literally 'cooked water,' a vegetable soup that, in the past, was the single-dish meal of the Maremma cowherds - made with potatoes, chicory, egg, stockfish and homemade bread). A Florentine steak is a sumptuous dish (young beef loin from the Chianina or Maremma breed), and the mixed grill is also excellent, perhaps accompanied by a side of Cannellini beans cooked 'alluccelletto' (seasoned with tomato, garlic and sage) while among the sweets that standout there are 'cenci' (ribbons of sweet pasta fried and sprinkled with sugar), 'cantucci,' biscotti with Prato anise and 'brigidini' (anise-flavoured wafers).
ITS SIGHTS
Florence would be enough to make the region one of the most beloved destinations of tourists from everywhere. But Tuscany's authentic beauty is certainly more than what's reflected in this refined city of the Medicis. Other cities are similarly deserving of a visit, such as Siena with its Piazza del Campo, the setting of the city's mythic Palio, Pisa with its Leaning Tower and the Baptistery; Arezzo, with Pieve di Santa Maria and Leghorn with its old fortress. The so-called 'Toscana Minore,' or Lesser Tuscany, is also extremely interesting. It is more laid-back and discrete, but still fascinating, dotted with small villages with a medieval atmosphere such as San Gimignano, Fiesole, Volterra and Montepulciano. Like a large part of Tuscan beaches: from the eternal beaches of Versilia, the summer holiday queen, which by day offers super-equipped bathing establishments and, in the evening, scintillating nightlife; there are the more exclusive beaches on the islands of Elba (known for Napoleon having been exiled there), and those small jewels called Isola del Giglio, Giannutri, Pianosa, Scoglio d'Africa and Montecristo. Obviously, any self-respecting Tuscan holiday requires a visit to the coast of the Argentario or the heart of the wild Maremma, for those who want a holiday that combines nature with history and art. On the other hand, those who want to keep fit should leave time for a relaxing massage and treatments in the hot spring waters of Saturnia (Grosseto) or Montecatini (Pistoia), to regenerate soul and body before a stressing return to the city. |
