From the Lunigiana to the Mugello, Tuscan cuisine features time-tested dishes that bear witness to a special connection between local populations and nature. In the mountain villages, for example, locals have been enjoying chestnuts for generations. Without wheat available, these “marroni” (the local name for chestnuts) took the place of both pasta and bread. In high-altitude Tuscany, the special geographical and climatic characteristics of the area have helped create the perfect conditions for high-quality production, as well as for breeding livestock that is totally unique in the world.
Tastes off the beaten track takes you on a journey to discover some of the traditional products and their stories, wandering through the fields, up steep inclines and back down into lush green valleys.
Honey and chestnut flour from Lunigiana; lamb from Zeri; beans from Sorana; extra-virgin olive oil; young steer from the Appennines; potato ravioli (tortelli di patate) from the Mugello; Neccio flour and Garfagnana spelt are just a few of the many good reasons to visit Tuscany.
By foot, on horseback and by bicycle, the players cross through cobblestone paths, chestnut forests, olive groves, centuries-old fortresses and small villages where they can then taste the best local specialties in restaurants that are part of the Vetrina Toscana network.
The tour will end in Siena, where the players will participate in the final event on the Year of Italian Food program: Toscana, l’arte del gusto, il gusto dell’arte (Tuscany: the art of taste and the taste of art).
