Archive for 'Food and Wine'

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.

You've finally done it. You've said goodbye to stress, planning, chaos and chores and you've decided to spend Christmas abroad, rather than glued to the kitchen and commitments. You've embraced adventure!

But it's not that simple. Many of us are sentimental about Christmas and the festive period (no matter what you believe or which holidays you celebrate) and it's hard to let go of that entirely. Especially if your social media feeds are full of people gathered in cosy homes with their families. Well, why not have a bit of both? Now that you have found avacation rental in the Florence area, embrace the festivities and the luxury by letting someone else bombard you with delicious food in a lovely setting: the Winter Garden by Caino at the famous and historic St. Regis in Florence.

Spongata di Natale is a round, flat festive Italian cake that has ties to various regions and towns in Italy and is thought to have been brought to Italy by the Jews, though others believe that it is a Roman dish that survived through the Middle Ages. The first recorded written recipe dates back to the end of the 14th century and required three days to complete and we know that its production was even regulated by the famous ducal family of Este by a special decree. While the exact origins are uncertain, we do know that it is a delicious treat, perfect for some rich sweetness during the colder months. A thin, pie-like cake that consists of a crunchy pastry coating and sweet filling made of spices, nuts, honey and dried fruit, it is actually not dissimilar to that more familiar Christmas food staple; the mince pie.

We've previously discussed Italy's Santa, a witch called Befana, before. Befana is a good witch, whose name comes from the Roman dialect's pronunciation of the Italian "epifania" (or Epiphany), and comes delivering gifts for the good children, and lumps of coal to the bad ones on the 5th of January, the night before Epiphany, to make up for missing Jesus long ago. She is visualised as an old and ugly witch who flies on her broom and delivers presents in stockings hanging over the fireplace (sounds familiar!), coming down from the chimney.

Befanini, meanwhile, are soft, sprinkle-covered, cake-like lemon-scented cookies that are typical of the Versilia area on the Tuscan coast. Traditionally made on the 5th, when the Befana is coming to visit, they are beloved of kids and adults alike and for good reason: they're delicious!