Tuscan cooking is recognised as being among the best regional cuisines in Italy, yet it’s based on the concept of cucina povera (humble cooking) and on modest ingredients.
Traditional Tuscan cuisine is hearty and rustic, and based on simple ingredients such as bread, pulses, meat and poultry, fresh veg and olive oil, all prepared with the minimum of fuss. Close to the coast, you’ll find more fish and seafood, but again, recipes are simple.
Tuscan red wines are highly-respected throughout the world. A local trattoria will usually offer a perfectly drinkable, cheap and cheerful house wine (red is a better bet) sold by the litre. More sophisticated regional wines to try include Brunello, Chianti Classico and Vino Nobile.
What to try
Typical dishes include chicken liver-topped crostini and garlicky bruschetta piled with white beans and lashings of Extra Virgin olive oil; hearty bread-based soups such as ribollita and papa al pomodoro; pasta dishes such as pappardelle with hare sauce and ravioli stuffed with Swiss chard and ricotta.
Mains are mostly meat-based; garlic and rosemary-spiked arista (pork loin), grilled sausages and ribs (rosticciana), and the majestic ‘Fiorentina’, a vast T-bone steak served rare (and don’t dare ask for it to be well-done).
Regional desserts include castagnaccio (flat chestnut cake flavoured with rosemary) and the hard almond biscuits known as cantucci to be dunked in sweet vin santo wine.
Tuscany is renowned for its robust red wines; look out for Chianti Classico, Brunello and the so-called ‘Super-Tuscans’ from the Bolgheri area. There are many small estates producing superb wines and these are often cheaper than the big guns; ask the wine waiter for advice.
The restaurant scene covers all bases from traditional, family-run trattorie to new-generation osterie where young chefs riff on the dishes that Mamma used to make.
A ristorante implies a more formal eating experience (though not always); a trattoria or osteria is likely to be more relaxed. For a glass of wine and a snack, look for an enoteca or bottega del vino. Then there are the elegant temples to gourmet cooking, a number of which have Michelin stars.
Most decent-sized towns in Tuscany have a Consorzio Agrario; a kind of rustic supermarket, which sells local produce such as wines and olive oil, cheeses and charcuterie, honey, jams and local bread.
Who to go with: tour operators
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Andrea Slitti Chocolatier
Cintolese, Tuscany, Italy
Experience
Andrea Slitti is one of the most respected artisan chocolate-makers in Italy. His base is the spa town of Monsummano Terme (in the middle Tuscany’s so-called ‘Chocolate Valley’), where he has a café and shop piled with a tempting array of his products.
The Bolgheri region was where the first so-called ‘Super-Tuscan’ wine was made in the 1980s, and it continues to be exported around the world. The village of Bolgheri is postcard pretty; wine estates to visit include Ornellaia (book well ahead), Podere Sapaio and Le Macchiole.
Home to some of Italy’s best wines, the DOCG Chianti Classico stretches across 177,500 acres of undulating, vine-striped land between Florence and Siena.
Colle Val d’Elsa Food writer/blogger and photographer Giulia Scarpaleggia and her husband run the excellent ‘Jul’s Kitchen’ offering a range of hands-on cooking classes alongside courses in food writing and photography. Classes are held in their house in the countryside between Siena and Florence.
An excellent cooking school based in Certaldo (southwest of Florence) offering truffle-hunting experiences in the Chianti woods, followed by a truffle-based lunch or cooking lessons with truffles.
Seasonal fruit, local ingredients and organic milk, cream and eggs are the mainstays of this artisanal ice cream. Flavours vary with the seasons, but look out for the sinful De Bondt chocolate and candied orange peel and the pistachio ice creams, and the refreshing Sicilian-style granitas (almond, maybe) in summer.
Good for age: 4+
Gelateria Dondoli
San Gimignano, Tuscany, Italy
Experience
Dondoli has earned world-wide acclaim for the quality of its gelato, made from seasonal ingredients and the best local eggs, milk and cream. High season queues are insane, but it’s worth persisting to try unusual flavours such as Santa Fina (saffron and pine nuts) and Champelmo (pink grapefruit and champagne).
Good for age: 4+
Montalcino Wine Region
Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy
Experience
Known for its highly-prized (and often expensive) DOCG Brunello wine, Montalcino is one of the most famous wine-growing areas in Tuscany. Many of the local wine estates are open for tastings; among the best are Casato Primedonne, Casanova di Neri, Biondi Santi Tenuta Greppo and Castello di Banfi. Visits must be booked in advance.
Good for age: 18+
Duration: -
Olive oil tasting at the Chiarentana Estate
Chianciano Terme, Tuscany, Italy
Experience
The Chiarentana Estate lies in a magical setting overlooking the Val d’Orcia to Monte Amiata and produces superb Extra Virgin olive oil. Book a tasting in advance or drop by to purchase oil. Many of the wine estates in Chianti also produce excellent olive oil
Located a minute’s walk from Piazza del Campo and occupying a former grocer’s shop with a retro vibe, Le Logge is a classic osteria. They offer a creative take on regional dishes such as tagliatelle with Tuscan ragu, stuffed rabbit with blueberries, black garlic and fermented carrot and braised beef cheek.
A historic cafe and pastry shop that’s been around for almost a century. It’s a great place to sample and buy panforte (the dense, flat cake made with nuts, dried fruit, spices and honey) and light, almond-y Ricciarelli biscuits.
Salty ewe’s cheese or pecorino is found in different regions of Italy, but is synonymous with Pienza in Tuscany. Available from soft, mild milky-white ‘fresco’ versions to the aged, hard much stronger ‘stagionato’ varieties.
Good for age: 18+
Duration: -
Podere Casale
Siena, Tuscany, Italy
Experience
Set in glorious countryside close to Pienza, this farm produces pecorino cheese and runs courses in cheese, bread, pizza and fresh pasta-making, alongside more generic cooking classes and truffle-hunting. There’s also an excellent restaurant with menus based on local organic ingredients.
Colle Val d’Elsa Gaetano Trovato has been showcasing local Tuscan ingredients in his elegant restaurant for forty years; dishes such as scampi with pumpkin and ginger and pigeon with grape must and pears have earned him two Michelin stars. A place to push the boat out.
Siena’s principal market, held each Wednesday morning, is one of the best in Tuscany. Stalls are set up at La Lizza, filling the streets around the Fortezza. Apart from excellent produce (cheeses, charcuterie, olive oil and wines, fruit and vegetables), you’ll find clothing, shoes, bags and household items.
Learn about these extraordinary tubers – the most highly prized of Tuscany’s rich food harvest – on an expert-led truffle hunt in traditional Tuscan countryside. Hunts are often combined with truffle-based lunches or cooking lessons with truffles.
Small groups! Discover the Miracle Square with this amazing tour. Learn about the Cathedral, Baptistery, the famous Leaning Tower and visit all the monuments inside! Select the ticket with entrance to the Leaning Tower and you will go up to the Tower at the end of the tour. With this tour, you have also included the tickets to visit after the tour, on your own, the Cemetery, Opa Museum and Sinopie Museum.
The Do Eat Better Experience food tour is a walking tour around the historical center of Florence. The tourist is guided by a "Foodie", a local "buddy" able to explain every detail of the selected restaurants, their preparations, and the relevant history/curiosities.
Do Eat Better Experience tours are a mix of high-quality gastronomy as a way of showing Italian culture and lifestyle and a walking experience together with a local friend. This is the reason why we accept small groups only: we want to focus on a genuine exchange and give to each tourist the highest attention possible.
Please, note that the tour is always run in English and Italian; other languages upon request.
Pisa food tour is a walking tour around the center of Pisa. The tourist is guided by a "Foodie", a local "buddy" able to explain every detail of the selected restaurants, their preparations, and the relevant history/curiosities and he will make try the real pisano taste and flavours.
Do Eat Better Experience tours are a mix of high-quality gastronomy as a way of showing Italian culture and lifestyle and a walking experience together with a local friend. This is the reason why we accept small groups only: we want to focus on a genuine exchange and give to each tourist the highest attention possible.
Please, note that the tour is always run in English and Italian; other languages upon request.
Kitchen has always been the fulcrum of this home, where my family is living since more than 7 generations.
I have always been fascinated by my grandmother's ability to prepare awesome dishes from Tuscan tradition, always with few, simple but precious ingredients.
That cultural heritage was in danger of disappearing: I spent a lot of time cooking with her, trying to learn her recipes and secrets.
In the end, I realized that she had given me a bigger gift: I had assimilated her cooking philosophy!
Then, I realized that tradition is not a dusty book but a living thing able also to adapt to new conditions, and even improve.
I studied ingredient's seasonality, their sustainable production systems, new cooking techniques, techniques of tasting: almost without realizing it, in the meantime, I became Chef and finally, also Sommelier.
Since a lot of years, I decided to share this path: a long path that is not yet finished...
Giacomo
Small groups! Discover the Miracle Square with this amazing tour that will show you the best of Pisa. With your local guide you will learn about the Cathedral, the Baptistery and the famous Leaning Tower. With this tour you will have the opportunity to skip the line and climb the Leaning Tower!
The astonishingly beautiful region of Tuscany has it all: art cities and ancient hill towns, high mountains and long sandy beaches, alongside luxurious hotels and some of Italy’s best food and wine.
Arguably the most perfect medieval city in the world, Siena is a glorious ensemble of red brick buildings and exquisite monuments, famous for its fan-shaped Campo and Il Palio horse race.