Toscana

Toscana – Torre pendente di Pisa (The leaning tower of Pisa)

Region of central Italy, with capital city Florence, washed by the Ligurian and the Tyrrhenian Seas, The Region of Toscana is an hilly territory, although it is surrounded by mountain ranges , particularly by the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines. Region rich of a glorious history, gave birth to the Great Leonardo da Vinci, painter, engineer and Italian scientist, and universal talent of the Renaissance. The Tuscan dialect is, after the Sardinian language, the idiom that less has diverged from Latin and has evolved into a linear and homogeneous way. It is at the base of the Italian language, thanks to the writings of Dante, Petrarca, Boccaccio, Niccolò Machiavelli and Francesco Guicciardini, who gave him the dignity of the "literary language" of the peninsula. Exceptional tourist destination, has an outstanding cuisine, starting with the very special bread, eaten alone or as a base for diverse preparations, soups, as well as the characteristic “panzanella”, made with bread, onions and olive oil in a unique mix . The loaf, with no salt in the dough, is so characteristic, that even Dante Alighieri, in his “Divina Commedia”, came to indicate, in the need to adapt to the unusual salty bread, a tangible sign of his painful distance from Florence.. The "caciucco", fish soup and specialties from Livorno, the Florentine steak, the wonderful cold cuts and the exceptional sweets famous all over the world, including the Panforte from Siena and the Cantuccini biscuits , perfect if paired with red wine, are the most classic Tuscan flavors. Impossible not to mention the cheeses, as Tuscan pecorino: the most famous ones from Pienza, and the “Maremmano”( Maremma is today one of the best tourist destinations in Italy, a region where ancient traditions have survived and Tuscan culture is fully preserved ); while we find the ricotta and the “raveggiolo” on the podium, among the soft cheeses.