Italy – The Land of Abundance Choices of Food and Drinks
No matter what time of the year you arrive in the magnificent and marvelous country of Italy, you are bound to get spoiled with the choices of food, drinks and desserts. It sees bustling and buzzing shops, stalls, markets and restaurants offering fresh local produce throughout the year.
Wonder how Italy’s culinary world will look alike in the harvest season. Gourmands’ festivals and events are mostly celebrated in the month of November all across the country; this is the time of the year when the Italians celebrate every small thing in their lives, from salami to chestnuts.
Gastronomic tour of Italy
Below is a recommended culinary tour that will take you to some of the most mouth-watering cuisines and drinks of the northern Italy.
Begin your exclusive gourmand’s tour from one of the most visited towns or regions of the country. Yes, it’s Tuscany, the hottest travel destination in central Italy. First, reach a small Tuscan town of Talla in the commune of Arezzo and sample its new sweet wine and chestnuts on 1st November, when the locals celebrate the festival in the town Piazza and gulp seasonal local producers.
Or if you want to indulge in a completely different culinary experience, start your journey in one of the Italian hub spot of food lovers situated close to the Langhe valley. You may begin in Alba which is an epitome of country’s slow food movement in the region located in the close vicinity to Turin.
The major highlight of the cake garnishing in Tuscany in the month of November is grabbed by the truffles. In central Tuscany, you will find a great variety of products made of many different types or sorts of truffles. The Ente Fiera Internazionale Tartufo Bianco d’Alba is the most exclusive festive event that celebrates these white diamonds of the nature; it also makes people relish in great wine, olive oil, grappa, pecorino and much more.
Next you can reach in Emilia Romagna, an Italian region known for the harvest of parma ham, parmesan and Bolognese. It rejoices pork every year in the month of November, and thus the local call it ‘November Porc’. The celebration is all about sausages and salami based competitions. Between 6th to 21st November, the region will see a bunch of food markets, traditional music and other entertaining excursions.
The accolades for salami in Emilia Romagna is paired by the Ambra di Talamello, a conventional festival whose origin lies in the age-old myth of gathering cheese in sandstone to save it from chess lovers, who are called marauders by the locals. Every year in the month of august, the local store cheese in porous rock cavities, then keep it there till November until it is converted into a one-of-a-kind, enticing smell and taste.
Ambra, meaning amber, refers to the color of the cheese. You may sample this cheese on the 13th, 14th, 20th and 21st of November in the commune of Talamello.
The amazingly charming and beautiful stretch of land alongside the coastline of the greener regions of Tuscany and Lazio, Maremma also sees a series of unmatched food and wine festivals throughout the month of November. Participate in the Sapori e Profumi di Maremma celebrated in the town of Castiglione della Pescaia and taste the high-quality wine, olive oil, fried local fish and many other flavors of Maremma with the sounds of soothing folk music entering your ears.
However, the November harvest bashes are not restricted to northern part of Italy. You will also find many southern regions of the country like Campania celebrating the festivals of chestnut. Continue moving ahead and reach to Puglia by 29th November to become a part of one of its wine festivals.
Rental apartments and countryside homes in the major cities of the Tuscany region are perfect for short stays in Tuscany, or courts séjours en Toscane, in Italy.
