From one end of the Costa degli Etruschi to the other, there is the opportunity to follow
culinary, wine and olive oil routes through the area. This is another way of discovering
this generous land with its Tuscan and Mediterranean flavours.
An essential stop is Livorno, both its inland and coastal areas, offering seafood and fish
as well as game, wild boar and high quality meat. Cacciucco, the famous, flavoursome
fish soup, red mullet alla Livornese, and risotto with cuttlefish ink are the specialities
that characterise Livorno’s culinary traditions. Also worthy of note is torta or cecina, a
kind of savoury pancake made from chick pea flour, and the legendary Livornese ponce
(punch made with coffee and rum), to round off a full meal.
On the coast, from Quercianella to Piombino, restaurants of the highest standards and
specialised trattorias imaginatively offer the best in seafood dishes, thanks also to the
freshness and quality of the ingredients used, such as orate (bream), dentice (dentex),
shell fish, octopus and the excellent pesce azzurro (oily fish).
Wild boar cooked in a thousand different ways, pappardelle alla lepre (fresh ribbon
pasta with hare sauce), pasta stuffed with ricotta and spinach, vegetable soups, and
bread baked in a wood oven, are all specialities of the inland areas, dressed with good
olive oil and accompanied by fine wines.
The wines from the Costa degli Etruschi, like Sassicaia and Ornellaia, to name the most
famous, are known worldwide. Produced along the prestigious wine route known as the
Strada del Vino are the excellent DOC wines, Bolgheri end Val di Cornia.
The local olive oil, cheese, vegetables, sweets and organic produce all contribute to
making the Costa degli Etruschi a real mine of flavours.
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