Book Review with comments…
Having arrived at the Pisa Airport several hours before my traveling companion’s flight from London, I wandered into a bookstore with an enticing display in the window. To my surprise I found a large section of literary classics in English, but for reading while in Italy I prefer travel journals and other books that might shed light on my impending experiences. My primary reason for visiting Italy frequently is to experience the local food and wine culture. As I rummaged through the books in English I spotted an inviting title,
Tasting Tuscany – Exploring and eating off the beaten track by Beth Elon.
Thinking it was probably just another repeat list of highly overpriced restaurants by some unknown English author; I cautiously picked the book up and opened it at random. To my pleasure I opened to a section describing the region of “The Casentino and Tiberina”, Chapter 6. Indeed off the beaten track. Having just spent a week in this unknown eastern edge of Tuscany bordering Umbria and planning to return later in this journey, I read on with personal interest. Would this book reveal new gems I had failed to unearth?
Another surprise: Beth Elon is an American who has lived in Tuscany for the last thirty years with her husband and family. After restoring a centuries-old farmhouse they set about reestablishing its vineyard and olive groves. Beth learned to cook using the bounty of local produce and cultivated her own vegetables and herbs as well as the orchard. Living side by side with her neighbors she learned to do all things in the traditional Tuscan way. This delicious book is a testament to her efforts.
Beth Elon’s articulate descriptions of the varied topography invited me to explore further. Being familiar with three of the five eating establishments featured in the Casentino and Tiberina, I heartily agreed with her assessment of two of them.
Da Ventura in San Sepolcro across the valley from Anghiari was certainly my favorite for the local version of ribollita, “made with a rich vegetable minestrone rather than the fairly simple bean soup you find in Florence.”
Trattoria La Nena has long been a favorite of mine in Anghiari and Beth’s description is right on. Thanks to Beth I now have the recipe for Risotto galeotto (Risotto with mushrooms and wild berries) which I had thoroughly enjoyed just six days before. I was disappointed, however, not to find my all-time favorite in Anghiari,
Da Alighiero Ristorante.Maybe Beth just didn’t have enough time to try everything in this medieval village. But, that being the case, why did she include
Locanda di Castello di Sorci on the road from Anghiari to Monterchi? Average to say the least in my opinion. It may be great value for what you pay but not of the caliber of other establishments featured in this exceptional guidebook.
Perhaps the omission of
Da Alighiero was because her focus for the book is on traditional style eateries. Or it may have been simply a matter of time. Lunch or dinner with Sylvia and Gianni easily takes three hours to savor. Sylvia has mastered the art of taking local, traditional foods to new highs. Blending her passion for purely good food with creative methods has yielded a style all her own. Her outstanding breads and excellent dishes reflect the local ingredients but are untraditional for the region. (That's me with Sylvia in front of
Da Alighiero.)Since my friend and I would be leaving from Pisa Airport and driving east to Lucca and then north into unknown territory, I was eager to see what Ms. Elon recommended for the Garfagnana Region. We would be spending the next five days based in the hill-top medieval walled town of Barga in the heart of the region. With renewed faith in the author I turned back to Chapter 2 “Valle del Serchio and the Garfagnana”.
“The Garfagnana lies in the wildest part of the Apuan Alps, where old fortified towns hang over narrow valleys; skinny roads wriggle their way up through seemingly unsurpassable mountains. A few hundred years ago, the area was little more than a strategic passage, continually occupied by overbearing outsiders, robber barons, bandits and mercenaries for hire; a gloomy place.”
Oh my goodness! What were I and my unsuspecting guest about to experience?
“Agriculture and small industry along the Serchio have given the area a new prosperity. Nowadays the roads are decent. It’s a special pleasure to head up from Lucca along the twisting riverbank road that slowly winds into the hills.”
That’s a relief. I have spent a good amount of time in Lucca over the past seven years. Located about 30 minutes east of Pisa Airport, it’s an ideal place to begin a sojourn in Tuscany. Many a time I have gazed up into the mountains north of Lucca as I rambled along the park atop the brick wall that surrounds this Roman-Renaissance treasure. What is hidden in those dark mountains?
I was about to find out. Little did I know that
Tasting Tuscany was about to introduce us to the joys and “rich offering of Garfagnana special dishes, thick farro and bean soup, savoury sausages, polenta and funghi, and more.” Our discovery from one vantage point after another, with views looking down across the graceful red-tiled roof of yet another medieval church fronting a little piazza… we believed we had reached heaven. “The silence is penetrable, the feeling awe-inspiring.”
Each day we were rewarded with another great example of the abundance available in this hidden corner of Tuscany. Although the highlights of our journey in the Garfagnana were the suggestions Beth Elon shared, we also discovered there are many more gems waiting for the unsuspecting traveler. Another exciting find in this area is yet another American-Anglo expat, Heather Jarman. Heather concurred with Beth’s jewels of the Garfagnana. Gaining the faith and trust of the many small food producers in the region, Heather has embarked upon sharing these traditional flavors and knowledge of Lucca and the Garfagnana through her company Sapori e Saperi Gastronomic Adventures. (check out Heather's Olive Oil and Polenta itinerary in November at
http://www.epicopia.com/destinations-olive-oil.html )
The hours we spent over lunch with the warm and welcoming Andrea Bertucci at Osteria Il Vecchio Mulino in Castelnuovo were hours spent in a gastronomic nirvana. Had we not just stuffed ourselves we would have purchased everything in sight at the nearby food shop L’Aia di Piero.
Although we opted to only eat at the smaller local traditional eateries featured in
Tasting Tuscany we did make note of the Michelin-starred
Ristorante La Mora in Ponte a Moriano. Heather assured us it was worth a return trip. We quickly realized we needed several more days to thoroughly explore all the culinary features of this region between the Apuan Alps and the Apennines.
Satiated from our indulgences in Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, Barga, Borgo a Mozzano, Bagni di
Lucca and others we reluctantly headed for Florence. But not before detouring through another region: Chapter 4 “Pistoia and its Mountains”. Never one to take the autostrada when there are winding back roads available, we headed up to the top of the Apennines to Abertone where Chapter 4 begins.
Taking the high road and the long road can be pleasantly distracting. The verdant forested beauty of the SS12 route was a feast for the eyes. Around two o’clock as we descended back down the mountains, we realized hunger was now our constant companion. We were heading into Pistoia, where I had planned a stop to see the medieval walled center of town. Parking alongside an old stone wall we walked toward what we thought was the town center. My companion’s silence was loudly proclaiming, “I need to eat!”
Just a bit farther, I thought. We are almost there. But I began to fear we might be lost. Stores closed. No one on the narrow streets. Deafening quiet. I had no map of Pistoia, which is not a small town. “Let’s turn down the next little street. Surely there will be places to eat.” I could see the market. Yes! My companion steered for an empty table at the first open establishment. “No. Let’s go a bit further. I know there is something wonderful just ahead.” I didn’t like the smell of this one.
Over the years the gods and goddesses of Wine and Good Food have given me a nose for sniffing out the best places to satisfy my hunger and thirst. Just 30 feet more on the left was the perfect spot. The open air market was just in front. Not outside, please… that is where the smokers now are seated in Italy.
Comfortably seated inside, I suddenly remembered Tasting Tuscany and pulled it out of my backpack. The only entry for Pistoia was
La BotteGaia. “This little restaurant just off the marketplace in Pistoia’s centre has two entrances. The front door leads on to the busy market. The back door takes you out to the splendid Piazza del Duomo that is Pistoia’s grand centre.” One ristorante and we were in it!
Our lunch was truly excellent and who cared that we might be late in our arrival to Florence. We were in Tuscany in a highly recommended ristorante of our new, favorite culinary writer, Beth Elon. That called for an extra bottle of wine to celebrate our good fortune.
As we were leaving, we noticed a copy of
Tasting Tuscany by the register. My companion asked one of the owners, Carlo Malentacchi, if she could buy the book. “No, no. the author has given it to me.” It was an autographed copy. He explained, “Beth Elon is friend. She lives nearby toward the mountains.” We had probably seen her gardens and orchard on our way down the mountain.
Were there no recipes in this very readable book, I would be happy with the regional descriptions that capture the passion and admiration Beth Elon certainly has for the ten off the beaten tracks included. There is no doubt that she has eaten at every establishment. She knows and understands what each cook is passionate about. What unites them “is regional food created with the finest seasonal ingredients.” Local ingredients each cook knows intimately and to which is applied his own personal twist.
But recipes there are. At least one or two from each of the fifty favorite eateries are included. This is not complex food. The real secret to very well done traditional food is… its freshness.
When you head out to explore these off the beaten tracks of Tuscany, you need only this one guidebook in hand. The carefully woven texture of art, culture, people and culinary delights is, in itself, extremely refreshing. Each chapter offers an overview of the region including brief historical information and sites to visit. This is followed by an informative section on the specialties of the area and concludes with typical restaurants and their recipes.
Oh, the other two restaurants I was not familiar with listed in the Casentino and Tiberina? Superb! I am planning my next trip to Tuscany with Chapters 8 (“Montelupo Fiorentina and the Truffles of San Miniato”) and 10 (“The Maremma and Western Slopes of Monte Amiata”) foremost in my plans. I look forward to more delicious adventures off the beaten track in Tuscany.
(Above originally published in E-zines Articles)
Tasting Tuscany: Exploring and eating off the beaten track
First published in Great Britain by Cox & Wyman Ltd. for Bantam Book
Copyright 2006. Paperback. 383 pages.
Includes Index, Index of Recipes by main ingredients, and List of Restaurants by Area
Available in USA under title
A Culinary Traveller In Tuscany: Exploring & Eating Off the Beaten Track
Printed by Little Bookroom for Random House, Inc. Copyright 2006.
Hardcover. 320 pages. Contents within book are exactly the same as Paperback.
In Paperback from Random House, Inc. January 2007
A year in New York City introduced me to “real Italian food.” I must credit one restaurant in particular for giving me one of my most memorable dining experiences in NYC. After all, in those days I could not afford much. Early last year I found myself in New York City and in the neighborhood. I dropped in thinking I would never be able to get a ‘table for one’ on a Friday night without a reservation. Even back in 1970 you best have a reservation to get in. 
Happy New Year!
