Tuscany: Gastronomic Festivals in October

Towns and villages of Tuscany hold various gastronomic festivals regularly from May to October. These events are dedicated to some product or dish typical for this area. Usually such festivals are organized on days-off. Sometimes they last for a couple of weekends. Fairs are often combined with diverse entertainment program.

The October of 2011 offers a number of gastronomic events in Tuscany. Let’s mention the key ones.

The festival of dishes made from game and beef, Sagra del Tortello e della cacciagione, will take place in Borgo San Lorenzo located in Mugello area, the province of Florence, from 7th to 9th and from 14th to 16th of October 2011. Visitors of the fair will not only enjoy dishes made according to old recipes, but also will get a chance to buy seasonal products provided directly by farmers.

The chestnut festival, Sagra delle Castagne, will be held on Sundays of the 9th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th of October 2011 in Marradi located in Mugello area, the province of Florence. Surprisingly, you can not only fry chestnuts, but also you can make jam, cakes, and other food from them. Self-service café will work on the streets of Marradi. It will offer various dishes such as polenta with white mushrooms and grilled meat. The local wines will be a perfect match for traditional dishes. The festival will be accompanied by shows of local artists and musicians. Amusements will work for kids.

On these very days, October 9th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th, the festival of chestnut and wild berries, Sagra del marrone e dei frutti del sottobosco, will be held in Palazzuolo sul Senio located in Mugello area, the province of Florence.

The festival of steak and white mushrooms opened on the 8th of September in Certaldo, the province of Florence, will end on the 9th of October. As the organizers of the event dared to hold the festival of «Sagra della Bistecca e del Fungo Porcino» for the entire month, we can assume that there are tons of recipes with meat and mushrooms in Certaldo.

One more month-long event will be over on the 3rd of October in Fiesole, the province of Florence. Hurry up to try truffles during the festival of «Sagra del Tartufo»! Every night at 19.30 you can order dinner which has truffles on the menu. The holders of the event decided not to have some special activity. But having a walk in the streets of the old town of Fiesole after a dinner with a special dish is a good alternative to outside entertainment.

The cuisine of Tuscany and its gastronomic festivals are a very good reason to travel to the most famous Italian region.