Typical cuisine

Baking in chestnut leaves
In addition to the wealth of artistic beauty, Tuscany
is well known for its wonderful food and excellent wines.
In our area, where the hills and
mountains
meet the
sea and thanks to an
exceptionally mild climate vegetation is lush and fertile, the art of
cooking is enhanced by the infinite variety of fish, meat and vegetable
produce.
Tordelli (local ravioli), testaroli (a type of
flat bread served with pesto sauce and local cheese), panigacci (a dish
made with flour and cooked in terra-cotta pots over coal), sgabei
(deep-fried pancakes) and chestnut cakes lure gourmets to the many typical
restaurants on the
coast as well as
inland..
Mushrooms grow in abundance on the hills and, during
the mushroom season, numerous local fairs take place.
Blueberry, cranberry and raspberry picking is the
favourite past-time of people looking for a cool place in the mountains
during the hot summer days.

Fishermen crowd the small harbours dotted along the
coast and the blue fish and shellfish from their catch can be savoured
fresh in most restaurants all year round. Fresh and cured cod form the
basis of many traditional recipes in Massa.
Lard, seasoned in marble vessels in the small village
of Colonnata, situated above
Carrara,
is now world famous.
The most well-known local wines are Candia, whose
vineyards cover the hills between
Massa
e Carrara, and Vermentino from Luni.