Frank Nechvatal
To all of our Italian Club members, this is a reminder that our first meeting of the new season will be on the second Thursday of October. That is Oct. 13, at 6 p.m., in the Lakeview Room. Again, that is the second Thursday of the month.
In our continuing saga of the regions of Italy, we will explore Tuscany. Tuscany is known as the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance. This region is home to such well-known places as Florence, Pisa, San Gimignano, Siena, and the Medici Villas and Gardens. The city of Florence is the capital and was the center of Italian Renaissance art. Painters such as Cimabue and Giotto lived in Florence. Tuscany was also home to famous sculptors such as Brunelleschi, Donatello, and Masaccio. Plus, we can’t forget the genius of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.
Central to Tuscan cuisine is legumes, bread, cheese, vegetables, mushrooms, and fresh fruit. Olive oil is made up of Moraiolo, Leccino, and Frantoio olives. The highest quality beef comes from the Chiana Valley and is used for Florentine steak. Nine provinces comprise Tuscany. They are Arezzo, the City of Florence, Grosseto, Livorno, Lucca, Massa and Carrara, Pisa, Pistoia, Prato, and Siena.
Ciao