with local specialties, including panzanella and cantucci
Eat Outside Day is a classic celebration of both those delicious finger foods suitable for traveling, as well as tantalizing outdoor landscapes. Perhaps no place better than Tuscany manages to combine the flavors of Italy with its breathtaking views. It's easy to imagine your Tuscan picnic: the rolling hills, the olive groves, the vineyards, the grassy woods with majestic oaks and chestnut trees giving you shade. Obviously, on the horizon the evocative skyline of medieval cities such as Siena. Combine the beauty with the flavor of fresh tomatoes with a drizzle of olive oil and the scent of almonds from cantucci. This way you have the perfect Tuscan-style picnic.
Where: Eat Outside Day
Without a doubt one of the favorite activities of the Tuscans is this. When the weather starts to get warmer (until it gets very hot) and sunny days begin to abound, fill the car with everything you need to eat out and ... go! They go away. This is always an adventure, one in which everyone can participate, from the youngest to the oldest. Who doesn't like the idea of putting a picnic table under a canopy of fresh green leaves, with only the sound of grasshoppers and the flowing stream around? Or perhaps the idea of taking a nap in the shade and being caressed by the cool breeze of the Tuscan parks.
But you don't need to be a local to enjoy the excitement of a picnic! Tuscany offers a surprising range of options for eating out, such as dedicated areas with tables, benches and grills or areas with nothing less than a clean park where you can bring your towels and enjoy the scenery. For those who love the idea of enjoying the fresh air but not too much the "nature", there are several beautiful cities, villages and hamlets that are naturally equipped with small quiet corners where visitors can snuggle in the shade of ancient buildings. in brick and stone and watch the world go by as they munch on Tuscan delicacies.
Menu: Eat Outside Day
Of course half the fun of the day outdoors is planning the menu! The dishes can vary from the typical rice salad, to the more complex stuffed courgettes or eggplant parmigiana. But many also think of picnics as a hit and run experience, looking for traditional sandwiches and a basket of fresh seasonal fruit. One thing that remains constant in the choice of the Italian picnic menu is the presence of a variety that reflects the typical goodness of the culinary tradition of Italy. This means including regional dishes, grandmother recipes and of course some desserts that have graced the tables for ... well more or less forever.
Some selections you'll almost always find on the summer menu in Tuscany include crunchy silly bread, a few slices of peppery ham, and melon. Another typical summer dish is made up of a selection of freshly picked vegetables (lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and basil) combined with stale bread, extra virgin olive oil and vinegar. That's right, we are talking about the famous panzanella, perhaps one of the best ways to highlight your green thumb.
Certainly, if one is in Tuscany just for a holiday, he may not have a vegetable garden available, so the Eat Outside Day menu could be a selection of cured meats, including ham, salami and perhaps even a little finocchiona, all accompanied by the classic Tuscan silly bread. Along with cured meats, you cannot do without the typical pecorino in its fresh and seasoned variants. These delicacies blend perfectly with seasonal fruits, especially grapes and figs.
