The 17 contrade

The Legend of la BEFANA

Passion of Christ on Palm Sunday

The Grassina Passion Play

Gothic Dream

The Race or Bravio of St. Reparata

Wish upon a star

Halloween

Bacco Artigiano at Rufina

And who was St. Zenobius?

A home from home through the year

More Tuscan history

The Scottish market

SEASONAL TREATS FOR THE SWEET-TOOTHED

Spring Sweet Spring
[Rocco Barisci]

March comes in with a sweet swing with the celebrations for Father's Day (in Italy) and St. Joseph's Day on March 19th, two feasts that are fast becoming a commercial treat for many stores! Traditionally however the Florentines celebrate the event with St. Joseph fritters, miniature doughnut-type rice cakes fl avoured with raisins and orange peel which you can buy in most baker's shops. The sweet-toothed can fi nd many frittelle or fritter festivals in and around Florence throughout March, with a fair celebrated in Florence Piazza Santa Croce. In the past, once the Lent fasting was over, there was an abundance of eggs - a symbol of birth - that needed to be used up and this was a perfect excuse for making various Easter cakes and biscuits, among them the delicious chocolate fl avoured Lenten biscuits or Quaresimali, a great favorite with children. Easter recipes include the raisin-stuffed, though not oversweet, Rosemary buns or Pandiramerino, (rather like our Hot Cross Buns). They are based on an old Florentine recipe (bread dough, sugar, raisins, rosemary and olive oil) and were once blessed and eaten during Holy Week, though now they can often be found during the year. The ingredients for the soft, filling and sweet Easter fl at bread, eaten for breakfast in southern Tuscany, include fresh ricotta, while the sweet aniseed fl avoured Pasimata bread hails from Lucca. The most popular Easter cake is of course the sweet, eggy , Colomba or Dove Cake, containing candied orange peel and topped with sugared and sliced almonds. It is shaped like a dove, the symbol of peace, and therefore a traditional dessert for Easter meals. More modern versions can come covered in chocolate or with cream fi llings, but try the real thing fi rst, either in a restaurant or straight from a local bakery. We must not forget to mention Easter eggs! The Italians do not decorate hard-boiled eggs, eat chocolate bunnies or marshmallow chicks, but create magnifi cent chocolate Easter eggs. If you want a special one, do not leave it to the last minute, as they sell out very quickly. Brightly wrapped, in all sizes, and in milk, plain, bitter or white chocolate, you can fi nd them on display in bars, pastry shops, supermarkets and especially chocolate shops. Apart from the fi ne quality of the chocolate, the wonderful thing about them is that they all contain a surprise! The best eggs are handmade by master chocolate makers who, on request, will also add what are often very imaginative personal surprises, from sets of keys for a new car, engagement rings, to gold watches!


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