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Weekend Wanderlust: Why there’s more to San Miniato than truffles

The annual white truffle festival is not the only reason to visit this atmospheric hilltop Tuscan town.

Published: 23 November 2018 13:31 CET
Updated: 27 November 2018 17:31 CET
Weekend Wanderlust: Why there's more to San Miniato than truffles
San Miniato. Photo: Wojtek77/Depositphotos

The name San Miniato is almost synonymous with tartufo bianco, or white truffle.

Halfway between Florence and Pisa, the small town is world famous for its annual white truffle festival.

For three weekends every November the squares and streets of this impossible pretty Tuscan town, draped over a series of small hills, are given over to the celebration of good food.

San Miniato seen from nearby hillside. Photo: Clare Speak/The Local

San Miniato seen from nearby hillside. Photo: Clare Speak/The Local

Dozens of stalls sell everything from locally-made craft beer to pecorino cheese and salami laced with the precious white truffles, which are found in the surrounding area between September and December and highly prized as some of the best quality truffles found anywhere in Europe.

You can also try other local favourites, like herby porchetta sandwiches and potent San Giovese wine, as well as delicacies from further afield, from Sicilian cannoli to chilli jam from Calabria.

Pecorino cheese in San Miniato. Photo: Clare Speak

Pecorino cheese in San Miniato. Photo: Clare Speak/The Local

Walking up a narrow cobbled street leading to the main piazza, even the air on a crisp autumn evening is heavily scented with white truffles. The aroma is no doubt wafting from the kitchen of one of many tiny trattorias in town, each of which has white truffle-laced dishes on the menu at this time of year.

Free of tourist tat and full of quality produce at mostly reasonable prices, with a fantastically festive and friendly atmosphere, this really is one of the best food festivals in Italy.

White truffles on display in San Miniato. Photo: Clare Speak/The Local

White truffles on display in San Miniato. Photo: Clare Speak/The Local

But if you missed it, don’t worry. You can enjoy white truffles all winter in San Miniato, and other kinds of truffle almost all year round.

You can buy them whole or as part of various products at Gemignani Tartufi, which has been trading truffles of all types since 1930, or enjoy them stirred into pasta dishes at any restaurant in San Miniato.

For a simple bite to eat, squeeze into the surprising little dining room tucked behind the Falaschi butcher’s shop, with a small menu full of traditional flavours an high quality ingredients.

The dining room at Falaschi Macelleria, San Miniato. Photo: Clare Speak/The Local

The dining room at Falaschi Macelleria, San Miniato. Photo: Clare Speak/The Local

For a treat the elegant Papaveri e Papere, a contemporary Tuscan restaurant owned by three friends, is a short, scenic drive out of town. During the season it serves decadent dishes like handmade tagliolini with butter and white truffle a la carte, and has a six course white truffle tasting menu.

You can join truffle hunts in the surrounding countryside as well as vineyard tours and cooking classes, which the tourist office can help arrange. If you’re looking for a truffle dealer, they can help with that, too.

But this town isn’t only of interest to people who spend half of their lives thinking about food; it’s also full of history and incredible sights.

The picture-perfect Tuscan town, San Miniato has palaces, towers and a Romanesque cathedral, all in a hilltop setting looking out over misty valleys and rolling, cypress-dotted hills close to the Arno.

Countryside near San Miniato. Photo: Clare Speak/The Local

Views over the countryside near San Miniato. Photo: Clare Speak/The Local

Hilltop medieval Piazza della Repubblica, also known as Piazza del Seminario, is the main square and the centre of some of the action, including cooking shows, during the truffle festival.

But the square itself is interesting, and really best seen when there’s no festival on; its curved shape is formed by the city walls, and it’s lined with rare examples of artisans’ workshops dating from the 1300s and covered in designs dating from the 1600s.

You can see that the town was once strategically important, with its fortified hilltop towers commanding views almost as far as Pisa.

To enjoy the panorama, you can climb the cathedral’s bell tower or make the more challenging trek up to San Miniato's reconstructed medieval fortress tower, Torre di Frederico II. Stop in at tourist information to get a combined ticket for all the main sights (adults €5, kids go free)

San Miniato only really gets busy during the festival and in the middle of summer. At these times, it’s near impossible to park in the town itself – the festival puts on a shuttle bus from a large car park in San Miniato Basso, at the bottom of the hill.

For the rest of the year, the old town is mostly free from crowds yet has plenty to see and do.

Come for the truffles, but stay for the views. San Miniato is the perfect Tuscan day trip at any time of year.

READ ALSO: The common Italian food myths you need to stop believing

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FOOD AND DRINK

Six of the most Italian non-alcoholic aperitivo drinks

As well as its most famous cocktails, Italy has a long tradition of making refreshing aperitivo drinks without the alcohol.

Published: 11 April 2024 12:01 CEST
Six of the most Italian non-alcoholic aperitivo drinks

Italy’s favourite aperitivo-hour cocktails are known far beyond the country’s borders, so their names will probably be familiar to you whether you drink them or not.

But if you’re in Italy and not drinking alcohol, you might find yourself stumped when it comes time to order your aperitivo at the bar.

The first time I found myself in this situation, there was no menu. The waiter instead rattled off a long list of all the soft drinks available, most of which I’d never heard of, and I just picked something I thought sounded nice.

Luckily it turns out that Italy has some great options for an aperitivo analcolico. As well as ‘virgin’ versions of well-known cocktails, there are bitters, sodas and other Italian-made soft drinks that you’re unlikely to find anywhere else.

They might not be quite as iconic as the Aperol Spritz, but they’re as thoroughly Italian – plus, effortlessly ordering one of these will make you look like a true local.

SanBittèr

San Pellegrino’s SanBittèr is one of the most famous non-alcoholic Italian drinks of all, with its highly-recognisable red packaging, often enjoyed in place of Campari cocktails because of its similar dark, ruby-red color.

This drink is carbonated with a slightly sweet, citrus flavor. The recipe is more complex than that of an orange or lemon soda, with notes of spice and herbs, making it ideal to pair with your aperitivo-hour snacks.

Crodino

Crodino looks a lot like an Aperol Spritz with its bright orange hue, and that’s not an accident: it’s said to have been created as a non-alcoholic alternative, and the zesty, slightly herbal taste is similar. It’s typically served the same way. in a round goblet glass over ice with a slice of orange: a Crodino Spritz.

The name comes from the town of Crodo in Piedmont, where it is still bottled today by the Campari group.

Chinotto

Citrusy Chinotto is an acquired taste for many, but it’s worth trying: it’s one of the classic Italian bitters and is said to have a long history, dating back to a recipe shared by Chinese sailors arriving on the Ligurian coast in the 1500s.

It may look a little like Coca Cola, but don’t let the appearance fool you.

(Photo by Eugene Gologursky /Getty Images via AFP)

Aranciata/Limonata

Aranciata is Italy’s version of an orange soda, but not as sugary, and it tastes like oranges. Its base is sparkling water with the addition of orange juice and sugar. There are various brands, but San Pellegrino’s is the most popular. It also sells a ‘bitter’ aranciata amaro, with even less sugar, more citrus tang and herbal notes, which might be more aperitivo-hour appropriate.

Limonata is, as you might guess, the Italian answer to lemonade. Again there are many versions out there but the fizzy San Pellegrino limonata is beloved for its strong, sweet-sour flavour and there’s nothing more refreshing on a hot summer’s day.

Cedrata

Cedrata is one of Italy’s oldest and best-known non-alcoholic drinks. It’s a refreshing, carbonated drink made from a large citrus fruit called a cedro, grown in southern Italy. It’s far less bitter than a Chinotto, but not as sweet as limonata.

The main producer of Cedrata today is Tassoni, and this is what you’re likely to get if you order it at a bar.

Gingerino

This is harder to find than the other aperitivi on the list and is seen as decidedly retro, but it’s worth trying if you can track it down.

It’s another orange-coloured, sparkling drink which became popular in Italy in the 1970s and is still sold today, though you’re more likely to find it in the north-east, close to Venice, where it’s produced.

You may be expecting it to taste a lot like ginger beer, and there are similarities, but it has stronger citrus notes and more bitterness.

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