The warming smell of roasted chestnuts, the precious aroma of truffles, a delicious cup of hot chocolate, a glass of robust red wine all evoke the tastes of autumn and winter. And there’s no better place to experience it for real than Italy, Europe’s spiritual home of gastronomy (sorry, France). To tempt those taste buds and travel bugs, here are a selection of food and wine events in Italy this autumn and winter.
Boccaccesca
Certaldo near Florence, Tuscany, 2-4 October 2015
The charming medieval part of Certaldo in Tuscany holds a food and wine fair every year in homage to the great writer Boccaccio who was born in the town. Food stalls, wine tastings, music and shows will entertain the guests in this beautiful corner of Tuscany.
Delizie D’Autunno
Treviso and surrounding areas, Sept- Dec 2015
Literally translated as ‘autumn delights’, Delizie d’Autunno is a series of events in and around Treviso in the Veneto region that highlight the food and wine offer of the area. For starters, there’s the famous Radicchio from Treviso, chestnuts, pumpkins, local wines, polenta and more mouth-watering delicacies.
Eurochocolate
Perugia, Umbria, 16-25 October 2015
This will be the 22nd edition of Eurochocolate, the annual delicious appointment in the lovely town of Perugia for all lovers of chocolate, professionals in the field and importers. Tastings, exhibitions, workshops, shows for the 10 days of the duration of this festival, this year’s theme is: social network and new technologies. This year’s event is called ‘MustaChoc’ and it is inspired by the moustache.
White Truffle Fair
Acqualagna, Marche, 25 Oct-9 November 2015
Acqualagna’s central square, Piazza Mattei, hosts the fair with over one hundred stands, where you can buy fresh truffles and other local quality products such as cured meats, wine, honey and cheese. The town has been recognized as the ‘Capital of Taste’, thanks to its quality products, tradition, history and authentic flavours. The white truffle is the most valuable on the market in terms of its nutritional properties and price.
White Truffle Fair
Alba, Piedmont, 11 Oct-15 November 2015
This will be the 85th edition of the fair dedicated to the extraordinary delicacy that is the Alba White Truffle. There’s a myriad of events spanning from cinema, medieval representations such as the Palio degli Asini, a beauty contest, wine tastings of the famous Barbera and Barbaresco wines, food-related events, theatre, music, culminating with the world famous truffle market, for the best and biggest truffles.
National Chestnut Fair, Cuneo, Piedmont, 16-18 October 2015
This is the 17th edition of the National Chestnut Fair in Cuneo. The event fills the old town with tastes, aromas, sights and sounds for four full days and attracting exhibitors from all over Piedmont and beyond.
Frantoi Aperti
Various locations, Umbria Region, 31 October – 29 November 2015
Translated to “Open House at the Oil Mills” is now in its 18th edition and offers five fabulous, not-to-be-missed weekends for rediscovering a truly one of a kind product, olive oil. Loads of events will be hosted throughout Umbria along the Oil Dop Road during the extended edition of festival including entertainment and cultural initiatives.
Merano Wine Festival
Merano, South Tyrol, 6-9 November 2015
Culture, tastings, information and the social world of wine are united at the Kurhaus, that Art Nouveau building in the heart of Merano. Fine wines and haute gastronomie are brought together with the simple unifying idea of “true excellence”. More than 500 selected Italian and international vintners and over a hundred producers of the very best in gastronomy are at the heart of what is on offer here, bringing to the event a selection of the highest quality products available on the market.
Ein Prosit
Tarvisio – Malborghetto, Friuli Venezia Giulia, 15-18 November 2015
This will be the 27th edition of this event, the biggest in Friuli Venezia Giulia for food and wine lovers. There will be a series of tastings of regional food in the many restaurants participating to the event, wine tastings, workshops, seminars and other events related to the theme of the festival.
Fest Del Torrone, Cremona
Cremona, Lombardy, 21-29 November 2015
Torrone is the sweet nougat typical of Cremona, now famous all over the world. This year Cremona dedicates 9 days to its delicious creation with stalls selling all types of torrone, shows, music, historical re-enactments, typical Cremonese meals to be enjoyed in the many restaurants of the city and the construction of a giant torrone in the main piazza.
Cioccolato
Turin, Piazza San Carlo, 21- 30 November 2015
Cioccolatò, Turin’s major event dedicated to chocolate pays homage to the food of the gods. There’s a schedule of tasty treats, fun, culture and shows – all with an eye to Fairtrade, to promote a shorter supply chain (from cocoa to chocolate) and ensure that the right compensation is paid to raw material producers.
Fiera Del Bue Grasso
Carrù (Cuneo), 10 December 2015
The “Fat Ox Fair” is an irresistible event- a living mix of local traditions, excellent food, competition, good wine, colourful people from bull breeders to bull buyers. Plus it’s held in the picturesque Langhe wine region.