My favorite season has arrived!
Driving over the hills to Panzano for the Sunday Market/Butcher Festival I had to stop and take pictures, it was PERFECT!
Today was Panzano’s day to celebrate butchers!
Dario chose October 31 to celebrate,inviting all his butcher friends to serve their best, it is Beato Tommaso Beacci’s day, patron saint to Butchers (except he is Beato and not Santo!) Tommasso Beacci was Florentine so what better place to celebrate than in Chianti.
Red meat and red wine.
This year Slow Food is having their Salone del Gusto the last week of the month so the festa was moved to this Sunday. Good think I found out the date changed. This is the street party of the year in Chianti!
This is the season to celebrate food… and celebrate it does.
A cool August and a warm September continued into October, giving us an incredible wine harvest. The olives are looking great too and the harvest has begun.
I just attended Eurochocolate with my friends from Ecole Chocolate.
The end of the month is Salone del Gusto, the Slow Food festival in Torino. Next month the white truffle festivals begin in Tuscany, both in San Giovanni D’Asso and in San Miniato.
When Dario throws a party, he doesn’t hold back!
As usual, anything Dario does benefits the Children’s Hospital MEYER in Florence.
One makes a donation and then is banded, this year with an orange paper bracelet.. which gives you access to free food and wine for the whole festival!
With over 50 butchers from all over Italy this was some feast.
I had several variations of meatloaf, roast pork,lard, raw sausage and head cheese, grilled sausage, boiled salami
there was also grilled polenta with ragu and prosciutto as well as Farro soup from the Garfagnano, a wonderful onion and cheese frittata, some cooked spinach, which all the Californian’s were grabbing for.
Some stands had goods for sale, my friend , Yari was there with his custom cutting boards,
Not just meat but also jams jellies from Grande Terra, two fabulous guys that live over the hill. Bruno is the archetect that designed the new space SoloCiccia.
and cheeses from local shepard, Giovanni
Dario’s Chili pepper production, in collaboration with the University of Pisa provided Brucioculo a hotter than hell chili sauce called “Butt burner”… I’ll let you know!
and a wonderful chili powder with a mix of the over 100 types of chili’s being grown.
Angelo, Dario’s friend and chili guardian!
What festival would be successful without wine, women and song.
Dario’s good friends the “Bandaccia di Marcialla” were there is full force playing and when I left around 3pm there was dancing in the street.
Grazie Dario for the good times!
Dario is getting ready to start a newsletter.. so you won’t miss the next party!
I’ll let you know!
what a party!!
Sorry you JUST missed it!!!
I wish I could have been there!
Looks great. A good article on Dario in this weekend’s Financial Times
Thanks for the link Silverbrow, great article..
and is so true.. often you must win Dario’r respect, so often he is treated like a circus show and asked to perform!
I came here to Italy in 1984 nad “Discovered” DArio when Faith Willingers “eating in Italy” came out.
Since then DArio has been ” discovered, and rediscovered.
Bill Buford’s book ” HEAT” has brought Dario to the forefront again.. but how much can one man take!!!
Beyond his rough and tough exterior is the heart of a saint!
or me the saying from ” The Little Prince” says it all…
“If you want a friend, tame me!”
Once you TAME Dario, and win his respect, you have a true friend for life.
I feel lucky to be a true friend.
We’re coming to Florence and Tuscany, looking for “dance in the street” festivals. you seem like you might know some. Care to share? We’re aiming for June/July