Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Rural Roots
Deeply attached to their patch of land, people in this predominantly rural neck of the woods
are not simply Italian or Tuscan. Harking back to centuries of coexistence as rival political
entities with their own style of architecture, school of painting, bell tower and so on, it is
the
paese
(home town) or, in the case of Siena and other towns, the
contrada
(neighbour-
hood) in which one is born that reigns supreme. For most, such
campanilismo
(literally,
loyalty to one's bell tower) is all-consuming. 'Better a death in the family than a Pisan at
the door' says an old Florentine proverb, referencing the historic rivalry between the
Tuscan towns.
Passionate, proud, reserved, hard-working, family-oriented, fond of food and wine,
thrifty, extremely self-conscious and proud of their appearance are characteristics attributed
to Tuscans across the board.
Brash, no, but in Florence Florentines like to make it known where they stand in society.
From oversized doorknobs to sculpted stonework, overt statements of wealth and power are
everywhere in this class- driven city, whose dialect - penned for the world to read by liter-
ary greats Dante, Boccaccio and Petrarch in the 14th century - is deemed the purest form
of Italian.
COFFEE CULTURE
Coffee is not just a drink but a way of life for Tuscans, whose typical day is regimentally punctuated
with caffeine, the type of coffee depending wholly on time of day and occasion.
The number one cardinal rule: cappuccino (espresso topped with hot, frothy milk), caffè latte (milki-
er version with less froth) and latte macchiato (warmed milk 'stained' with a spot of coffee) are only
ever drunk at breakfast or in the early morning. If you're truly Tuscan, though, the chances are you'll
probably grab a speed espresso (short, sharp shot of strong, black coffee) or
caffè doppio
(double es-
presso) standing up at the bar with everyone else at your favourite cafe on the way to work.
Lunch and dinner only end one way, with
un caffè
(literally 'a coffee', meaning an espresso and noth-
ing else), although come dusk it is quite acceptable to perhaps finish with
un caffè corretto
(espresso
with a dash of grappa or other spirit).
Sitting down at a table in a cafe to have a coffee is four times more expensive than drinking it stand-
ing at the bar.
