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WINTER NIGHT IN CINIGIANO: LOCAL FOOD AND A WARMING FIRE

Old lady holding a plate with polenta next to an open fire



All of Tuscany seems off-the-beaten path in winter and not even the Uffizi will boast the usual crowds and queues. So imagine how quiet things get in my Tuscan village, where American and Japanese tourists don't even come through in high season.

But one night every February, a barbecue is installed on Cinigiano's town square and the line in front of it will be longer than the one at the Vatican. Winter being cold in southern Tuscany too, lots of red wine will have to be drunk to warm up whilst watching the locals prepare the rivolti, an incredibly basic flour and water only pancake totally appropriate for the start of lent. But Cinigiano being Tuscan - and hence communist at heart - lent isn't taken too seriously, so expect plenty of wine, polenta and fried sausages.

CINIGIANO - NOTTE DEI RIVOLTI, WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2015 

Dress warm and arrive early (before 7.30 pm) to avoid the polenta queue. Not here in winter? Visit Cinigiano and its Montecucco wines during the rest of the year. 

The foodie queue during the 'notte dei rivolti'

Rivolti in a frying pan on an outdoor winter night

Rivolti and polenta in the making
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Location: 58044 Cinigiano GR, Italy

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