Pisa

Pisa is a province of blurred borders and sharp identities. Blurred borders because it closes in between Lucca to the north, Firenze and Siena to the east, Livorno to the south, and because its name evokes only the city that is its emblem; sharp identities because the province holds at least four manufacturing districts of international standing, each with its own raw material and its own know-how.

The territory spreads over some two thousand four hundred square kilometres and crosses widely different landscapes. The Pisan plain, where the Arno reaches the sea and where the arsenal-city of the Medici has left an industrial and maritime legacy. The lower Valdarno, with Santa Croce sull'Arno and Castelfranco di Sotto, the heart of European tanning. The Colline Pisane, with Casciana Terme, Lari and Lajatico, where a DOP olive oil of precise character is produced. The Valdera, with Pontedera and Piaggio, a historic hub of light engineering. Le Crete and the hills of San Miniato, with their white truffle, as famous as the truffle of Alba. The inner Val di Cecina, with Volterra, which has worked alabaster for two thousand years and is one of the most important Etruscan cities in Italy.

Pisa itself is today above all a university city — the Scuola Normale, the Università and the Sant'Anna, three of the most prestigious institutions in Europe, train a very high proportion of the Italian ruling class. The manufacturing identity of Pisa lies in the municipalities of the province, in the specialised districts that have made central Tuscany a case study in how Italian production organises itself.

The Arno here is still the protagonist — it carries the discharge of the tanneries, gathers the waters of the district, and flows into the Tyrrhenian between the port of Marina di Pisa and the old arsenal of the republic. Along its course lie towns that built their identity around the material the river brought: hides, cloth, timber, paper.

The cooking of Pisa is plural, like the geography of the province. From the coast to Volterra, raw material and tradition change completely.

The white truffle of San Miniato. Tuber magnatum pico, gathered between October and December in the valleys of San Miniato, Palaia and Montaione. It is grated over tagliolini, over fried eggs, over carpaccio. The Mostra Mercato Nazionale del Tartufo Bianco di San Miniato (the last three Sundays in November) is one of the most important food events in Italy.

The pecorino of Pisa. The Colline Pisane produce pecorino from the milk of Sardinian and Massese sheep, matured in caves or in cellars. Hard or semi-cooked paste, flavours ranging from mild to sharp.

Terre di Pisa DOP extra virgin olive oil. A sweet, balanced oil with vegetal notes. The hills of Casciana, Lajatico and Lari are the heart of olive oil production in the province.

The wines of Terre di Pisa DOC. Sangiovese, Vermentino, Chardonnay. A recent appellation that valorises the wines of the Colline Pisane, in particular the mineral whites of the inner coast.

The bordatino of Pisa. Maize polenta with cavolo nero, beans and lardo. A winter dish of the Pisan plain.

The cured meats of the Valdera. Salame toscano, finocchiona, prosciutto, soprassata. The cured meat producers of the Valdera keep to precise local recipes.

The bread of Lariano and the country breads. The province has kept a network of wood-fired ovens that bake country bread, schiacciate, pizze and focaccine according to distinct local traditions.

The sweets. Cantucci of Castelfranco di Sotto (the local variant of the Prato ones), torta co' bischeri (the Easter tart of San Casciano and its surroundings), dolce della befana of Volterra, frittelle di San Giuseppe of the Pisan tradition.