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This November, DaTerra Cucina invites you to wander Once Upon Italy in the City of Arezzo, a story woven with celebration, architecture, and the slow comfort of a timeless stew.
Every city has a heart, and in Arezzo, it beats within Piazza Grande — one of the most stunning medieval squares in all of Tuscany.
Shaped like a tilted stage, Piazza Grande feels alive with centuries of stories. Its sloping red-brick pavement is bordered by the Romanesque Pieve di Santa Maria, the Palazzo della Fraternità dei Laici, and the graceful arches of Vasari’s Loggia — each layer whispering tales from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance.
Markets once filled this piazza with merchants shouting prices for olives and silk; today, it hosts antique fairs, film sets, and open-air celebrations that draw locals and travelers alike.
Standing in its center, you can almost hear the echoes of the past — footsteps of knights, laughter of traders, the hum of life continuing through centuries.
Not far from Arezzo’s walls, in the neighboring hilltown of Anghiari, the Festa di San Martino e dei Bringoli lights up the second weekend of November.
It’s the kind of festival that captures Tuscany’s essence — where handmade pasta, new wine, and laughter fill the crisp air.
The star of the celebration is Bringoli, a rustic, hand-rolled pasta made with just flour and water. These long, thick strands are tossed in savory sauces like rich meat ragu or earthy mushrooms — simple, yet soul-satisfying.
Locals and travelers gather around wooden tables under strings of warm lights, sharing brustichini, roasted chestnuts, and glasses of vino novello (new wine).
It’s not just a food festival — it’s a love letter to community and the land itself. Every bite of bringoli tells a story of hands, harvest, and home.
For us at DaTerra Cucina, the Festa di San Martino reminds us that true Italian cooking is not about complexity — it’s about connection, made by hand and shared with joy.
After the music fades and the night settles over Arezzo, kitchens come alive with the comforting rhythm of home cooking. Here, the beloved Scottiglia takes its place on the table — a Tuscan stew that feels like a warm embrace.
Born from humble beginnings, Scottiglia was the farmer’s way of using every cut of meat — beef, pork, chicken, rabbit, even lamb — slow-cooked together in a tomato-rich broth with herbs, wine, and patience.
Its name, from scottare (“to sear”), tells the secret: each piece is browned before it simmers for hours, allowing flavors to deepen until the sauce turns silky and fragrant.
Traditionally, Scottiglia is ladled over slices of toasted Tuscan bread — letting the stew soak in until every bite melts with the taste of hearth, harvest, and history.
It’s said that woodcutters once carried small pots of Scottiglia into the forests, reheating it over fires as they worked. Today, it remains a symbol of Tuscan resilience and warmth, celebrated in kitchens across Arezzo and beyond.
From the grandeur of Piazza Grande to the laughter of the Festa di San Martino, from the first twirl of bringoli to the last spoonful of Scottiglia — Arezzo captures what we love most about Italy: its timeless way of turning ordinary moments into shared memories.
As DaTerra Cucina continues to celebrate Italian heritage, we find inspiration in cities like Arezzo — where stories simmer just like a stew: slowly, richly, and with love.
So this November, light your kitchen, pour a glass of red, and remember — every meal can be a story worth telling.