Everyone who knows anything about food in Florence is exiting east this weekend. With 20,000 visitors expected in three days, Cookstock has taken the pretty Tuscan town of Pontassieve by storm. Just 30 minutes from Florence (take a train from Santa Maria Novella), the hometown of Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi has become the epicentre of the epicurious.
Now in its second year and masterminded by food journalist Leonardo Romanelli, the event features cooking shows (costing 10 euro, reservation required: http://cookstock.it/prenotazione-eventi) by Tuscany’s top chefs: Andrea Mattei of Borgo Santo Pietro’s Michelin-starred restaurant Meo Modo, Peter Brunel of Borgo San Jacopo and Entiana Osmenzaza of Sesto sull’Arno.
Usually closed to the public, enjoy a free 30-minute cellar tour of internationally renowned winery Ruffino, sample Italy’s finest street food from a variety of food trucks (from American-style BBQ to Neapolitan sweets, fish and chips and vegan fare) and wander the medieval streets of the Tuscan town, abuzz with vintage Vespas and en-plein-air painters.
For more information, see http://cookstock.it.
