The “Fiera di Sant'Antonino” is the most popular fair in Livorno. It takes place every year on June 12 and 13, morning to midnight, in a zone called “Fiorentina”, by the name of the gate where the ancient road to Florence started.
About two hundred stalls are lined up selling various wares, foods and sweets. With this post we are going to show you some sweets: “zucchero filato” is the Italian for cotton candy.
We already introduced you to the “brigidini” in our post “Primavera a Colline”, and probably most of you will already know the “torrone”, a delicacy originally from Cremona, Lombardy. You can see another popular summer refreshment in the foreground: “cocco fresco” (fresh sliced coconut).
The “marzapane” (marzipan) is a typical Sicilian sweet which has found a second home in Tuscany. It's always shaped and painted to resemble miniature real fruit.
You have seen much of Livorno and so it's time for you to meet some real Livornesi, like this crowd marching through the fair. It's late afternoon, not much young people around.See also: Primavera a Colline
External links: Torrone - Marzipan (Wikipedia)
20 comments:
Now I know to plan my visit to Livorno for this weekend! It looks so good. Nice to see the people too. Marzapane is so pretty. I know in Switzerland there was a time of the year when all the chocolate stores had it, but I forgot when.
Your post made me hungry!!! I love all kind of fairs and the one you've showed here loks welcoming!
Have a nice week:)
I love those colourful fruit.
I can spend a whole day here just browsing through those two hundred stalls — and probably eating my way through half of them!
Marzipan has always fascinated me. So much time and effort spent to create those colorful sweets which look wonderful. And I've never tasted them either.
Wow, Italian ice cream has always been a favorite on my visits to Italy, and now I have a few more treats to try if and when I return.
What a fantastic fair! I'm impressed by the variety of food and the wonderful selections. How do you make a choice because they're all so tempting! Your photos fully demonstrate the activity and the variety. Great job!!
Beautiful shots, VP. So many textures and colors. The pictures humm with energy.
Why does everything "Italian" taste better?
What a great fair! It's huge and so many goodies...the folks you caught on camera seemed focused and determined...
Are the prices set in stone or can you discuss them?
Nice photos, VP. Thanks for showing this!
The marzipan fruits... mmm seem very yummy! May I help myself? :)
I remember, when I was in Germany I saw various types of sausage made of marzipan (!) but I didn't risk to try it...
The atmosphere on these markets is what I really love about Italy. You have a market for nearly anything and anything can be bought on the market:-) This is like shopping should be instead of in malls and super markets. Though one thing I won't be expert in; haggling. I know that I end up paying too much!
Wonderful! Looks like a great fair. I'd love to stop by. :)
@ Jacob & Christopher - No haggling at fairs, maybe in open air markets, but never for anything food related.
Thanks for sharing these wonderful pictures. I would love to try some of the food there.
I love these photos! So full of fun and calories! You've just spurred an urge to eat some barbe à papa (zucchero filato!), I haven't had any in oh it must be 30 years!
These are a great set of photos! Lots of fascinating things to look at. I love people watching in crowds. We had a festival this weekend in Calgary so I did some people watching there.
I love fairs and I haven't been one for ages.
I like the crowd photo best. You captured a lot of different expressions!
Oh, I love marzipan - I can eat heaps of it!
A road to Florence - or... why not a road from Florence? I like Florence but through your photo chronicles we all learn rapidly to appreciate Livorno as well.
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