Learning the Secrets of Tuscan Food

Cameras flash. Mouths drop open, and silence falls over a small group of tourists standing in awe before one of Italy’s oldest works of art – a wall of cured meats.

A beastly aroma fills the air. Legs of prosciutto and strings of salami form a canopy inside the old Norcineria, a meat and salami shop in the heart of Florence. An impassioned guide serves up delicious tidbits of gastro-history along with a selection of dried ham, a food dating back to the Romans. And from the first savory bite of finocchiona, a fennel-and-pork salami, the shop is transformed into a food museum, where tourists thrill at eating the art.

At top: The fishmonger inside Florence’s Central Market fries his fish on the spot for hungry visitors.

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