Gifts and typical products from Versilia and around to buy online

Where to eat · 4 min read

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Back home from Versilia and missing the taste of your holiday? Or looking for a gift for someone who loves Tuscany? Here are typical products from Versilia and nearby areas (Apuan Alps, Lucca area, Garfagnana) that you can also find online. We have only included real products and official designations, with a few tips for recognising them.

How to recognise an authentic product

• DOP (PDO) and IGP (PGI) are EU labels: the exact name of the designation and the logo must appear on the label.
• Prefer sellers who clearly state the producer and area of origin.
• For fresh or chilled products, check how they are shipped and the expiry date.
• Be wary of “similar” names without a designation (for example “Colonnata-style lard”).

Lard cured in marble, oil from the hills, spelt and chestnuts from Garfagnana: you can give Versilia as a gift.

Lardo di Colonnata IGP

Perhaps the most famous product of the Apuan Alps. According to Visit Tuscany, the Tuscan Region's official tourism portal, Lardo di Colonnata IGP is pork lard cured in Carrara marble basins in the village of Colonnata, layered with salt, pepper, sage and rosemary. It was once the quarrymen's meal. It comes vacuum-packed. Lardo di Colonnata IGP (Amazon.it)

If you are in the area, Colonnata is worth the trip: see Carrara marble quarries and Colonnata.

Extra virgin olive oil: Lucca DOP and Toscano IGP

The hills behind Versilia are full of olive trees. Lucca DOP extra virgin olive oil is produced in an area that includes municipalities of the Lucca area, Versilia and Garfagnana, and Visit Tuscany describes it as fruity, with pungent and bitter notes. There is also Toscano IGP extra virgin olive oil, made entirely in Tuscany at every stage. A gift almost everyone likes. Lucca DOP extra virgin olive oil (Amazon.it) · Toscano IGP extra virgin olive oil (Amazon.it)

Tip: look for the harvest year on the label and choose oil from the latest season.

Farro della Garfagnana IGP

Garfagnana is the valley behind the Apuan Alps, less than an hour from the coast. Its Farro della Garfagnana IGP (spelt) is an ancient grain, great in soups and salads: spelt soup is a classic of Lucca cooking. Farro della Garfagnana IGP (Amazon.it)

Farina di neccio della Garfagnana DOP

In Garfagnana the chestnut tree was called “the bread tree”. Farina di neccio della Garfagnana DOP (chestnut flour) is used for necci, castagnaccio and many sweets. It is seasonal: the new flour usually arrives after the autumn harvest. Garfagnana DOP chestnut flour (Amazon.it)

Miele della Lunigiana DOP

A little further north, in Lunigiana, they make Miele della Lunigiana DOP, in two varieties: acacia and chestnut. According to Visit Tuscany it was the first honey in Italy to obtain PDO status. Lunigiana DOP honey (Amazon.it)

For keen cooks

• A Tuscan cookbook to make cacciucco, tordelli and spelt soup at home. Tuscan cookbook (Amazon.it)
• To understand what people eat here, read what to eat in Versilia and our guide to Viareggio-style cacciucco.

A souvenir you can't eat: marble

Versilia is marble country: Pietrasanta is the town of sculptors and the Carrara quarries are a few kilometres away. Small marble objects (coasters, candle holders, mortars) are a typical gift. Online, check that it really says Carrara marble and not a generic “marble effect”. Carrara marble mortar (Amazon.it)

If you are still in the area, the nicest gift is still one bought from the producer or a local shop: see our guide to markets in Versilia.

Sources: Visit Tuscany – I prodotti DOP e IGP della Toscana · Regione Toscana – Qualità e tipicità dei prodotti agroalimentari. General information: opening times, prices and dates change, so always check the official websites.