Articolo disponibile anche in: Italian

Villa a Sesta, a small town with few houses, faces the hills of Chianti with a panorama of vineyards, farms and wine cellars, going from the city of Siena to Monte Amiata.

Its few inhabitants are in love with their town and, together with the Villa a Sesta winery and four restaurants (L’Asinello, La bottega del 30, Osteria alla Villa, Ristorante Agriturismo Villa di sotto), and the almost 100 year old, “Circolo Ricreativo”, they have been hosting an event that fits into the autumn calendar to a “t”: it is a day of celebration dedicated to street food with the goal of eating well, eating together, and spending time in good company.

The “Dit’Unto: Festival del mangiar con le mani” (eat with your hands), fourth edition, will take place all Sunday, October 9. A rich and varied selection of quality foods will be available along the streets of Villa a Sesta (a few kilometers to the north Castelnuovo Berardenga, half an hour from Siena, an hour from Florence and Arezzo).

Like in the past years, the choice goes from traditional food to dishes prepared especially for the occasion, sometimes by Michelin restaurants. There is a lively dialogue between typical dishes and innovative offerings, between creative solutions of an innovative cuisine and strong flavors, which tell us of their ties to the land and the seasons.

These are not necessarily from Tuscany and certainly not stereotypical, but always true, thought out, and loved. The stands will propose their own street food in tasting portions, easy to eat standing up or walking.

But there is always a place to sit down for those who want to. Wines, artisanal beers, and “vinsanto” (holy wine) will accompany the menu that you choose. For those who prefer, you can have a complete meal, from antipasto to dessert. You can have specific meals, like vegetarian, choose a menu that recalls the flavors of youth or pick unusual and surprising foods.

This year, the stands will come from various regions: you can try dishes from Friuli, from Lombardy, Emilia, Romagna, Abruzzo, le Marche and Campania. Among the participants of this edition, we are happy to say that the following high calibre chefs have accepted our invitation: Gaetano Trovato (Arnolfo, Colle Val d’Elsa), Riccardo Agostini (Il Piastrino, Pennabilli), Antonio Guida (Seta al Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Milano), Cristiano Tomei (L’Imbuto, Lucca), Errico Recanati (Andreina, Loreto),  Filippo Saporito (La leggenda dei Frati, Firenze), Marco Stabile (Ora d’Aria, Firenze), Valeria Piccini (Caino, Montemerano).

In addition, there will be dishes offered by local restaurants and by the artisans of street food who have an important place at the festival of Dit’Unto. Together with the fine wines of the Villa a Sesta winery, the drink choice will be enriched by stands of artisanal Tuscan beers. This year, there will also be a kiosk from Puschendorf, the Bavarian city, twinned with our town, which will present a typical dish and specialty Bavarian beer.

On local streets, street artists will entertain, offering musical performances, acrobatics, and games for the little ones. The event will take place during the entire day, from 11 AM till 8 PM on October 9.

You can purchase tickets for food and wine tasting at the cashiers located at the entrance to the town. For the energetic and for those who are vacationing nearby and want to take advantage of every minute, the trekking association, “La Bulletta”, have scheduled a walk around the town, with departure at 9 AM.

Another two happenings are a photo exhibit and a photographic contest, both centered upon the value of of the beauty of the territory, scenic and architectural. For any type of communication, you can speak to Elisa Bianchini,  owner of L’Asinello  restaurant at 0577359279 or write to the email address, ditunto@gmail.com.