Sagra at Fivizzano

Tuesday was a national holiday here in Italy: Festa della Repubblica. It celebrates the creation of the Italian republic not long after World War II. Sort of like American July 4th, it is a good excuse to hold food festivals. On the Wandering Italy blog I read about the Sapori di Fivizzano where they were cooking focacette-little flatbreads cooked over wood coals and then filled with meat or cheese.

We had never visited Fivizzano which is located north of us in the Lunigiana. It seemed like a good reason for a day trip so we took off on Tuesday and drove there via Massa and Carrara on the autostrada. The town is charming and the above fountain was located in one of the main piazzas.


I particularly liked the giant fish around the edge of the fountain.

There were lots of people in the streets strolling among the many stalls selling mostly crafts. Several places in town served food. We started out in the fountain piazza trying a couple of types of frittata--one with zucchini and one with onion. They were delicious and made a great antipasto.



We then moved to the piazza where they were making the focacette. It took us a while to figure out the process. However, we had lots of time to do so as we were order number 41 and when we paid they were on order number 24.

There was this stand in the middle of the piazza with a roaring fire under one side. After watching for a while we figured out that it rotates so only one side was over the coals at any time. The things on top that look sort of like little rounds of bread are actually terra cotta molds.

Once the molds are hot they stack them with the balls of bread dough in tall racks. This gives the bread the proper shape and starts the cooking process.

After taking the focacette out of the molds several men set the bread directly onto the layer of coals nearby. They quickly turn them and toss them until they are done. At one point there were four people finishing off the focacette. After the bread is out of the molds they are returned to the round rack over the hot fire.

The finished focacette are moved to another area where they are cut open and the orders are filled. You could have them with pancetta, lardo, coppa, stracchino cheese, nutella or honey. We ordered one with stracchino and one with pancetta. They were really delicious but we could have eaten another two. Plus, by observing others we discovered you could ask for a combination of ingredients.

We made our way home by driving over the mountains. It was a hot, sunny day and we finished up the excursion with a stop for gelato at Blue Matisse bar in Borgo a Mozzano. Yum, yum!