The museums of taste in Tuscany

Tuscany is world-famous for many reasons: from nature to art, from culture to history, not forgetting of course the great wealth of food and wine. In every corner it has something tasty to offer. There are so many traditional food specialities and products of excellence that the area has to offer. And it is precisely to these food and wine treasures, and the ancient crafts associated with them, that a large number of museums are dedicated.

We have selected five museums of taste in Tuscany that we highly recommend you visit.

San Giovanni d’Asso Truffle Museum

In San Giovanni d’Asso, a small village located between the Crete Senesi and the Val d’Orcia, the Truffle Museum is worth a visit. Set up in the basement of the town’s 14th-century castle, the museum offers an extraordinary multi-sensory experience. The exhibition itinerary, which covers 250 square metres, is divided into sections. The first, Mystery of the Truffle, is dedicated to the countless interpretations it has had over time. The second, the truffle and the senses, presents its characteristics through touch, hearing, taste and smell. The last section, truffle at the table, reproduces a peasant and upper-class table and shows the techniques of collection, preservation and use in cooking.

Vernaccia di San Gimignano Wine Experience

In addition to its unmistakable towers that have earned it the nickname of the Manhattan of the Middle Ages, San Gimignano is also known for the production of Vernaccia, one of the oldest white wines in Italy and the first wine to be awarded the Denominazione di Origine Controllata. In the heart of the city, the Rocca di Montestaffoli, is the Vernaccia di San Gimignano Wine Experience, the municipal centre for the documentation and tasting of this prized wine. Inside, it is possible to taste different labels of Vernaccia but also to learn about its history through an immersive and emotional experience.

Sensorial and Multimedia Museum of Wine of Bolgheri and the Tuscan Coast

Another interesting museum dedicated to wine not to be missed is the Musem – Sensorial and Multimedia Museum of Wine of Bolgheri and the Tuscan Coast. It is located in the village of Castagneto Carducci, inside the Casone Ugolino, an ancient farmhouse dating back to the 16th century that belonged to the Della Gherardesca family. The structure was designed by Dante Ferretti, the only Italian set designer to have collected three Academy Awards, who has already had great success designing the Egyptian Museum in Turin. The museum offers a sensory journey through time, starting from the dawn of the Etruscan civilisation up to the present day. Here too, an entire area is dedicated to wine tasting.

Athena Museum in Capannori

Capannori, a municipality in the province of Lucca, is home to the Athena Museum. Housed in a 17th-century building, it consists of an archaeological and an ethnographic section. The latter collects evidence of the peasant civilisation of the Lucca Plain: on display are agricultural tools from the past, objects, writings, explanatory drawings, photographs and publications documenting typical local crops. The permanent exhibition focuses on three specific themes: the cultivation of Sessantino maize, which was carried out on the same land as the cultivation of wheat after its harvest; the beans of the Lucchesia, with an assortment of the various qualities; and the ancient volume measures for the arids.

Museum of the Ancient Grancia and Oil of Serre di Rapolano

In the small and characteristic medieval village of Serre di Rapolano, one can visit the Museum of the Ancient Grancia and Oil, which documents the history of the ancient fortified farms (called grancia) belonging to the Santa Maria della Scala Hospital in Siena. In addition to the itinerary illustrating the history and functions of the grancia, there is also a section dedicated to the cultivation of olives and the production of oil, using the spaces and machinery of an ancient oil mill. There is also an oil library, where it is possible to taste and purchase oil from the main Sienese oil mills.

Photo © Vernaccia di San Gimignano Wine Experience – Athena Museum – Ancient Grancia and Oil Museum