Toscana

Tuscany marks the divide between the heavier, richer cooking of the north and the simpler, lighter, more Mediterranean style cooking of the south. Tuscan olive oil is a defining factor, and beef and chickens here are the best in Italy. Pasta is less important than elsewhere, and is replaced by good soups, including ribollita and pappa al pomodoro. Vegetables are exceptional, as is the seafood along the Mediterranean coast.