Simple, light and elegant, Tuscan cooking lets the flavors of its farm-fresh produce speak for themselves. Rich, elaborate sauces are firmly eschewed in favor of simply prepared meat, poultry and vegetable dishes shown off to their best advantage with a judicious splash of olive oil and a sprinkling of herbs.

Olive oil reaches its apogee in Tuscany. Cognoscenti know the Tuscan town of Lucca as the source of Italy's most luxurious olive oils.

Bread is another ingredient no self-respecting Tuscan cook would be caught without. Made without salt, it appears on the Tuscan table in every conceivable form, served in hearty vegetable soups, dipped in olive oil and rubbed with garlic, toasted and spread with liver pate or sliced in thick slabs and eaten with prosciutto, cheeses or preserves. Enriched with egg yolks and orange rind and dusted with confectioners sugar, it becomes a popular carnival dessert.