Maria Paola

What is there to do, see, taste and experience in Viareggio, far from the most famous streets where Carnival is celebrated? Viareggio is one of the most charming seaside resorts in Italy. It is a city with an Art Nouveau soul that can be felt within its historic buildings and elegant cafés, all reminiscent of Italy in the 1920s. The city is a beautiful 'sandy corner' of Italy, with rows of elegant beach umbrellas, mountains in the background and white quarries seen in the distance. In the center of the city, in a type of home referred to as "viareggina" (the typical seaside home of Viareggio), we meet Maria Paola. Our Cesarina inherited her passion for cooking and preparing fresh pasta from her father, who himself had learned to cook from the farmers of the Lucca countryside. As a young girl, she would close herself up in the kitchen to create ‘her dishes,’ and today her greatest satisfaction comes from hosting guests, who are at their ease in the welcoming and relaxed atmosphere. Her culinary skills encompass meat and fish dishes, as well as enogastronomy recipes dating back to ancient Versilian tradition.