A Heavenly Picnic
Have you ever
wondered where the berries that go into those expensive little jars of
marmalade carried by delicatessens come from? Some are from the pastures around
Lago Santo, a beautiful lake just the other side of the divide separating
Tuscany from Emilia-Romagna. The blueberries ripen in early September, and the
local farm women collect huge baskets of them by running hand-rakes through the
grass. Perhaps more attractive to the casual visitor, however, are the millions
of raspberries growing among the stones that ring the lake, or along the
borders of the fields. If you don't eat them as you go, you can collect a quart
in a matter of minutes.
Lago Santo offers more: there is fishing in the lake, and there are barbecue pits where you can cook up a heavenly feast (bring your own charcoal). Should you rather just pick berries, there is also a rifugio that has a restaurant. Or you can go hiking: There's a well marked, steep trail that leads up to the divide, where you'll feel as if you're at the top of the world.
To reach Lago Santo, take the road through Abetone to Pievepelago, turn left for Castelnuovo, and left again at the road for Le Tagliole.
Once you get home, you can make raspberry jam: Heat the fruit in a
pot over a moderate flame, and when it has cooked for about twenty minutes put
it through a food mill to remove the seeds. Return the fruit to the fire with
its weight in sugar, cook it till it reaches the consistency of a jam, and
transfer it to a clean jar.