There is a very special cheese that is born at the foot of the Small Dolomites of Vicenza: it is a semi-liquid ricotta, which becomes a special ingredient for the gnocchi. It is called "Fioreta" and is the typical product of Recoaro Terme, a city also known for its mineral waters. What makes this fresh cheese, which has been produced in the local mountain huts for centuries, unique is the residual quantity of whey that is left and not drained before boiling. “Fioreta” owes its name to this process, in which a white foam resurfaces right at the moment of its creation.

The inhabitants of Recoaro are very jealous of their "Fioreta" but at the same time very happy to let the many visitors who choose this place for their holidays taste it. The specialty of the place is that of the “Gnocchi with Fioreta”: the union between flour and cheese becomes poetry for the palate, in a traditional dish that was poor at birth but rich in flavors and aromas. Originally it was the shepherds who prepared them during the mountain pastures: today they are served with plenty of grated cheese and hot butter.

They can be tasted in at least a dozen restaurants in Recoaro that have made them protagonists of their menu, along with other local specialties such as the “sopressa” and the “Baccalà alla vicentina”. This pleasant town with all its surrounding nature is easily reachable from both the Montecchio A4 motorway exit and the Thiene-Schiò A31 exit, depending on the origin. Unfortunately, in September 2020 the consequences of the Covid-19 emergency caused the usual festival dedicated to gnocchi to be skipped: it will be a great opportunity to return to Recoaro again in 2021!

 

A Land to discover:

Food and wine: Gnocchi with Fioreta followed by “sopressa” and for dessert the Zampino alle Mandorle.

History: The traces of the Great War along the path of the Ecomuseum.

Territory: The thermal baths of Recoaro, the trekking routes, by chairlift to Monte Falcone.