Dispatches doesn’t usually break out individual events into posts, but this is one-of-a-kind … Europe’s only wine, food and electronic music festival.
Flash Festival is a three-day event in Castiglion Fiorentino in Arrezzo, a quintessential Tuscan town between Florence and Rome. With celebrated local chefs and vintners showcasing their food and wine during the day and house, disco and soul sounds in the evening, the three-year-old festival is an experience like no other.
Flash goes from Thursday, 16 May thru Sunday, 19 May, with the festival itself running on the 17th and 18th, according to the info we got from Stephen Flynn, who very graciously dug up more info as we requested details.
(Camping runs from the 16th thru the 19th.)
Headliners include London-based DJ Dan Shake, Australian celebrity DJ CC:Disco, Chaos in the CBD from New Zealand and London-baed DJ Laurence Guy, along with local talents including Bosconi Soundsystem and Dukwa.
But there’s way more than music.
Capped at 1,000 attendees, Flash will also include a pasta-making class, scenic cycling, an Italian vintage fashion pop-up as well as yoga and massage options, according to information from the organizers.
LET’S GET TO THE FOOD!
If Italy is known for food, Tuscany is even more famous in Italian culinary circles for the quality of fresh, simple ingredients including olive oil used in all the recipes.
This year, Flash Festival will introduce La Mangeria, a 4-corners of real Tuscan food experience with menu options representing the way real Tuscans eat.
• There will be the Pasticceria & Espresso Bar for breakfast and salty snacks in the morning. From lunchtime through the night near the stage, Flash opens the Pizzeria Pasteria (a curated selection of fresh pasta) and Salumeria (like a delicatessen, serving the best local charcuterie and cheeses).
• All the fresh products from Pasticceria, Pizzeria and Salumeria will be prepared daily by Menchetti, which dates back to 1948 in Arezzo.
Menchetti is a Tuscan institution founded by bakers, evolving into one of the best pizza restaurants in Italy according to Pizzeria d’Italia from Gambero Rosso and 50 Top Pizza.
From the organizers:
We are proud to showcase his range of products from pizza, focaccias, bread, croissants, patisserie and “taglieri,” because all the products Menchetti prepares are made with care and a strong passion to always find the best natural prime materials and local suppliers.
The Pasteria is run by a chef in Arezzo from the acclaimed restaurant La Lancia d’Oro who will present different fresh pasta options every day, based on the local Tuscan recipes from wild boar ragù.
He will be accompanied by Ginetta, a celebrated pasta chef in the area (she’s been doing pasta for the past 30 years at the Logge Restaurant and, occasionally, at the Maccheronata event).
“We are delighted to have Ginetta as our “fresh-pasta-guru” because she rarely teaches, but she agreed to run a workshop on how to make different fresh types of traditional pasta, such as pici, tagliatelle, pappardelle, gnocchi, and more, since Flash Festival 2017,” organizers stated in the release.
THE WINE
The wine list is curated by Flash Festival’s local sommelier, who has been recognized as Best Tuscan Sommelier. The festival will present a range of Tuscan wines, from the traditional styles like red to white (Chianti, Sangiovese, Vermentino, etc.), to the unique production of rosé and orange wines.
According to Flash organizers, all bottles are produced by small-medium independent wineries known for quality, sustainability and different traditions: Castello di Tricerchi, Podere di Pomaio and Azienda Agricola Carlo Tanganelli.
Throughout the weekend, sommeliers and winemakers will lead various wine-tasting master classes in English. Attendees will learn the differences and peculiarities of two or three Tuscan wines per class and additional wines outside the menu.
Master classes are presented using the “classic” method but also introducing an alternative and innovative one, starting from the basics, to developing your tastes:
• Wine 101: Learn to taste wine like a pro
• Old versus New: A Tuscan Wine Showcase
• Orange is the New Red
• Wine and Cheese Tour
Flash Festival tickets start at 45 euros and you can get them here.
You can get current information here on:
