A Cooler Climate

The soaring mountain peaks that dominate most of north-eastern Italy mean cool summer temperatures and bitterly cold, often snowy winters. Only in the flat plains of the southern Veneto and along the Adriatic coast does the summer temperature and humidity rise. During the winter the cold air flows down the slopes of the Alps, the Dolomites and the Apennines and the mist rises up from the waterways of the plains. There is heavy snowfall both in the high mountains and on the lower hills, the air is often damp, the sun is rarely seen, and temperatures can barely rise above freezing for weeks on end. This climatic pattern means that the crops grown here are very different from those usually associated with Italian food. This is not the area for tomatoes, bell peppers, aubergines/eggplants, melons, peaches and many of the other soft fruits and delicate vegetables one associates with an Italian market. Here, sturdy crops, such as cabbage, turnips, potatoes, rice, beans and maize reign supreme, and form the basis of the local cuisine.