- you are here: Home
- Hidden Treasures
- Eat ‘a ufo’.

Eat ‘a ufo’.
If you are in Tuscany you might happen to eat a ufo. Do you know what that means? Don't worry, little green men and extraterrestrials in general have nothing to do with it! Indeed, rather than travel forward in time towards imaginary alien landings, we need to travel a long way backward. Exactly to when the great Italian cathedrals were built such as the Duomo in Milan, St Peter and, obviously, Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence.
Back then the materials used for the construction of these wonderful buildings were transported on carts or even on barges along the rivers. Because of their particular intended use, they had the privilege of being exempted from duties and taxes. These materials were marked with the acronym A.U.F (in Latin Ad usum fabricae). From this abbreviation and from the idea that taxes were not paid for them, the expression ‘a ufo’ was born. In Tuscany it is used mainly in relation to eating and means ‘free of charge’.
There is also another theory: on the letters of the Florentine government offices the ‘Ex uffo’ stamp was affixed which made them exempt from postal fees. In this case again the idea of something free comes into play. So, whatever the origin of the term, there is no doubt that a ufo means free of charge.
More generally, but more rarely, it can also mean: for nothing, to no avail. A little quirky fact: the expression ‘a ufo’, in this more general meaning, was used by Collodi in ‘Pinocchio’. Precisely when the rabbits arrive with the coffin to put the puppet in it as he does not want to take the medicine. When he gets convinced and takes it, they utter: ‘Never mind, this time we have travelled a ufo’.
Now, we cannot guarantee that in Tuscany you can really eat a ufo, Tuscans are down to earth but not bischeri! If you book one of our food and wine tours you can be sure that the price will include many delicacies and excellent wine!
- Google+
- tumblr
Search posts
Latest posts
Siena: Ricciarelli: Siena’s sweets hailing from the far East.

Local Traditions
Alongside panforte, they are among Siena’s sweets that best represent the city. Just thinking about their orange and vanilla scent, s...
ViewFlorence: Who invented the bistecca alla fiorentina?

Local Traditions
The Florentine beefsteak is the undisputed queen of Tuscany’s gastronomy. Including the bone, and strictly cooked in ‘blood’ (i.e...
ViewTuscany: Ferdinando Innocenti: the inventor of the Lambretta.

Big Names
There is no doubt that Tuscany is a land of inventors. Just think of Leonardo da Vinci! Ferdinando Innocenti is also one of them. Do yo...
ViewFlorence: Negroni was born in Florence!

Did you know that...
Now that Mojito and Moscow Mule are all the rage as aperitifs, there are classic cocktails that have stood the test of time and moods. ...
ViewTop posts
Arezzo: Guido d'Arezzo and the invention of the music

Big Names
In Talla and surroundings people have no doubt: the inventor of the musical stave, the inventor of the music notes and also of the mode...
ViewPistoia: The Kiss of the Christs in Gavinana

Local Traditions
It is a very ancient but still popular rite. Two large processions that meet up with a Christ on the cross in front of each one: the he...
ViewSiena: Piero Carbonetti and his tin drum

Local Traditions
Subversive, persecuted, anarchist, homeless, dreamer: it is really difficult to define Piero Carbonetti, Tuscan bred and born and Garib...
ViewPisa: Kinzika, the young woman who saved Pisa from the Saracens

Local Traditions
It was really her, a young woman with an Arabian name, Kinzica, of the noble Sismondi family, to save Pisa from being sacked by Saracen...
View