Our region TUSCANY

What does the almond biscuit have in common with the cathedral in Florence? The tower of Pisa with the cypresses in Bolgheri? Or the ponte vecchio in Florence with the town hall in Prato? And the Guinigi tower in Lucca with Antonio Mattei, the founder of our biscuit factory?

The answer is simple and can be summed up in one word: TOSCA, the new Antonio Mattei biscuit tin that contains 200 g of Prato almond biscuits.

Let's start the new year with something new: new colours, new illustrations for our new biscuit tin! We called it TOSCA because it is inspired by some historical monuments and symbols of the Tuscany region chosen and described by Simone Massoni and Ilaria Falorsi, who have been our beloved illustrators for numerous years now! So who better than them to introduce us to the new tin then? We asked them to explain the reasons for their choices and this is what they had to say:

“It was very gratifying for us to be able to work on a representation of Tuscany, the region where we were born and where we live. We have been able to highlight the beauty and variety of our region through its most representative architecture, monuments and symbols. Working on this tin has allowed us to appreciate even more all the culture that surrounds us every day and that we too often almost take for granted. The challenge has been interesting and stimulating: to talk about Tuscany trying to send a clear and understandable message especially to tourists, businessmen or those who are simply passing through, while avoiding the banality of the classic and often obvious 'postcard' representation. The initial idea was to have a real map, like those found on newsstands, with the labyrinth of streets typical of our cities that intersect and draw improbable weaves, just bizarre geometric shapes. After some initial tests we abandoned the idea of a labyrinth of streets, but we kept the geometric grid typical of maps, highlighting just a few iconic monuments and landmarks of Tuscany internationally known all over the world."

"Only a few steps away, following our virtual map, you can come across the Tower of Pisa, and from there you can easily reach the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, passing under the Guinigi tower in Lucca and then admire the Palazzo Pubblico in Piazza del Campo in Siena, accompanied by the heraldic coats of arms of the Medici and the maritime pines in Maremma. And you can’t miss a refreshment break at one of the hundreds of fountains scattered throughout the alleys and squares of our villages, can you? The last destinations on our Tuscan pilgrimage are the two entrances of the historic Biscuit Factory, the biscottificio in Prato and the brand new Florentine Bottega Museum! Colourways were also a big topic of discussion during the development. We worked hard to find colours that represented the character of the biscuit factory’s history, going for the gentle tones of pastel colours without betraying the natural palette of our land. Hence the green of the countryside, the blue of the sky and the pink of the breathtaking sunsets that can be enjoyed on the beaches along the coast of Versilia to the peaks of the Apuan Alps, Last but not least, in a corner there is a small dedication to an excellent walker, Antonio Mattei, the founder of the biscuit factory way back in 1858 and for the occasion he is an almost involuntary tourist with his vintage walking stick in wonderland.”

TOSCA is available for loyal customers in the "SMALL SHOPS" in Prato at via Ricasoli 20/22, in Florence at Via Porta Rossa 76R and from the Online Shop. Soon it will also be available from our loyal retailers.

Pics by Alessandro Moggi