There is a city in southern Tuscany, in the narrow province of Livorno, called Cecina. It's near the sea and has a beach area called Marina di Cecina. The name Cecina likely comes from il fiume Cecina (the Cecina river) that flows through it to the sea. The name of the river likely comes from an Etruscan family from nearby Volterra, "Ceicna" (in Latin, "Caecina") mentioned in the first century AD. The family constructed the first villages in the Val di Cecina (the Cecina River Valley).

banner PLACEHOLDER

In fact, Cecina is one of the cities on la Costa degli Etruschi (the coast of the Etruscans), in Tuscany. An Etruscan civilization inhabited the area from the start of the 9th century BC and there are plenty of archeological sites to visit. 

We mention Cecina (with the stress on the first syllable) because it's a good place to have on your radar if you visit Italy, but also because it is spelled the same way as la cecina, which is something else entirely! The kind of cecina you eat has its stress on the second syllable, not the first. It's just something you have to learn by hanging out in Pisa. 

Tra sei mesi e una notte sarò a casa dei miei gonfio di cecina [toscano: pieno di torta di ceci] e vi sognerò tutti da lontano che mi salutate con la mano.

In six months and one night, I will be at home, at my parents, bulging from cecina [chickpea flatbread], and I will dream of all of you far away who wave to me with your hands.

Captions 20-22, Fino a qui tutto bene Film - Part 5

 Play Caption

 

This flatbread made from chickpeas is a specialty of Pisa and surrounding areas and is commonly eaten inside a piece of focaccia, also called schiacciata (in Tuscany).  It's typically served with ground black pepper on top. It's fast food you can usually get wherever you get pizza a taglio (pizza by the slice).

La pizza [sic] abbiamo una Margherita con mozzarella e pomodoro, una Capricciosa con uovo, prosciutto, tonno, funghi e mozzarella, e una focaccia con bresaola, rucola e parmigiano,

For pizza we have a Margherita with mozzarella and tomato sauce, a Capricciosa with egg, ham, tuna fish, mushrooms and mozzarella, and a white pizza with dried beef, arugula and Parmesan cheese,

Captions 7-9, Una gita al lago - Part 4

 Play Caption

 

If you travel up the coast from Pisa to Carrara and points north, in other words, towards Liguria, the name cecina changes to la farinata. It's made of farina di ceci (chickpea flour), hence the name.

E... anche il chinotto, che è un particolare tipo di agrume che cresce soltanto, o quasi, in queste zone e anche la farinata.-Farinata di ceci? -Farinata è il nome di una specie di sfoglia la cui lavorazione è conosciuta fino in fondo solamente qui.

And... the myrtle-leaved orange too, which is a special type of citrus that grows solely, or nearly so, in this area, as well as “farinata.” Chickpea flour “farinata”? “Farinata” is the name of a kind of flatbread, and its preparation is known thoroughly only here.

Captions 56-61, L'Italia a tavola Interrogazione sulla Liguria

 Play Caption

Originating in Turkey, the chickpea plant grows low to the ground and goes rather unnoticed, but it seems to be cultivated quite profusely in Tuscany, where it is a favorite legume. Of course, anyone who likes Middle Eastern food knows how popular chickpeas are in those cuisines.

Fanno parte dei legumi i ceci, i piselli, i fagioli e le lenticchie.

In the legume group are chickpeas, peas, beans, and lentils.

Captions 18-21, Marika spiega La frutta e la verdura - Part 2

 Play Caption

 

Whether you want to visit Cecina, or have a quick lunch of cecina, you now know a bit more than you did before! 

banner PLACEHOLDER