The Surprising Roots of Italy’s Food Festivals

The Surprising Roots of Italy’s Food Festivals

On a brisk November day in Terni, a former industrial city in southern Umbria, white-tented booths line either side of the central thoroughfare as families and couples stroll by, stopping to taste the various pastries and chocolates on offer. The combination of sugared air and bundled-up visitors gives the feeling of an Italianized Christmas market. Irina Rachieru, who lives in the city, is staffing a booth offering mulled wine and warm apple ci…