For your trip to Florence -- buonviaggio!

When my aunt and uncle embarked on a trip to Florence last year (after an absence of 40 years!), I realized I have slightly skimped on travel tips here on Ciambellina or in some cases not organized the posts with tips well so I am going to try to unite everything here in one post. Everything you -- my friend, my Ciambellina reader, my cousin, my uncle -- need to know in order to have a special trip to Florence, Italy (where I still live in my heart). You can thank Aunt Maureen and Uncle Pat!

Before I get to specific tips and itineraries, let me mount my linguistic soap box: learn some Italian before you go. 

Not to be nice or cosmopolitan, and not to improve the American image abroad. 

But rather because: speaking Italian with an Italian is one of life's special pleasures.

The other major bits of advice:

*Walk as much as possible

*Visit the main produce markets

*Have a ciambellina (and bring a few back for me).

 

OK, sermon over.

Where to go

Assuming you will tick off the major sites listed in your guide book or online (the Duomo, the Uffizi, l'Accademia, San Marco, Cappella Brancacci, etc.), I will move onto advice about other attractions in Florence.

One of the main recommendations I want to make is: Visit the Villa and Giardino Bardini. Most people visit Boboli Gardens, which is quite lovely but I think the Bardini is even better. The gardens are gorgeous [terraced in some parts] and the views stunning. When I was in Florence last summer, our ticket somehow got us entry to both, though I don't know how you would visit both in one day and see everything. 

(Note, they are both on the other side of the river).

Also on the other side of the river: Forte Belvedere and Piazzale Michelangelo. I recommend walking to both, but have your walking shoes handy. Both sights are gorgeous, with views equally as gorgeous. There's likely some important historical note someone else could tell you about.

There are also specific corners of the city that I love. I'll start with piazzas: 

Piazzas I love (to walk through, to stroll through, to gaze at, to sit in)

Piazza Santo Spirito

Piazza del Carmine

Piazza dei Ciompi

Piazza della Repubblica (now with a carousel)

Piazza della Signoria

Quirky neighborhoods

Santa Croce: the area across from the piazza and the church was originally settled by Etruscans and it's one of the few places in the city where roads curve. There are some tiny, hidden piazzas and viuzze here that are fun to discover.

Piazza Torquato Tasso: Real people live in this neighborhood! Locals gather to play soccer in the park at the center of the piazza and you could go over to Al Tranvai if you wanted authentic but decidedly unfussy Florentine food.

Speaking of which...

Where to eat

I mentioned Trattoria Cammillo (Borgo San Iacopo, #57R) in a previous post about restaurants in Florence because it's a place that I like (and Beyonce also liked it!).

Cibreo is also good -- there are actually multiple Cibreo storefronts in the same basic area, depending on your budget (Via Andrea del Verrocchio #8R). Here are some other recommendations:

https://ciambellina.blogspot.com/2015/05/where-to-eat-in-florence-update.html

Note, a lot of the places I like are on the other side of the river and two are in Piazza Santo Spirito: Trattoria Casalinga and Borgo Antico. The piazza is also quite lovely (see above) and the church was my father's favorite (designed by Brunelleschi).

I also love Ristorante Caffe Italiano on my old street, Via della Vigna Vecchia.

Where to eat and shop for dinner

I really like going to the public produce markets in Florence and the two main ones in centro are the Mercato di San Lorenzo (by the station; it is the best-known) and the Mercato Sant'Ambrogio; this last one is where I did do my shopping. It is east of Santa Croce -- and has fantastic cheese, sliced meats, veggies, etc. 

The San Lorenzo produce market -- the main market -- is now a wonderful place to dine and shop. You have to wade through the outdoor flea market surrounding the market to reach it but it's worth it.

Not just where to eat but what

People rave about pasta but here's a secret: Italian sandwiches are divine. Note: in the Old Country, they are nothing like a sub or a hero. Freshly made and reflective of all the Italian culinary acumen we've come to expect in pasta dishes, the Italian sandwich you can buy at a bar is something not to miss. Antico Noe is one of the best places for sandwiches, and not only because it is literally tucked inside a medieval arch a half-mile from Piazza Santa Croce (with a view of a medieval tower I once lived atop, but that's neither here nor there).

Other highlights:

Crostini -- as an appetizer. In the event these are new to you: little toasted slices of bread with toppings, including chicken pate, freshly-chopped tomatoes, mushrooms, etc.

Prosciutto crudo -- I believe it's part of Italy's culinary patrimony and I am not joking. Salty, silky, delicious. I don't care if you're a vegetarian -- my Italian friends certainly didn't when I pretended to be one in college and they kept urging me to eat prosciutto!

Cinghiale -- Wild boar. It's used often as the main ingredient of an amazing pasta dish that I suggest you order: pappardelle al cinghiale. It's available everywhere!

Porcini mushrooms -- if they are in season

Fiori di zucca (zucchini flowers) -- fried or stuff

Italian pastries -- Forget gelato. The real treats in Italy are pastries. Look for bars that say 'produzione propria' (that means they make their own pastries) or head to a pasticceria.

(Also grab a chocolate bar at the supermercato/alimentari if it has whole nocciole in it -- the big nut at the center of the baci candies. Why have one nocciola when you can have an entire chocolate bar full of them?)

Where to walk...

In addition to "everywhere," I also recommend walking to the other side of the river -- often. From there, as I've mentioned, you can walk to Forte Belvedere, Piazzale Michelangelo and the Bardini gardens.

Indeed some of the nicest walks are in the area around San Niccolò (the other side of the river) because they allow you to get outside the walls of the city and go up into the hills. One place you could try walking to is Forte Belvedere.

Where to have a coffee and step onto a page of A Room With A View:

There are old-school caffes that make your morning coffee feel royal and four of them are on Piazza della Repubblica, of which Caffe Gilli is probably the best (coffee/pastries/aperitivo etc); also the Rivoire on Piazza della Signoria will make you feel as though you're a wealthy landowner.

Where to drink wine

Everywhere! That's one of the things that makes Italian coffee bars special -- you can order a caffe latte in the morning and un bicchiere di vino rosso in the evening!

But I will give one recommendation of a place to drink: Rose's on Via del Parione; it's on one of the more beautiful streets in the center city. Drink outside at one of the tiny tables where you can watch fancy Florentines walk and bike by.

Look for a place called 'enoteca' to sample some good wine. I also love the hole-in-the wall (literally) kiosks where you stand on the street at a counter and order a glass of wine and maybe a sandwich.

Pastries

You'll find an entry for gelato below but as I mentioned, I think paste or pasticcini [pastries] are the unsung sweets of Italian cities (unsung, I should say, by Americans. Italians know). And really, by now, you should know my favorite: la ciambellina (looks like a donut if a donut was baked in God's kitchen). Also good: un bombolone (similar but without the hole and typically filled with crema). 

Gelato

Vivoli (Via Isola delle Stinche) around the corner from our old apartment is very popular and also very good but so is Festival del Gelato right off of Piazza della Repubblica (down the block from the Duomo). Also good (and popular): Gelateria Carraia and Gelateria Santa Trinita (both are stationed on the other side of two consecutive bridges across the River, Oltrarno side).

Souvenirs

I still buy souvenirs and so should you! I favor paper goods because reading in Italian is my passion (and paper was an ancient Florentine art) so my suitcase is always loaded down with novels and magazines but the category also includes notepads, calendars and the like, which would appeal to anyone.

I find some of the best souvenirs can be had at the big bookstore on Piazza della Repubblica: Libreria Edison (there are also lots of kiosks right in front of the bookstore that may have something you like). In addition, I highly recommending visiting the Bialetti store for the classic Italian Moka coffee pot (and coffee cups and other accessories).

Lastly, I know some of you out there are real foodies so I recommend checking out a website published by a local Florentine food writer who knows her stuff (and has Catholic interests -- hugely into sushi, etc.):

https://www.ioamofirenze.it/

She recently published a guide on her blog to choosing a restaurant in Florence:

https://www.ioamofirenze.it/mi-consigli-un-ristorante/

Note, it's in Italian but all the addresses you see everywhere (on maps, for hotels, etc) are in Italian anyway and the names of restaurants are in Italian on the sides of buildings so if you really want to go somewhere, you'll figure it out. I suggest choosing something from her guide under the category 'Trattorie tipiche' ('local, traditional eateries'), with the name of the restaurant in bold at the start of each entry (then Google the name of the restaurant and figure out where it is). She also has a heading for fine dining (in English) and if you have the euros, go for it!

Buonviaggio!

-30-

 

I sing of ciambelline, tagliatelle & vino

Arma virumque cano ... the three words that launch Virgil's Aeneid (and also indirectly my study of Italian since studying the modern Romans means studying Italian) and which I memorized long ago in my high school Latin class translate as: "I sing of arms and the man," or, "Arms and the man I sing."

Nothing quite so lofty for me; rather, of ciambelline, tagliatelle, cappuccino (made right), biscotti, focaccia, polenta, prosciutto, cioccolato and vino I sing.

I wouldn't even say I have eaten particularly good on this trip, compared to other visits or to the period when I spent months and years here. But still, let's be serious: I have eaten things fit for a president. Or maybe even the Pope. Because in Italy, non si scherza. No joking around (when it comes to food -- lots of joking around when it comes to everything else).

At night when I am drifting off to sleep or on a long car ride, I often think about what makes Italy different from America, and when it comes to food, I always think their penchant, their insistence, their belief in moderation is the key. As I walk the streets of Italy surrounded by the artful display windows of coffee bars and osterie and gelaterie, it can be hard to believe that Italians subscribe to moderation but oh, they do. I often tell people about the scenes I've witnessed at dinner parties where Italians fight over who will be FORCED to eat what's left of the pasta dish or the second course. Because if they believe they've had enough, they are loathe to have more than enough.

I don't know if I've really embraced moderation this trip -- my trips to Italy in the past decade have often consisted of double breakfasts (two ciambelline -- yes due!!! -- or a ciambellina followed by a yoghurt), something I would never have done when I lived here. But I know that anytime I've overdone it, I've felt ill at ease. And I think that's how Italians feel. They don't want to be "stuffed," as we would say in America. They want to satisfy their hunger and then move on.

OK, without further ado, here's a sampling of what I've eaten during this visit to Italy:

*Ciambelline: these are the donut-shaped pastries that are my favorite and which inspire a hunt each trip (each morning of each trip) to find the best. The hunt is especially keen since this is the second holiday in Florence where my old pasticceria/bar is closed for vacation. Also see name of blog.

*Bomboloni: Same basic stuff as a ciambellina (singular) but without the hole and typically filled with custard. If donuts came without the hole and were light and airy and fresh from the oven: they would be bomboloni.

*Focaccia: Salty, oily bread. So good it's made its way -- in bastardized form, typically -- to America.

*Polenta con i funghi: I don't eat polenta much outside of Italy but I do like it. And also good with mushrooms.

*Prosciutto crudo: the only kind of prosciutto I eat. I love its salty, silky texture. I had it in sandwiches and plain, as part of antipasti.

*Crostini: (as you probably know) little toast appetizers that in Tuscany frequently feature pate. Delicious! Especially in Italy. Not especially outside of Italy.

*Fiori di zucca (fritti): fried zucchini flowers. Had them in Florence at Antico Ristori dei Cambi near Borgo San Frediano. Squisiti (literally: exquisite).

*Panzanella (con pane croccante): Prepared by my friend Veronica, this "wet" salad features bread prominently, in addition to tomatoes and cucumbers.

*Polpo (had it twice, in fact): Octopus. I could be an Octopusarian.

*Pecorino con miele: Florentines (dare I say Italians?) like combining salty pecorino cheese & honey. Had it at Osteria Centopoveri.

*Cioccolato alle nocciole: Like a bacio candy, but a whole chocolate bar with WHOLE hazelnuts. Yes it exists, yes it rocks and in Italy the supermarket stocks plenty.

*Gelato, gusto: nocciola (and only nocciola): I don't always eat a lot of gelato but this trip I haven't resisted all that well. And why should I? Last I checked even Ben & Jerry's doesn't make hazelnut ice cream (plain -- it's already perfect, no need to add any zany ingredients).

Plus: a dozen cappuccini, and gallons of fizzy water.

And I still don't think it's enough. 

Buon appetito, y'all!

-30-

Mi consigli un ristorante? Ultimate Florence dining guide

I consider the author of the Italian blog IO AMO FIRENZE the gold standard for restaurant reviews of places in Florence. She has visited nearly every restaurant in Florence, I suspect! She's also extremely knowledgeable about the city. And now she has written the ultimate guide to dining in Florence.

Your Italian rusty? All you really need to know is the meaning of the subheds, and I'll help you out. Here are the first two categories:

'Trattorie tipiche' = literally typical restaurants, or what I would call traditional, local eateries. Something authentically Florentine. These are the places I've visited time and time again.

Ristoranti toscani di fascia più alta -- Higher-caliber (and high dollar) restaurants that serve Tuscan cuisine

Once you've decided what kind of dining experience you want, google the name of the restaurant (in bold) and see if it's in a part of the city you want to visit. You won't go wrong with her recommendations if you're looking to have a typical Italian meal (she's also very knowledgeable about other kinds of cuisine, especially Asian, but here limits herself to Italian food).

Many of these are restaurants aren't mentioned much in guide books, if at all. For my money, I'd like to visit the following places she mentions (under trattorie):

*Sostanza (detto i’Troia) 

*Trattoria Marione

*Il Brindellone

If you see a place you want to go and would like a translation of what she wrote, leave a comment here!

I've blogged about great places to eat as well and you may want to take a look at where I ate in 2015 on a solo trip to the city of Dante:

https://ciambellina.blogspot.com/2015/05/where-to-eat-in-florence-update.html

There's also a quickie overall guide to Florence that I put together a few years ago:

https://ciambellina.blogspot.com/2016/05/my-quick-hit-guide-to-florence.html

The guide at IO AMO FIRENZE is, again, here:

https://www.ioamofirenze.it/mi-consigli-un-ristorante/

Buon appetito!

-30-

I'm headed again to Italy. Here's how I prepare

I'm not thinking about monuments -- except the Pantheon, my favorite building in Italy -- nor am I likely to visit many museums.

I am instead, as an Italophile preparing for a trip to Italy this summer, thinking about ciambelline -- see the name of this blog! -- and where I will be eating them and how to find the largest, freshest ones at each stop along my route.

And I'm picturing myself walking the streets, almost obsessively, as a way to reclaim my adopted country. (I won't be happy unless I walk all day.) I'm thinking about window-boxes full of flowers and all of the other small workaday jewels I hope will pass before my eyes when I touch down in Italy.

I am thinking about my own private itinerary, especially in Florence: lingering under the window of our old apartment near Santa Croce in Florence; visiting Bar Simone across from the turbine plant where I worked; stopping by piazza della Repubblica because I had to thread my way under its arch and across its lovely cobblestones so many evenings on my way home when I lived in Florence; making a beeline for Costa San Giorgio and via Erta Canina and all the other hilly streets on the Oltrarno where one can get a good walk and a stunning view all at once.

Also: Mercato di Sant'Ambrogio, where I did my produce shopping, making sure to walk through Piazza dei Ciompi on the way (in the hopes the antiques market is still there). Also: any place where Italian words will be on display. So bookstores -- but also grocery stores. Plus, the sandwich shops along Via della Vigna Nuova, and the Arco di San Pierino where druggies used to prowl but now tourists consult maps on their iPhones.

I'm fantasizing about the beach towns in Puglia I'll visit for the part of the trip down South. I know that will be the most languorous leg of the trip, and I am already imagining the Pugliese wine (Nero di Troia, Aglianico, Primitivo, ecc) I'll be consuming along with bruschetta and spaghetti allo scoglio from beachside cafes as good as what you'd find in a city.

In other words, I am making a mental list of my must-sees, and more often than not they consist of tiny corners of Florence (and to a lesser extent Rome and Puglia) where I feel I can best breathe in the Italian way of life.

I'm also thinking about about what I will buy. What mementos will follow me home and insinuate themselves among my belongings, serving as little bursts of Italophilia in my daily life.

Well, I'll buy books, it goes without saying (thinking of perhaps shipping a crate home, in fact -- no joke. The literary translator's indulgence?).

Also, coffee, of course (Caffe Kimbo and other Southern Italian brands that are a bit hard to find in the States). Saffron, Italian breakfast cookies (if for no other reason than to distribute them to Starbucks for a teaching moment). Also maybe a new coffee canister. And another darling red and green "mokina" coffee maker, like this one.

And magazines of all kinds (including the political weeklies, maybe a cooking mag, and the world's most beautiful travel magazine: Bell'Italia). Plus postcards, brochures, stationery. Papery vehicles of Italian artistry, in other words (particularly vibrant in Florence where the decorative arts were much prized during the Renaissance).

I also fantasize about conversations I will have in Italian when I arrive. (Hey I'm old -- this is how I get my jollies! Too much wine and I am not jolly the next day). Conversations with friends, conversations with baristas (soccer will come up) and fruit vendors and the taxi cab driver (che casino!) and the signora waiting for the bus who's worried there might be a sciopero (labor strike).

And what I do to prepare for this onslaught of conversation and kibbitzing is listen to podcasts and watch movies and of course read Italian. Though I've found in recent years it's best, before embarking on a trip to Italy, if I consult newspapers, magazines and web sites rather than bury myself in, say, D'Annunzio. What are Italians talking about now? That's what I want to know. That's the talk soup I want to slip into once I arrive (even if it includes the name Salvini).

Here are some books I'm reading:

Lezioni di Tenebra, Helena Janeczek (who just won the Premio Strega!)
Non ora, non qui, Erri de Luca 

I'm also listening to podcasts, including this one.

Here's a movie I watched to gear up, with the amazing Italian actress Alba Rohrwacher:



Last but not least, a song from my personal, ready-get-set-Italy soundtrack (used in a film I want to see so badly, Il Nome del Figlio, with Alessandro Gassman).



Andiamo!

-30-

My quick-hit guide to Florence

The wonderful, exciting, taking-over-the-world writer Alexander Chee put out a call on Facebook for tips on Florence. I was happy to oblige and emailed him some suggestions.

And then I thought, well, I may know some other people shipping off to Florence for their summer holidays. So here are some ideas for how to spend your gorgeous Florence days....

Restaurants

From my first blog post during my trip last year at this time, click here for some ideas on where to eat, including my first visit to Trattoria Cammillo.

From a few years ago (in some ways Florence never changes so these restaurants are still open and still good, even if the post is from a while back), you can find a guide here to eating in Florence. I visited many of these restaurants last year and remained impressed and full (Ignore the Italian and just go to the middle of the post where the list of restaurants is).

ALSO: There are essentially three branches of Cibreo (the expensive version, the less expensive version and the club version that gives you access to a buffet plus a performance -- I've never been to any of it but Cibreo is quite well known so worth a try)

Museums

You know the biggies (the Uffizi and L'Accademia) so let me mention Museo del Novecento (for modern art). I'm personally really interested in 20th century Italian art (Futurism, i Macchaioli, Italian impressionism), and you may want a break after all being submerged in Medieval and Renaissance frescoes.

Produce Markets:

Go to the Sant-Ambrogio Market, slightly off the beaten path, in a neighborhood behind Santa Croce. That said, San Lorenzo was recently renovated and now has some great restaurants so also worth a visit but in a very touristy, crowded part of the city.

There's also usually a weekly flower market on Fridays in Piazza della Repubblica that's visually interesting even if you have no interest in buying flowers.

Neighborhoods (and WALKS):

Don't miss San Niccolo on the other side of the Arno (and of course, Sant'Ambrogio).

In fact the best walks are on the other side of the Arno. You can do the requisite walk up to San Miniato or you could walk to Forte Belvedere, strolling up a road called Costa San Giorgio (which you access just off the Ponte Vecchio). Walks along Via dell'Erta Canina (nearby) are also lovely. They'll help you work off your Florentine diet!

Shopping
I don't care for leather goods so I can't give advice. My interests are household items (placemats, new Mokas, coffee canisters) paper goods, some clothing and of course, BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS. So, respectively, I visit the supermarkets and the casalinga shops (literally 'housewife'), Il Papiro, Barone near Piazza Beccaria (which had expanded when I went last year) and any of the Feltrinelli branches (including a fantastic one in the Santa Maria Novella train station -- peruse books while you wait for a train? Don't mind if I do!).

Field trips:

Lucca. In case you haven't been, it's a walled Tuscan city where you can even ride your bike on the ramparts of the wall. Also, there's tower in the center of the city with a tree growing on top. Plus some of the best food in Tuscany.

Local blog

Elena is a marketing expert who keeps the best blog (http://www.ioamofirenze.it/) on what to do in Florence. She no longer updates the English version regularly (http://lovingflorence.blogspot.com/)

but I'll include the Web address because there are some great links to restaurants and other attractions that are still up-to-date.

Buonviaggio!

-30-

Where To Eat in Florence (the Update)

OK, a long, long time ago I wrote a post about where to eat in Florence. And I'm more than happy to update it now.

Full disclosure, before we go any further: I'm talking about Florence, Italy. Not Florence, S.C. OK, OK, here we go.

I wasn't there very long so I only have a few places to recommend. But I think you will like them. And in an unusual move, they are all places I'd never been before.

Trattoria Cammillo

Don't trust me with recommendations? Va bene. Trust The New York Times, which has reviewed this spot on Borgo San Iacopo very favorably several times. Not enough? OK, Beyonce and Jay Z were there last week. Ci siamo?

It's really your classic old-school trattoria. White table cloths, a touch of fancy, the thought that an important Italian dignitary might be in a corner table. Walls covered with art, the industrial coffee maker in a corner, just inside the door. Waiters in classic service garb. And the food is lovely.

I ate one of the best pasta dishes I've had in a while: paccheri sul coniglio. Paccheri pasta in a stewed rabbit sauce.

Plus a lovely glass of Vino Nobile, which was the "degustazione" of the evening. That was a new one for me.

Alex, my very lovely dining companion, had bistecca alla fiorentina (which you can see above).

Cento Poveri

This is a good, tried and true Florentine trattoria not far from Piazza Santa Maria Novella. Feeling a bit gluttonous (which in Italian sounds much less sinful: golosa), I ordered a plate of pasta: pici al granchio (in photo above). Pici, a type of thick, long pasta with a large piece of crab settled on top and quite delicious, once I'd managed to extricate its essential goodness from its hard shell (like so many other things that come in hard shells).

I also had a really lovely cheese plate.

And I found the prices to be giusti, and despite the location (on Via Palazzuolo) -- really a stone's throw from Tourist Central.

Alle Murate

In some ways you could say this is an odd ball. A former prison that's now really a cultural space as much as it is a restaurant and bar.

I had a plate of prosciutto crudo (which, in Italy, can almost never fail) followed by a lovely salad, plus the company of an even lovelier former roommate, Irene.

Besides what I ate, what's more important is that this place be on your radar as a punto di referimento. There are gallery openings, concerts, lectures, all sorts of cultural activities going on here that merit your attention or really anyone's attention. This week alone, there will be dance performances by Italian, Korean and Japanese artists.

Also: Near my favorite part of Florence: Piazza Sant'Ambrogio.

So, buon appetito!

Wish you were here (Il Nostro Inviato torna a Firenze)

Il Nostro Inviato is in bella Firenze today and look at this gorgeous photo. Looks like morning to me!

He snapped this photo at Patrizio Cosi, my favorite bar/pasticcieria in Florence.

And do I need to mention that the ciambellina you see in the photo is my favorite pastry?!

Osteria Caffe Italiano a Firenze

Osteria Caffe Italiano a Firenze: to me, it's a perfect combination of Italian food and American comfort.

Why? Because the menu and the wine list are perfectly Tuscan and Florentine. But the place is open all day, from 12 noon on. That means in the afternoon, when you've been out and about in Florence, visiting friends, shopping, walking, what-have-you, you can stop at Osteria Caffe Italiano and have something more than a brioche. You can have a proper little snack to tide you over until to dinner, and to fuel another round of walking.

Ricordo bene quando l'hanno aperto; la prima volta che ho cenato lì, ho preso spaghetti al ragù di peperoni e poi lo stinco di vitello come secondo, e ho mangiato alla grande. Una dei proprietari si è fermata a parlare con noi e ho chiesto come andava la nuova impresa, e sembrava che le fosse piaciuto veramente che m'importava, e che si formasse un vero e proprio rapporto.

Since then, I have returned for snacks and glasses of wine, and I've always enjoyed myself. There is a gentleman who works there who is extremely knowledgeable about wine. He used to work at Enoteca Gambi Romano in Borgo Santi Apostoli 21/23R.

Osteria Caffe Italiano si trova a Via Isola delle Stinche 11/R, all'incrocio di Via della Vigna Vecchia.

GARGA

Trattoria Garga: ci siete mai stati?

Lo conoscete: si trova in via del Moro a Firenze, due passi da ponte alla Carraia.

Caro.

Oh yeah, that. Almost forgot!

E' carissimo!!!!

Io non ho mai mangiato lì; l'ultima volta che c'ero a Firenze, ho provato di mangiare lì però non c'era posto e quindi il proprietario ci ha mandato alla Trattoria Marione, lì vicino, che era anche buono, ed era anche caro, però non tanto quanto Garga.

Sentiamo tutte le 'buone forchette' a Firenze: avete mangiato a Trattoria Garga? Vale la pena andare?

Dove Mangiare a Firenze

Quando ho cominciato a scrivere il blog qualche mese fa, volevo mettervi tutto quello che sapevo dell'Italia, dai ristoranti buoni a Firenze alle stradine belle di campagna.

Mi sono permessa di parlare di tante cose, ma mi sono dimenticata di darvi consigli per dove mangiare bene a Firenze (ed altre città). Ma che vergogna!

Vabbe' cominciamo. Here are just a few of the trattorie and restaurants I like in Florence, and a few outside of Florence:

(Centro Storico)

All'Antico Ristoro di Cambi, Via S. Onofrio (Oltrarno)
Osteria Caffe Italiano, Via Isola delle Stinche/V. Vigna Vecchia
Fuori Porta, Via Monte alle Croci (Oltrarno)
Vino e Pane, San Niccolo (Oltrarno)
Enoteca/Tratt. Baldovino, Via San Giovanni (Santa Croce)
Caffe Cibreo, Via del Verrocchio
I Fratellini, Via dei Cimatori (un bancone)
La Buca Lapi, Via del Trebbio
Trattoria Casalinga, Piazza Santo Spirito (Oltrarno)
Il Tramvai, Piazza Torquato Tasso (Oltrarno)

(Outside the city)

Il Vecciolino, Monte Morello
Locando degli Scopeti, Via Cassia, 81, Impruneta

(In Tuscany)
Da Delfina, Loc. Artimino, Carmignano
La Corteccia, Massa Rosa (Lucca)

Nostro inviato è tornato: II

II: Il bere (lui è il santo bevitore!)
Here's an idea of what Nostro Inviato was drinking while in la città di Dante:



This is what he had at the Frescobaldi Ristorante e Wine Bar in Via dei Magazzini (una stradina in centro dove lo scrittore Vasco Pratolini nacque nel 1913). Alla salute!



A shot of Stonehenge, sempre a Firenze. È qui che Nostro Inviato passa un sacco di tempo quando visita Firenze, soprattutto nelle ore piccole. Riconosci il barista? È nostro amico Rosario! Ciao Rosario!



Un caffe da Caffe Paszkowski in Piazza della Repubblica. È un caffe macchiato da favola! Cerca quanto tu vuoi, non lo trovi così buono allo Starbucks!

Nostro inviato è tornato: I

I: Il Mangiare
Here are some of the meals Il Nostro Inviato consumed in Florence (the photos were taken at the Frescobaldi Ristorante e Wine Bar in Via dei Magazzini, near Piazza della Signoria):



Affettati! Buono. A me mi piace il prosciutto crudo....ooo bono!



This looks to me like tagliatelle ai funghi porcini. But in fact, I'm told it is tagliatelle ai carcofi. Ora mi viene appetito e ho appena cenato!

He only took two shots of his meals, but da' retta a me, so che se l'è mangiato alla grande!

You may wonder why Il Nostro Inviato went to Florence (and perchè si è trattenuto lì due settimane). Why, he went because he is Il Nostro Inviato! He is on the scene in Italy, capturing what the people are doing, eating and drinking (more on this).

If you ever find yourself on Borgo Degli Albizi....

....in Florence, go to I Dolci di Patrizio Cosi. You won't be sorry. They have fantastic pastries, the coffee is great and if you go later in the day, you can have a fine sandwich, too.

What to order at Patrizio Cosi? Why, una ciambellina, obviously!