07 NOV 2018: Birthplace of the Renaissance, Florence is Italy’s unrivalled repository of art and architectural masterpieces, thanks to the coffers of the powerful Medici family. Florentines have been elevating the art of civilized living ever since Dante strolled its streets composing love poems to his beloved Beatrice. Geographically, the historical centre of the city is small and easily walkable, but it boasts more artistic masterpieces per square mile than any place on the planet. Indeed, Florence is a true treasure chest where, in one day, you can marvel at Michelangelo’s David, haggle for a new leather wallet and lick some of Italy’s finest gelato…all before lunch. I’ve just spent two weeks living like a local and studying Italian at the Michelangelo Institute in central Florence. I’ve scoured both sides of the River Arno in search of places worthy of your time and euros.
The “Cheap Thrills” Save List
Who says there’s no such thing as a free lunch?
At the Mercado Centrale, in the heart of Florence’s bustling San Lorenzo leather and souvenir market, the vendors are generous with their free samples of Parmesan spiked with balsamic vinegar, mini prosciutto panini, olives, pickled garlic, biscotti and more. The upper level has become an upscale food court. Closed Sundays.
A Gutsy Snack
It’s an acquired taste, but sandwiches stuffed with stewed organs were as popular in Michelangelo’s day and they are today, especially with the current trend for nose-to-tail cuisine. Join locals in biting into a panino full of trippa or lampredotto (the second and fourth stomach of a cow) and topped with a spicy green sauce. Try it—it’s offal!
Get your Licks
Some, including guidebook and travel TV personality, Rich Steves, opine that you’ll get Italy’s best ice cream in Florence. Avoid shops displaying high mounds of garishly coloured flavours topped with candies. I like Gelateria de’ Neri on the street of the same name, #9).
Best Panini in Town
There’s good reason for the long lines in front of All’Antico Vinaio just behind the Uffizi Gallery, where for five euros you’ll get the panino of your dreams with crispy, just-baked focaccia and divine fillings. Try the Inferno, a perfect combo of porchetta (roasted pork), artichoke spread and hot pepper sauce. One whopper sandwich feeds two.
On the other end of the sandwich spectrum, Procacci, Via Tornabuoni, 64, serves tiny buns filled with foie gras and truffles in a jewel-box of a shop. For about five euros you can have a little bite and wash it down with a glass of Prosecco.
Skip the Lines
Avoid the long lineups to view treasures such as Michelangelo’s colossal David in Florence or the Opera in Venice by reserving online for museums, concerts and more at www.selectitaly.com
Free Wine
Step into the Enoteca Pontevecchio (Corse dei Tintori, 21) where owner Tony Sasa an enthusiastic oenophile educates educating his customers on the nuances of the wine and the art of pairing wine with food…all of which he delivers with enthusiasm and passion. Sit at one of the tables in the back room as Tony pours you some of his choice reds and whites at no charge. Of course, you will probably want to buy a bottle or two, especially Tony’s vintages produced under his own label.www.enotecapontevecchio.com
The “You Only Live Once” Splurge List
A Moveable Florentine Feast
Sign up for Eating Italy’s Florence Sunset Tour through what have been dubbed Florence’s coolest neighbourhoods in Oltrarno: Santa Spirito and Frediano. We met our guide, Bea, in the Piazza Santa Spirito. First stop was to Alimentari Sandro & Ivana where Marzio, self-acclaimed “king of cheese,” handed out samples of some truffle-studded Pecorino and salami with fennel. Bea informed us that bread in Florence is tasteless because it contains no salt This tradition dates back to the Middle Ages when most peasants could not afford the salt tax. A local will tell you they don’t use salt because bread is meant to be a neutral mop for your sauces.
At Ne Nuvole, mixologist Chiara taught us how to concoct two Italian apertivi: a Negroni and an Americano, both made with red vermouth and Campari. Fortified, we ambled on to Vinaino de San Frediano a traditional wine bar where locals pour “loose wine” from barrels. With the glass of red, we tasted lardo on toasted bread. Lardo is basically pork fat that has been cured in herbs. The quality of wine improved at Fiaschetteria Fantappie where we drank Chianti Classico paired with bread, tomato and cucumber salad, plus stewed tripe. Our main course, a bistecca all Fiorentina, the star of Florentine cuisine, was served in style at I Raddi, complete with cannellini beans.
Using her iPad, Bea showed us a video of a violent football game final played every year based on rules dating from the 1500s. Really there is just one rule; you can’t kill your opponent. Back in the 1500s the winning team’s prize was a cow that was shared with their neighbourhood. And that explains the tradition of this mammoth T-bone that must be at least three fingers thick and served very rare. It’s also perfectly acceptable for one lucky diner to gnaw on the bone.
We finished our night prowl back in front of the church of Santo Spirito where Bea handed out little glasses of sweet Vin Santo into which we dipped almond biscotti—the perfect end to a delicious and informative night on the town! www.eatingitalyfoodtours.com
Aromatherapy
The friars of the Dominican Order at Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, (Villa della Scala 16), have been concocting herbal remedies, pomades and perfumes since 1612. Even if you aren’t interested in buying, the store has to be one of the most beautiful in the world and worth a look and a whiff. Their Acqua della Regina fragrance was first created for Catharine Medici. Buy a sachet of their pot pourri so you can savour the scent of the Tuscan hills back at home. www.smnovella.com
Closer to the Piazza Santa Croce Aqua Flor is a smaller but no less enticing. Along with a range of room fragrances, perfumes, soaps and candles, they will also create a bespoke scent for you. www.florenceparfum.com
Let’s Talk Leather
Florence is full of shops and stalls hawking leather goods. Unfortunately, many of the vendors are not Italian and most of their goods are not made in Italy. If you want the real thing, go to school. You enter Florence’s finest leather atelier through the Santa Croce Basilica. Once a monastery for Franciscan Friars, the Scuola del Cuoio (school of leather) produces exquisite creations all made by hand using ancient techniques. Some famous customers include Gwyneth Paltrow and Steven Spielberg. www.leatherschool.com
If you don’t have a movie star’s budget, visit Walter Moretti (Via Verdi 24). His mother designs the goods and Walter and his son handcraft them. www.morettiwalter.it
Beans and More
Ristorante del Fagioli, Corso dei Tintori, 47, is just the kind of homey place you seek for some delicious Florentine classics such as bread soups, beef stewed in red wine and tomato sauce, Grandma’s meatballs and, of course, beans (fagioli) but in this case that’s the family’s name. Wash it all down with a fiasco (a bottle wrapped in straw) of Chianti. Cash only.