What could be more pleasant than a beautiful day and dining al fresco in the shadows of one of Firenze’s most famous landmarks…..Il Duomo di Firenze!
In Italy is food the center of its universe? Well, I’d say, growing up Italian, that food, familia, God and its vino (not necessarily in that order) are all important parts of the culture of what is easily referred to as “that’s Italian!” to so many! As hard as it is to rank just one of these Italian traditions, food is certainly number one on every traveler’s mind and the question asked of most of us, when they know they are headed across the pond to visit Italy. “Where should we eat?” “What are Florence’s best restaurants?” The reply is simple……there are no bad meals to be had. Yes some are extraordinary and can be found in a fine restaurant or a small family-owned eatery. Markets are plentiful to make your own or to grab and nosh as you sit in a favorite scenic spot. Also, if you have the time, take in a cooking school for a real treat! Truly one of the highlights of BPP Tours is the day spent in cooking school, which took me back to my childhood and making pasta with my Grandmother/Nona to Italians!
The following is such a small sampling of some of our favorite places to eat, (although I must say, lesson learned for this coming trip….stop eating and drinking, Roz, long enough to take better pictures….I promise I will do better and share more!). I’ve also shared many street scenes of outdoor food markets, the famous enormous Mercato Centrale and finally some photos of the grand time we had with Chef Maurizio of Academia Italiana di Cucina Pandolfini on the ground of the estate by the same name. There we learned to make classic Tuscan dishes as we prepared a 5-course meal from scratch and indulged in some fine Chianti on the side.
Restaurants
A long time favorite located in the Oltrarano area of Firenze, Mamma Gina’s
Ristorante Buca Mario located near the Piazza di Santa Maria Novella
Two of the most traditional Florentine dishes that are our true test of a restaurant’s quality is the preparation of its Fagioli all’Olio (white cannelloni beans w/ olive oil) and Bistecca Fiorentina…..we’ve tried both of these dishes in most Florentine restaurants! Love!!
A very special evening for us was our visit to our favorite Florentine restaurant Cantinetta Antinori, named for the famous Italian wine family, whose wine we also enjoy here in America. Also making it special was a cameo appearance in Firenze en route to a performance in Tuscany, at Monteverdi by my brother, Steve, his girlfriend Janine and our other son, Jon…….what a great way to celebrate Firenze than with a glorious meal and a walk down their famous Via de’ Tornabuoni, the Fifth Avenue of Firenze, where the restaurant is located.
BPP Tours ‘Last Supper’ on our final night as a group, hosted by our leader, M.A. Shute at the lovely and delish, La Giostra Ristorante, located near Santa Croce.
Every evening concluded with a glass of Vin Santo, a traditional Tuscan Italian dessert wine and of course, a taste of biscotti
Always made room during our walk home for a taste of gelato…..what a pleasant surprise to find that one of our favorites, Amorino has recently opened in Houston at River Oaks District and we can have authentic gelato even when we are at home!
Mercato Centrale (Food Markets)
Meat market in Greve, Chianti
Truffles, in high season when we were there, are a delicacy that we learned a lot about through this demo, many ways to eat this delicacy……in a paste on crostini, in oil, special salts…..all filled with the flavor of truffles.
Cooking School
Chef Maurizio, begins our day of school with a delightful overview of what the day will hold….what a fun time we all had!
We listen very intently as we begin our first assignment…..a very modern way to make homemade pasta!
Very proud of our own progress and for being such “A” students…..Karen, myself, Roseann and Dr. Angela show off our new cookbooks that we just received on many of the techniques we had learned at our school for the day!
Our combined effort of the fresh pasta plus the meatless ragu resulted in a very, very delicious Sugo Finto!
photos provided by MyRedGlasses
For more info or to join our Fall 2017 Group: few spaces available plus there is always next year, 2018 is beginning to take shape; click on bpptours.com for contact info and speak to M.A. Shute our leader and Tuscany expert!