I shouldn’t have to write this post but as a food blogger in Florence for over a decade, I can confidently say things have gotten out of hand. How how did a tourist trap restaurant on one of the ugliest streets in “downtown” centro become home to Florence’s most viral pasta? Sometimes, I don’t recognize this city anymore and I have a lot of questions for many people who decide to come visit.
And why they want to line up for a pasta in a cheese bowl with questionable hygiene concerns. Do they sanitize that bowl in between servings? Where do they store it at night? How many pastas are made in this cheese wheel subject to a plethora of temperatures?
More questions involve: Are you here to treat Florence like a resort town or appreciate it for the cultural bastion it is? Here because you saw some pretty pictures online and it seemed like a nice place to vacation? I think these are the types making up the majority of people visiting now and they are frankly apart of its erosion. Florence has always been touristic, and locals co-existed with it (like being able to comfortably live in the center) but the current climate is unsustainable, both literally and figuratively.
I am struggling to maintain my passion for blogging about food in Florence as it seems many readers want me to validate their hungry listicles citing all’antico vinaio, la giostra and osteria pastella while they stay at another airbnb that should be for a local. Very few (thankfully not the folks on our food tours) seem genuinely interested in the local arts, craftspeople, supporting hoteliers and truly homey Tuscan food.
As the tourist season is winding down (a tad) the tensions caused by overtourism is starting to wane, I’m less irritated on a daily basis trying to slink through crowds hoping they won’t knock me off my bicycle as they meander with an enviable amount of oblivion in streets meant for cars and bikes. I don’t blame them, the sidewalks weren’t meant to carry tens of thousands of visitors daily. Where else do they have to go?
I promised pasta and you’ll get it, but I had to set the stage. This is Florence at the moment. My heart breaks and I tend to stick to select neighborhoods avoiding the historic center as much as I can as to not witness the daily decline of a city I fell in love with.
There are still corners to soak up what makes Firenze super speciale, but I’m afraid to blog about them lest the TikToker attention seeking brigades come along to ruin it.
On TikTok before I move on to my promised pasta content, I have mixed feelings. I think it’s an incredible tool that will phase out Google (and IG) in some ways. It’s the new MTV. I learn more about pop music hits on TT than on the radio!
And it’s where a lot of people aren’t afraid to be vulnerable and I truly think therein lies its value. I for one find super useful info about fashion for my unique body size, skincare tips, women who share fellow dating horror stories (it’s nice to not feel alone in this!) and detailed videos on various mental health, counter culture and activism topics.
Where I feel there is a lot of gatekeeping and curation on Instagram along with the algorithm being too preoccupied with competing with TikTok and ticking off its long-standing creators, the organic nature of TikTok cuts to the chase. I have been able to search for just about anything and gotten a decent answer, like how to optimize packing dress shirts without wrinkles.
I think it taps into our human desire to connect, and since many creators talk into the videos that we watch, looking into their faces vs reading an article or a caption- it further deepens that parasocial relational element that social media tends to invoke. Which can be a double edged sword!
When it comes to food and travel, TikTok is oversaturated just like touristic hotspots in Italy. It’s too much and I feel like the algorithm rewards videos that reinforces the same tired tips in a sort of power in numbers strategy. Other creators see it, they go to the same place and add their spin. Because in the end, their personality is what will be pulling in the most views.
The proof however is rarely in the pudding. At least from my experience observing these videos on Florence, there are very few TikTokers amplifying restaurants that are actually serving worthwhile food that represents the Tuscan and Florentine culinary repertoire with intentionally sourced ingredients. Granted, not everyone cares about food so maybe these videos are for those people where my recommendations would fall as flat as their palate.
I wonder if these TikTokers are “doing it” for the views or they genuinely want to share/help others. There is a certain amount of narcissism in the online world, and social media has the potential to exploit that tendency within many of us to gain that serotonin hit from being hooked on attention and external validation.
The last year I’ve become curious to become more informed about addiction and the more I learn, I feel we are all addicts in some way. The line is of course drawn by the boundaries one is willing to cross, the amount of hiding and deception involved coupled with a high tolerance for danger and disregard for others (and their own) safety when seeking the dopamine hunt of choice. I feel lucky I don’t grapple with the kind of addiction that shatters one into fragmented parts rarely able (which requires being willing to face themselves) to interrupt their dysfunctional behavior with reason. Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean any of us are immune from unhealthy habits and low frequency behaviors.
I think (firmly believe) our society could benefit from a bit of addiction awareness/education. I sometimes see my own field of food blogging/food&bev hospitality as a ground for socially accepted digital overuse, food addiction, alcohol abuse or other forms of hedonistic pursuits that isn’t seen for the problem that it is. That they need help and have some unhealed
I’ve personally tampered my own alcohol intake and how much I dine out as a result. I’m trying to set boundaries around screen time but it’s hard. That’s why I don’t blog much anymore. I’d rather talk to a friend or go for a walk. I don’t want to turn this post into a soapbox about my armchair understanding of addiction, but it’s food for thought.
This is what I miss about blogging, the spiral and reflections that lead eventually to the notable finds my fork lands on.
The pasta centered for this post has to do with alternatives to any place that serves fresh pasta amalgamated with butter and cheese directly in the parmesan cheese bowl as a sort of pony trick for gullible tourists.
I’m telling you locals or anyone with a palate is not lining up for that place. I’ve spoken to dinner crawl guests who say they went to places like these but everything else on the menu was mediocre (shocker)!
If you want a truly delicious plate of cheesy buttery fresh pasta, check out Cibreo’s taglioni cacio e burro (cheese and butter). Cacio is a colloquial term for cheese. Like Rome’s “cacio e pepe” I recently went (and of course they remind you on the menu that the NYT named it as one of Italy’s essential pasta dishes) and even at 18eu a plate- I found it was worth the hype.
Don’t be put off by the portion pictured, they let me have (as an exception!) a half-portion as the kitchen was closing to go with my salad, again trying to balance my relationship with decadent comfort food.
Cibreo is one of those trusty stand-by iconic places that even if they don’t like you (ahem, referring to my previous tea on Cammillo) or if they don’t know you, you’ll still get consistently delicious food and a fair-to-all service experience.
For more pasta recommendations in Florence, I suggest the following:
Zeb for a contemporary gourmet pasta bar with extensive wine offerings
T’Amero in the Oltrarno for funky artsy low-key pasta eatery vibes in Santo Spirito
La Vecchia Bettola for their penne alla vodka (another pasta must in Florence)
And more!
I compiled this handy Google Map (link HERE) for 20+ picks for pasta in Florence Renaissance land. If you enjoy my blog, show your appreciation by signing up for one of my food tours, or offering me a coffee on VenMo to support my work and keep the blog free. I so appreciate those of you will do vs leaving creators no other choice but to keep work behind a paywall or subscription.
If you can’t swing paying for my work or don’t have VenMo, sharing credit is always caring- tag me on Instagram or TikTok in your pasta pilgrimage!
And as always, the best pasta is probably found outside of Florence at some random sagra.
In your pasta eating trust,
Curious Appetite