Curious Appetite

Italy

Reflections on Florence and updates from San Francisco

/ Florence, Italy, Updates / 16 Comments
the world might be a dumpster on fire, but make it your oyster when you can

Oh why hello! And how have I stalled a bit on this special space of mine. I’ve been reflecting a lot on the direction of my blog, what its meant to me in the past and where I shall take it in the future. If you’ve been following are are brand new here, after 7 years of loving yet tolerating Florence (plus 4 years of undergrad studies in Italian prior which brought me to Rome and Perugia to study/live abroad, so probably 10+ years of living/traveling between US/Italy all together), I decided to make a mega move. I recently reshaped my life to live between San Francisco and Florence. For now, of course! Who knows, life is unpredictable.

To answer the questions I posed subito: This blog has been a special place to me to document my reflections as an American navigating life in Florence with a food obsessed lens and I will always consider it my eternal beloved. I will continue to write about food in Florence here when I get a chance. In fact, this space will be getting a lot more Florence food TLC as I will be there next week- follow along via the grams! (@curiousappetite)

While I may no longer not live in Florence everyday, it will always be one of my long-distance limbs which I’ll never be able to live without. And luckily since Curious Appetite’s food tours in Florence are still running thanks to a team on the ground, I am able to stay updated, albeit vicariously, though the team. In order to not go completely crazy behind my computer while sharing what I’ve learned over the years in Italy, I personally lead Italian-themed gourmet experiences in San Francisco if you’d like to eat & drink Italian style with me:) Continue Reading →

Where locals are eating right now in Florence, Italy (Fall 2019)

/ Florence, New Openings, restaurants in Florence, Where to Eat in Florence / 0 comment
always at Cammillo- spolier

Oh hello, stranger! I may seem like a broken record in starting these long over due updates apologizing for why I’ve been a little quiet on the blog recently. So I will reward your patience with a brand new food guide-y post involving dining input from fellow bloggers/writers in Florence!

But first, allow me to provide a bit of a personal update- then I’ll get to the juicy SEO where to eat/best restaurants in Florence stuff. In the meantime, sign up for one of my dining tours to eat the best food in Florence right now! Continue Reading →

Florence in August- Your Essential Where to Eat & Drink Guide

/ Florence, Italy, Where to Eat in Florence / 2 Comments
Pasta in Florence tomato pappa al pomodoro
All things summer tomatoes at Osteria de’ Pazzi- open all August

(updated July 2019)

You’ve probably read about it: Italy shuts down for the month of August. Well, not entirely. Over the last 12 years, I’ve seen this shift of cities being less of ghost towns. My first visit to Italy was 2005 in Florence during August- can’t remember noticing this apocalyptic country closure. But in 2007 I was studying in Perugia for the summer and I definitely witnessed the city empty gradually through July until August arrived and all there was left were the tumbleweeds and overheated classrooms (and professors). The last years, I’ve noticed a shift of closures becoming less month-long to 10-14 days, or less.

This post is my handpicked guide to restaurants in Florence open in August- all month long. Bear in mind Ferragosto, the 15th of August/Assumption day, mostly everything in town will be closed similar to the Christmas effect. The listings I’ve handpicked are restaurants who confirmed being open all month, some even the 15th. Some will be closed or will decide last-minute to close for the 15th so better to call ahead when you make a reservation or if you plan on stopping by. I also encourage you to sign up for one of my culinary food tours in Florence if you’re in town for August, where we will hit up the best spots open during the month. I’d suggest either the Food Lover’s, Dinner Crawl or Aperitivo Tour as the best bets. Continue Reading →

Negroni turns 100: Where to drink Negroni in Florence, Italy

/ Aperitivo, Florence, Italy, Where to Drink in Florence / 0 comment

I hope that in landing on this page you know what a Negroni is and adore it as much as I do. If you don’t know what a Negroni is, indulge this quick (unjust) version of a explainer (this longer one may deal more justice) plus some of my picks for where to drink Negroni in Florence at the end

The Negroni is equal parts sweet vermouth, Campari (or bitter of choice) and gin. It was considered created exactly 100 years ago in 1919 thanks to a man named Count Cammillo Luigi Manfredo Maria Negroni who asked his bartender Fosco Scarselli of Cafe Casoni to replace soda water in his Americano with gin- a legend was born! Continue Reading →

Where to drink wine and enotecas in Florence, Italy

/ Florence, Italy, Where to Drink in Florence, WINE / 1 Comment
fancy photos by Tracy Russo of Dolce Vida Photography, any other photo by my mega old iphone

You’d be hard pressed to throw a rock and not hit a wine bar or enoteca in Florence. Yet, so many places are- to me- mediocre in terms of wine selection. The struggle is real to drink beyond the Sangiovese obvious in this Chianti-laden city. Not only are Florentines fervently loyal to their local wine landscape rarely exploring beyond their province, but much of wine served (especially in restaurants) leaves something to be desired in terms of quality and uniqueness. This to me is unacceptable in a country which produces such fascinating wines and is home to hundreds upon hundreds of indigenous grapes!

I find to drink interesting Italian wines/discover new varieties, I need to be pretty much anywhere else but Florence with the exception of a handful of places. Consider most glasses poured and wine lists more often than not are predictable and limited. This is of course speaking from my personal tastes. To understand why I bemoan the wine scene in Florence, I invite you to read this post I wrote last year. Continue Reading →

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