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 toursto eat the best food in Florence right now!Continue Reading →
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 Florenceif 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 →
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 →
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 →
Hello my dears! I write you again from a (sometimes) sunny Spring in San Francisco- it’s been quite a whirlwind of 2 months since I was last here! It may seem like I left Florence hastily without much written, but I assure you- a mountain of work was demanding my efforts. I was left without much choice but to leave this space a little in the dark.
Nevertheless, I made sure during the bits of calm I was permitted during these 2 months, to dedicate my palate to food-filled goose chases, like around Liguria in search of the best focaccia. Also to Turin (for well, the best of everything), which I’ll muse on my next post. For now, read on for all things focaccia and a dash of pesto! Continue Reading →
