Curious Appetite

Italy

Saveur Blog Awards: Finalist in Best Food Culture Category!

/ Florence, Italy, Press, Updates / 0 comment

Hello readers and visitors! I’m stoked to share some very special news- Curious Appetite made the Finalist list for Best Food Culture Category in their 9th annual blog awards. Would you all be so kind to mosey over to this link and vote for Curious Appetite? Make sure to check out the delectable company I’m in and the whole 11 categories represented such as Best Photography, Food Obsessive Blog, Drinks, etc.

The voting period is until Wednesday September 12th and they allow multiple votes- so hey if you can remember please vote for your favorite blogs as many times as you’d like!

If you’re a new reader, check out on my profile and fellow competing blogs in the Meet The Finalists of Best Food Culture.  Continue Reading →

Drunken Thoughts on Florence’s Wine Scene

/ Florence, Italy, San Francisco / 0 comment
Fig & Thistle natural wine & plant haven in the Mission/Castro/Market border

Before I delve into this post- I want to let you know Curious Appetite made FINALIST in Saveur’s Annual Blog Awards, for the category Best Culture Blog! Thank you to anyone out there who nominated and selected this space where I detail food & drink culture in Florence and beyond. If you’d be ever more so kind, follow this link to vote for Curious Appetite under Best Culture Blog Category, along with more categories and a myriad of neat sites to check out! GRAZIE MILLE <3

here we go!

As readers may have noticed, I took refuge from the Florentine scalding summer to wintery San Francisco. Also, I was craving a burrito and surely such a craving wouldn’t be requited in stale bread salad panzanella town of Florence. But instead of burritos, I’ve found a food & wine scene- to me- puts Florence’s to question in several ways.  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 2018)

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. Continue Reading →

Update from San Francisco: Pizza, Gelato and Negroni Pop-ups

/ Gourmet Events, San Francisco, Updates / 0 comment
Franco Pepe’s “scarpetta” cheese and tomato enthusiasts- enthuse!

Hello everyone! Let’s get down to business- I promised some updates so no funny stuff!

First, I wanted to share a few of my latest clips on the internet. It may seem like I only write about pizza and gelato- but is there anything else worth writing about? (Okay, maybe pasta)

I also wanted to invite you to an upcoming an Italian pop-up on July 15th at 5pm I’m curating along with Dinner Italiano in San Francisco! Details all coming up! Continue Reading →

Pizza notizie: Giovanni Santarpia leaves Santarpia in Florence

/ Florence, Italy, News / 0 comment
Giovanni Santarpia and his pizza Photo credit: facebook

I know this comes off as reporter-y, and I usually don’t write or update restaurant gossip from Florence- but Giovanni Santarpia leaving the pizzeria branded after him is worth giving y’all a heads up about.

In sum, Giovanni Santarpia is no longer spinning at Santarpia. What’s this pizzeria, you ask? Santarpia is a critically lauded, 3rd wave kind of pizzeria in Florence’s Sant’Ambrogio district originally helmed by Giovanni Santarpia, a revered pizzaiolo from Naples. But 3rd wave doesn’t quite do Giovanni’s pies justice- I’d say gourmet Neapolitan but the pizzas really reflected Giovanni’s imagination and memory of taste. It’s hard to classify the pizzas served here- which is why the news of Giovanni leaving, will leave a hole in the identity and draw of Santarpia. The carb parties thrown here were distinctly Giovanni’s propriety and I’d be curious as to how those left will attempt to recreate them.  Continue Reading →

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