Curious Appetite

florence

Where to eat & drink near Piazzale in San Niccolò (Florence, Italy)

/ Europe, Florence, Florence, Italy, Oltrarno, Where to Drink in Florence, Where to Eat in Florence / 0 comment

San Niccolò is a sort of micro-neighborhood on the way to the trek to Piazzale Michelangelo, a popular square where you can get a stellar view of the city. Unfortunately, pop tourism has influenced Piazzale Michelangelo to be a sort of Disneyland attraction with bad food carts, painful cover music belting buskers and plastic souvenir vendors. But the view makes up for nearly all of it. But the area offers much more than just this concrete plaza, albeit scenic.

I would implore you to make the extra hike up to San Miniato al Monte and explore the monumental cemetery in the back. Or hang out with a picnic blanket in the rose garden or stroll through the Giardino dell’Iris. Just promise to do more than just Piazzale Michelangelo if you’re in the hood. (And while I have your attention for promises, let’s connect on Instagram for daily updates/tips and subscribe to my newsletter for intel/guides that doesn’t make it on the blog) Continue Reading →

Antipasto recipe: Burrata con i friggitelli (inspired by a pizzeria in Florence)

/ Cucina Lockdown (Recipes in the time of COVID-19), Florence, Italy, pizza / 0 comment
In case you were wondering what friggitelli were- they are these! Not spicy and extremely versatile! Although nothing wrong with a little spice 😉

Hello cari lettori (dear readers),

It’s been a hot minute since I wrote to you all. Again, I have a slew of excuses but more honestly, I’ve had a bit of bloggers block. But also, my priorities have shifted. The world has changed. And I’m not sure how many of you are truly interested in another fluff list of where to eat and drink in Florence. Nor sure how much it’s relevant. I sometimes struggle with expressing something joyful when there is so much strife around me. I try not to subscribe to these self-conscious fears, as I would from an objective place see someone with a good nature, would appreciate some enthusiasm and positivity- not see malice of gloat within it.

That being said, my energies have been focused elsewhere- like writing a weekly newsletter. If you’d like more frequent updates from Curious Appetite on what’s happening in Florence, around Italy, Italian ingredient deep dives and freebies like e-recipes, subscribe HERE Continue Reading →

Thoughts on covid-19 in Italy, experiencing it in Florence plus ways to help

/ Florence, Italy, News / 1 Comment
Taken 2 days after I arrived, happy as a clam in my home, before the covid-19 mess hit Italy.

Hello readers, it’s been a whirlwind of a month (rather, 2020 in general) and I feel like in a matter of days, my life has been flipped upside down- along with many others who work in the travel industry or anything to do with Italy. I feel like we have all gone through the stages of a breakup trying to understand what the hell just happened, and now I’m at the stage of acceptance and hope.

I started composing this post from the airport in Florence last week before the nationwide lockdown occurred, awaiting my return flight with a heavy heart and confusion over Italy’s long path ahead to recovery. I am fine/healthy, and am definitely practicing social distancing while laying low.

This post is intended to share my impressions/thoughts as someone who works in the travel industry, including resources from locals on the ground.

Continue Reading →

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 →

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 supplement gin to his Americano (bitter, vermouth and soda water)- a legend was born! Continue Reading →

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