...or at least coal-fired pizza. During my summer travels in Europe, my friends and I started off in Rome and then made our way to Florence, Italy. We spent two days in the old city, covering just about every corner of Florence and doing a lot of great eating, too. Let's get into it.
Day 1: May 14
We took a train from Rome to Florence, and after a quick stop at our hostel, we quickly made our way to the famous All'Antico Vinaio. Known for fantastic focaccia and a wide variety of fresh meats, the sandwich options here are endless. While I'm not one to eat any sort of pork, sometimes you gotta shrug it off, especially in Italy. I had my first bite of prosciutto in this sandwich, accompanied by thick tomato slices, gooey fresh mozzarella, and hints of basil throughout: this is the La Summer sandwich. The line was around the block but it was certainly worth the wait. Watching the restaurant team assemble hundreds of sandwiches for those in front of us like clockwork made the excitement of getting our own so much greater. The bread was chewy, the meat salty, and the cheese as flavorful as ever. We enjoyed our sandwiches on the steps of a nearby museum as we soaked up the warm Florence sun.
The rest of the afternoon during our first day was spent exploring the Duomo, Boboli Gardens, Ponte Vecchio (the famous bridge in all Florence postcards), and Palazzo Vecchio. We went into the Accademia Gallery to see Michaelangelo's David and then made our way to a wine tasting to get a taste of the Italian wine culture - literally. The tasting offered at Enoteca Alessi was great, with the staff offering us a wide selection of whites and reds and snacks to accompany them. For dinner, we stumbled upon Trattoria Anita, an unassuming, quaint restaurant that was warm and far from buzzing with tourists. I enjoyed a spaghetti dish with a thick, flavorful mushroom white sauce. After dinner, we went to Mayday Club for a few drinks and enjoyed choosing from a great selection of cocktails. I got the Le Quarantore, a vodka-based drink with wild blueberry, fermented honey, and hints of mugwort. A tiring but thrilling first day in Florence.
Day 2: May 15
Our second and only full day in Florence was jam-packed, starting off in the Jewish neighborhood and a tour of the beautiful synagogue. Shopping was inevitable, with leather shops lining every other street. We bought everything from belts to wallets to timeless strappy bags. However, the highlight of the day was all about eating. Lunch was an unbelievable vegetable pizza that I devoured. Dinner, from Trattoria da Garibardi, was a hefty bowl of fettuccine with meat sauce. However, the true highlight of #eats for the day was our adventure to Mercato Centrale to pick up small bites and inexpensive wine from many of the food stalls for a sunset feast at Piazzale Michaelangelo, the elevated lookout that hangs over the entirety of the city that makes for a beautiful evening when the sky is clear, which it was that evening. And everyone else had the same idea - while it was packed at the Michaelangelo lookout, it resulted in great people watching, meeting other tourists from all over the world, and laughing with each other as the sun set over our time in Florence.
Florence was beautiful, the people pleasant, and the springtime sunshine warm. All was wonderful in Florence, but our time there was limited. Time for our next adventure... off to Venice.
Fantastic travelogue and eating tour thru Firenze. Magnifico.