We had a fabulous time, and marched our way around the churches and museums and ate our way round the foccaherias, gelaterias, mercado, trattorias and ristoranti!
My top food places of the trip were:
- Il Latini – Via dei Palchetti 6
- Trattoria Marione – Via della Spada 27/r
- Gelateria Carraira – at the Oltrano end of the Ponte alla Carraira (and the Foccaheria just round the corner from it).
- Mercato Centrale
- Zoe РVia d̬ Renai, 13/r
Il Latini
The most memorable meal of the week – not least because I hadn’t quite got my Italian tongue in yet. We queued briefly for a table and were then seated between a family of Italians and a French couple.
The waiter opened a 2-litre straw covered bottle of chianti for the table that we were sharing with the French couple and then asked us whether we wanted apperitivo. I thought that he meant apperatifs so tried to order some and failed. He then asked whether we wanted apperitivo or soup or pasta, we went for apperativo to give us some thinking space. I was getting a bit worried by this point.
Anyway a wonderful mezze of different appetiser dishes started to appear: beutiful fresh milky soft mozerella with ripe tomatoes, chicken liver crostinis, melon and prosciutto and a grain salad. Meanwhile I was asking the French lady whether she had understood the deal with the wine as none of us had touched it. She caught the waiter’s attention and asked him in French – it was being charged for by the glass so we tucked in.
The apperitivo plates were cleared and I has started to settle down assuming that a menu would soon be provided. But no, to my alarm, another waiter came back and asked us whether we wanted soup or pasta next! The whole meal continued in this way – it certainly kept us on our toes but the food and the atmosphere were wonderful!
- Apperitivo
- Penne with Ragu
- A large thick beautiful pork steak with a salted spinach contorno
- At this stage we gave up and said no to dessert!
- Cantucci with Vin Santo
- No to coffee
- Limoncello gratis while we waited for the bill
- Oh, and two glasses of wine each and a bottle of mineral water
Then papa, for this was a family-run restaurant, was finally found to give us the bill. He arrived at the table and our waited came up to recite, from memory, what we had had (right down to the correct number of glasses of wine)! €70!
Zoe
For chilling, masses of free apperitivo (on a held-yourself basis), seeing and being seen and for Negronis. I am now waging a campaign to bring back Campari to the masses – it’s not all Luton Airport and Lorraine Chase you know!
Trattoria Marione
Wonderful plate of meats including a smoked lard. Fabulous piece of roasted pork rolled with sage – served with potatoes that had been roasted under the pork!
I do regret not having had a Bistecca alla Fiorentina though – especially after having read this review.
Never mind I have stroked the porcellino so I am destined to return to Florence and I can expand my knowledge then.
Filed under: Birthday, Cocktails, Food, Himself, Holiday, Italian, Language, Uncategorized
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