If you’re looking for a refined place to eat a stone’s throw away from the Duomo, then D.O.C. Donnini more than fits the bill. Genuine flavours, creative presentation and Renaissance surroundings are all on the menu served up by Mario Castellano in via del Proconsolo 3, opposite the Bargello museum.
Mario Castellano’s cuisine is creative and authentic, drawing upon childhood influences of the Cilento coast, south of Naples, and refined by techniques gained during time spent in restaurants in Milan, Friuli and Paris. The restaurant boasts beautiful surroundings, located in a Renaissance building with wooden-beamed ceilings and frescoed coats of arms on the walls.
Moderately priced, Mario’s creations range from delicate red beet ravioli filled with ricotta and buffalo mozzarella and scented with the lightest hint of Alba truffle to eggs cooked at low temperature with creamed potatoes and cruschi bell peppers. Castellano explained, ‘Peperoni cruschi are peppers from the south of Italy. When you fry them, they swell up and become crispy.’
The highlight of D.O.C. Donnini is the fish, however. Freshly caught and lovingly prepared, the restaurant is a welcome addition to Florence’s dining scene. Try the sublime sheep ricotta gnudi served in a full-flavoured cacciucco fish stew, a speciality of Livorno. ‘We don’t serve spinach and ricotta gnudo with butter and sage because it’d be a bit boring. Instead we serve them in a revisited fish stew to contrast with the sheep ricotta. The idea is to use a locally sourced ingredient and to transform it into something original and delicious.’
At D.O.C. Donnini you can also find classic Florentine steak on the menu, but—as Mario says—‘People tend to go for our fish dishes.’ With fish this good and dishes this original, you can understand why.
