Topini: Not little mice (topi) but gnocchi. Next time you’re out at a traditional Florentine restaurant, try the topini al sugo!
Zimino: Another traditional Florentine recipe, it is a way to prepare certain types of seafood (usually cod, cuttlefish and calamari) using chard, tomatoes and a little red wine. At some tripe stands you will see it prepared in zimino’.
For example, at an osteria: >Allora io prendo le seppie in zimino e un quarto di rosso’. ((I’ll have the seppie in zimino and a quarter liter of red wine’.)
Bazza: Chin. Also bazzata, to hit one’s chin.
Example: E’ scivolato e l’ha battuto una bazzata in terra!
((He slipped and hit his chin hard!’)
Special thanks to Vieri Wiechmann for sending one of his favorite Florentinisms:
Andare in brodo di giuggiole: Giuggiola is a sweet fruit, called jujube’ or red date’ in English. The expression andare in brodo di giuggiole is used to express total happiness following an event or after receiving some good news.
Example: Ha letto la lettera della fidanzata ed andato in brodo di giuggiole. ((After reading the letter from his girlfriend, he was on top of the world!’)
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