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The Florentine
Food and wine in Florence and Tuscany, including food stories, restaurant reviews and wineries.
Buongiorno all’autunno! We have arrived at the season of fall cooking, leaving juicy summer tomatoes and fresh citrus fruit behind. Now the heartier gourds, vegetables and apples are becoming part of our daily diet. Whether in soups, purees or pastas, the pumpkin—or zucca—is
Walking into the sumptuous surroundings of Palazzo della Gherardesca is always a soothing and pleasurable experience, but it is all the more so when one is about to meet the Four Seasons Florence’s Michelin-starred chef, Vito Mollica. Modest in his success and amiable with all, Basilicata-born
The humble potato is often referred to as a tartufo bianco, a white truffle, both because of its looks and for its vital role in keeping people alive during World War II. But the potato-filled pillows of pasta that are tortelli di patate mugellani are close to divine. &
Making wine is complicated. As Antonella D’Isanto, co-owner of I Balzini winery along with her husband Vincenzo, explains, that lovely potion in your glass is the fruit of labor, passion, skill, technology, and, well, fruit. Here, I share the process as she revealed it to me. &
The last time you quaffed a glass of Chianti Classico, did you pause in your pleasure to gaze at its colour and inhale its aroma? Stopping for a few seconds is all part of the entertainment when it comes to wine tasting. While sommeliers teach the best methods to observe
As nights turn cold, there is no meal more comforting to come home to than a warm and satisfying Tuscan soup. Along with the famous ribollita, Tuscany’s soups include the delicious and hearty zuppa Ricasoli, which features beans and sausage. Named after Baron Bettino Ricasoli, zuppa Ricasoli
I love this time of the year: the autumnal colours intensify as the evenings begin their shorter fall into dusk. The shades become stronger just before nightfall, and we see more of that amazingly intense hue of the sky, il cielo azzurro, that powerful blue the heavens offer around sunset,
Perhaps you’ve heard of the term ‘terroir.’ The French loanword is often translated as a particular set of characteristics—climate, geography, geology, soil, topology, and even human culture—which come together to provide us with a ‘sense of place.’ The term is
In Tuscany, the end of summer and beginning of autumn is synonymous with mushrooms. And when mushrooms are mentioned, they are porcini of course. Fresh porcini. Many a keen forager will plan to andare a funghi to collect their own fresh porcini, which go into pasta and risottos. But another
In the forests of Monte Amiata, baskets of mushrooms are gathered with Cold War-like secrecy and suspicion now that the first autumn rains have finally arrived: the race is on. Cupboards are raided in search of knee-high boots, baskets are piled high and everyone suddenly becomes a lot
The first lesson to learn about Italian cooking is that there really is no ‘Italian cuisine,’ but 20 diverse regional cuisines, each with their own character, style, flavours and traditions. What you find in one region you may never see anywhere else on the peninsula. There are, however,
Colonnata, a very small town high up in the white marble mountains of Carrara, near the Tuscan coast, is known for its lardo, the cured back fat of the pig, a high-energy food developed out of necessity: to keep workers sustained during their several-day shifts working in the
There’s no doubt that Italians have a sweet tooth, particularly when it comes to starting the day. Take a glance at the offerings behind the glass counter at your local bar or pastry shop: cornetti (sweet and fluffy rather than buttery and flaky croissants), berry or apricot jam
As spring turns into summer, walking along the Arno—fresh in the morning, with beautiful sunsets in the evening—gets me thinking of the sea, for it is not far away, and the late spring breeze wafts its aroma inland. I love eating seafood at this time of
Wandering through the San Lorenzo street market, dodging overly insistent stall owners and tacky tourist wares, one could easily miss Casa del Vino. With marble counter tops and beautifully carved ...
As the days get longer, the sun shines stronger, and spring comes into full force, beverage-drinkers will instinctively migrate away from warm infusions, put away their hot-cocoa mugs and look for fresher, cooler alternatives. And what could be purer than a glass of fresh, unadulterated fruit or vegetable
One of my favourite things to do at this time of the year is to go to the Sant’Ambrogio market to see what the beginning of spring mushroom season has to offer. My first experience of mushrooming in Italy occurred when I lived in the mountain town of
At just 25, Marco Mengoni of Opera22 is one of Italy’s top 40 emerging chefs. Not only is he responsible for constantly reinventing flavours in order to satisfy his customers, he’s also at the head of a teaching kitchen with an important social function. Opera
Italy is known the world over as the land of strong espressos, steaming percolators, and open-air cafés. The sound of milk being frothed for a cappuccino heralds the morning on ...
My memories of Easter as a little girl growing up in New Zealand involve camping, trout fishing and Easter egg hunts. To me, Easter meant a short break from school and an active home life, usually a long weekend road trip with family, and hot cross buns, chocolate and marshmallow
When I moved from New Zealand to Italy in 2001, I missed many things from home. Not only was the spoken language different, but the difference was deeper than vocabulary: the sentence structure of Italian was so unlike that of English; Italian has both formal and informal address, expressed in
March in Florence means fine food and drink—and lots of it. The 2013 edition of Taste promises to be the best yet, when the city of Florence is all about food and drink. From March 9 to 11, curious gourmets and gourmands from nearby and around the world
Delighting the taste buds and the other four senses, the Pitti Immagine Taste food fair is an annual journey through Italy’s culinary landscape, from food to wine, from trends to philosophies, from equipment to design. Think top-quality food and drink from around the Boot, especially Tuscany, and
Go into any café in Italy on a Saturday or Sunday morning and you'll find it packed with neighbourhood locals standing at the bar ordering their daily cappuccino e brioche. Giorgio's is no different, but listen closely and you'll find that there are not only locals
