Two Very Different Lunches in Florence

Florence is an intriguing city, full of wonderful things to see, hear, touch, experience, and taste. It is also a city bursting at the seams with tourists, which means it is chaotic, crowded, and sometimes frustrating. And yet, it’s a city I love and never tire of visiting. It’s also a city where it’s possible to find great food – just visit a neighborhood market with its array of fresh produce, meats, cheeses, breads, and pastas and you’ll see ingredients that make your mouth water.

With fresh ingredients like these (from the Sant’Ambrogio Market) it’s no wonder that Florence is a great city for dining.

This ribollita looked good but was way too salty

The good food continues in the many fine restaurants. But, as is often the case in places popular with tourists, there are some restaurants that don’t live up to Tuscany’s reputation for good food.

In Florence, these are often the larger restaurants found in areas most frequented by visitors. I recently ate in one of these when I found myself tired, hungry for lunch, and in need of a quick escape from some wet and windy weather.  I ducked into a place that I should have known to avoid – wait staff out front pulling in customers, located on a busy, touristy piazza, full of people speaking languages other than Italian.  What was I thinking? I ordered a classic Tuscan soup - ribollita.  It’s hard to mess up this vegetable soup thickened with chunks of bread. Hard, but not impossible as it turns out. The veggies and the consistency were right but this dish was over salted. I needed lots of water to balance out the saltiness. An eggplant dish was no better – heavy on cheese and overcooked. I had only bottled water to drink, no coffee or dessert. The tab was a hefty €32.50. Ouch! This was an expensive and poorly prepared lunch.

Coquinarius is an enoteca with wonderful ambiance, delicious food, and a great wine list.

I simply could not let my trip to Florence end with a memory of bad food, so the next day I had lunch at one of my favorite spots - Coquinarius, an enoteca just a bit off Piazza del Duomo on Via delle Oche. I had eaten here on a previous trip and enjoyed it immensely. Would it be as good as I remembered? The answer was a definite yes!

At Coquinarius I dined sumptuously in a lively and congenial atmosphere. This meal included a glass of wine (a tasty Vernaccia from San Gimignano), bottled water, an appetizer of crostini (toasted bread) with stracchino (a soft cow milk cheese) and salsiccia (sausage) all melty and crisp, a to-die-for pasta filled with pecorino and pear, an apple tart for dessert and a macchiato.

Crostino with stracchino and salsiccia

Little pasta bundles filled with pecorino cheese and pear

Delicious food and a great value too (just 2 euro more than my not-so-good lunch the day before). Not to mention the friendly service, mix of locals and visitors, great music, Italian chatter in the background, and a vibe that made me want to linger - which explains why I stayed for dessert and then a coffee, stretching my lunch to nearly two hours.

Apple “pie” the Italian way

 When heading to Florence the advice is clear - skip the big generic restaurants around the main tourist squares and head for those unique small places. I suggest starting with Coquinarius.  With its wide range of appetizers, salads, pasta dishes, meat and fish main courses, and delicious desserts, you won’t be disappointed. I can’t wait to go back. -post by JMB

A Recommended Hotel in Florence: The Morandi alla Crocetta

What do you look for when you choose a hotel in Italy?

A courtyard at Hotel Morandi alla Crocetta

I look for places that are small, unique to the city I’m visiting, simple yet charming, and reasonably priced. I avoid the big chains and international brands in favor of places that are family-owned and offer local character and personal touches. I find the smaller hotels to be welcoming and friendly with great connections to local culture and wonderful service to guests.

The first time I traveled to Florence, 20-some years ago, I came across a gem of a small hotel called the Morandi alla Crocetta. I’ve stayed there many times since and it never disappoints – in fact, it’s the only place I stay when I’m in Florence. It has the perfect combination of history, charm, location, service, and price.

Wearing the laurel wreath of a graduate of the law school, right next to the hotel

The hotel is at 50 Via Laura in the section of Florence near the Ospedale degli Innocenti, Church of SS. Annunziata, the Academia (home of the David), and the Archeological Museum. It’s an easy walk to all the major points of interest in Florence, about eight minutes to the Duomo. This is a lively (but not noisy) neighborhood, which is also home to the University of Florence School of Law. During my recent visit, I was able to watch the graduation celebrations as law students and their families marked the completion of degrees (laurea in Italian). What fun it was to witness this event!

Many artifacts related to Sister Domenica are displayed in the hotel

The Morandi alla Crocetta is a unique property, originally a convent founded by Sister Domenica del Paradiso (what a name!) in the early 16th century, during the era of the Medici. According to the history provided in the hotel literature, Sister Domenica sided with the Medici family in their conflict with the powerful cleric Savonarola, and so the Medici rulers gave her this land on which to build her convent. The convent was called the Convent of the Cross (cross is crocetta in Italian) as all the nuns had a small red cross on their habits. The convent was later enlarged by a Medici princess and connected by an overpass to her palazzo so she could worship at the convent’s small chapel. With time, and a period of religious suppression, the nuns moved away and the convent ceased to exist.

Today’s hotel Morandi includes the cloister and gardens from the historic convent. It is a small hotel with two floors (ground and first, with an elevator). The convent’s chapel is no longer accessible, but the former entry to the chapel is perhaps the most interesting room in the hotel - complete with 17th century frescoes and illustrations of the life of Sister Domenica. This room is a bit of a splurge, but definitely worth it.

Ceiling Fresco, Chapel Room

Chapel Room

Fresco, Chapel Room

Other rooms range from small (comfortable and economical) singles to large suites, some with private outdoor patios. There are several gracious lounge areas with a variety of books, magazines, and newspapers for browsing.

Desk area in single room

Single Room

Double Room

Since I was staying in one of the small single rooms during my most recent visit, I made good use of the comfortable public areas as a place to read and do some writing.

The hotel provides a full breakfast in an elegant room overlooking a small courtyard garden. Breakfast includes a basket of cornetti (Italian style croissants) and bread with jam, yogurt, fruit, cereal, juice, coffee, and tea. Also available are eggs, bacon, ham, salami, and cheeses. It’s a great place to meet other travelers and compare experiences over morning coffee. In the evening, the breakfast room transforms into a bar.

My most recent stay at the hotel Morandi alla Crocetta (October 2018) was a delight. This is a place that I happily recommend.  I’m already planning a return next summer with my family.       - post by JMB

Contact info: 

Hotel Morandi alla Crocetta

Via Laura 50, Firenze 50121   

phone: +39 055 234 4748

email: welcome@hotelmorandi.it

A Rainy Sunday Morning in Florence

I arrived in Florence for two full days, my last days in Italy before flying back to the United States. I was hoping for a low-key visit, which can be a challenge in crowded and hectic Florence. I planned to wander the streets, explore the markets, hang out in the Oltrarno side of town, sip cappuccino outdoors, and soak up the atmosphere of Florence. I didn’t plan to do any of the large museums but thought I might stop by the Bargello, my favorite of all the museums in Florence.

As it turned out, the Bargello was closed both days and the weather turned wet and windy (the beginning of the terrible storms that ravaged Italy in late October/early November). Flexibility is a must when traveling - no whining about rain or unexpected closings allowed! With a little adjustment in plans, my rainy visit in Florence turned out to be most enjoyable, beginning with a memorable Sunday morning.

After waking up to the sound of rain and church bells, I had a relaxed breakfast at my hotel (already a great day). Then, umbrella in hand, it was off to the Duomo (officially the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore). The most famous landmark in Florence, approaching it from any direction is unforgettable. How can such majesty sit just up a city street? It looms large over shops and cafes, daring anyone to forget, even for a moment, that they are in Florence.

Up close, the Duomo is even more impressive. The cathedral itself is huge - long and tall and capped with its famous dome. The elaborate facade is marble - in green, white, and soft pink - and full of carvings, statues, decoration, ornate windows and carved doors under elaborate arches.

The tall campanile (bell tower) and adjacent octagonal baptistery are also dressed in marble. What a feast for the eyes (though like all feasts, it can leave you reeling trying to digest it all).

The baptistry under gray skies and rain

The cathedral is a huge tourist draw and there are usually long lines to enter. But on Sunday mornings, it is open only to those attending Mass - an ideal way to experience this church.  

Main altar, Santa Maria del Fiore (Duomo), Florence

As I entered, a small service (the Lodo mattitini - morning lauds) was being chanted in a side chapel. Is anything more peaceful then the sound of Gregorian chant? As that service ended, the 10:30 a.m. Mass began. Rather than sitting out in the large church, attendees were invited to come up to the area surrounding the main altar, just beneath the dome.

Brunelleschi’s Dome.

The service began with organ music filling the cathedral, the sound and vibration making the music one with body and soul. The Mass itself (a cultural experience even for the non-religious, as well as a good way to practice Italian comprehension) was beautiful with prayer, incense, music and chorus. And all the while I sat under Brunelleschi’s dome - soaring high above the altar, with its majestic painted cupola. 

Detail, Brunelleschi’s Dome

It sure seemed like a glimpse of heaven to me.     -post by JMB

Mercato Sant'Ambrogio, Florence

Visiting a market in Italy always makes me long for a kitchen, a stove, and a reason to cook. This is particularly true in Florence, especially since I discovered the Mercato Sant'Ambrogio, which according to a local is the "mercato delle mamme" (mamma's market). 

No doubt the Mercato Centrale is larger and better known, especially to tourists. It has shops and food stalls downstairs and restaurants on its upper floor, along with an Eataly market and demonstration kitchen. It was renovated several years ago and now feels upscale; it's a Florentine hot spot. However, I prefer the smaller, lower key, and much less touristy Sant'Ambrogio market in the Santa Croce neighborhood. Serving this neighborhood since 1873, the Mercato Sant'Ambrogio has the look and feel of a classic Italian market, inside and out. Shoppers here are largely Italian speakers, which for me is a big part of the draw as it means I have the chance to shop and practice my Italian. Perfetto!

A vibrant selection of vegetables in the mercato.

An artistic arrangement of peppers.

Outside of the main market building is a covered area with a variety of food vendors  - fruits, vegetables, porcini, flowers, breads, fresh eggs, and local honey fill the bench tops. The displays are artful and everything is colorful and fragrant. This is fresh food at its best.

Fresh porcini at the Sant'Ambrogio market.

Inside the mercato, salami and proscuitto fill the shops of the salumiere. The macellerie (butchers) sell thick Tuscan steaks along with pork, fowl, and beef trimmed and ready to cook, and the pescivendoli (fishmongers) display the day's catch on ice.  

Salumi

There are cheese shops with rounds of gorgonzola dolce, balls of fresh mozzarella and burata, logs of goat cheese, wedges of taleggio, tubs of fresh ricotta, and wedges of hard cheeses like pecorino, Parmigiano, and grana padano. In short, if you love cheese this is bliss!

Perhaps my favorite shop is the one selling pasta fresca. The display is a pasta lover's dream (and a carb-phobic's nightmare). Here you'll find fresh pasta in every size, shape, and color; simple pastas, filled pastas, gnocchi, gnudi. You name it, they have along with sauces to make the dish complete. If only I could find pasta like this closer to home!

 A morning of shopping at the mercato calls for a coffee or lunch break (maybe both). No problem - in the middle of the mercato is a typical bar serving coffee as well as wine and other drinks - make like a local and have yours standing at the bar. There is also a trattoria where you can sit and have a tasty, market fresh lunch.

The Mercato Sant'Ambrogio is a feast for the senses and I easily spend whole mornings here. I confess that on one short stay in Florence I skipped the Duomo and headed for the mercato instead. After a happy morning shopping, and a mid-morning cappuccino, I left with a treasure trove of goodies - cinghiale salami, pecorino cheese, bread, apples, and pears, which made for a tasty picnic for my group of friends as we left Florence the following morning on a train. But the next time I visit, I really want that kitchen!     -post by JB

The House of Dante

With all the amazing sites to see in Florence, it’s hard to find time to visit some of the lesser-known museums. During my spring trip to Italy, I took an hour or so to visit the Museo Casa di Dante (Museum House of Dante) because how could I pass up the chance to learn more about the man considered the father of the language I love so much?

A bust of Dante hangs on the outside wall of the Museo Casa di Dante.

Dante Alighieri was born in Florence in 1265 and the Museo Casa di Dante is said to be where he and his family lived. The museum is housed on three floors of a historic building in the heart of Florence. It was established in 1965 and offers a peek into the various aspects of Dante’s life. Dante, after all, wasn’t just the man credited with establishing the national language of Italy. He also was a politician and epic poet, whose “Divine Comedy” is one of world literature’s masterpieces.

Museo Casa di Dante in Florence

In addition to providing information about Dante, the museum looks at what was happening in Italy at different periods of Dante’s life. There’s a reproduction, for example, of what Italian soldiers wore way back when, as well as weapons from the Battle of Campaldino, in which Dante fought.

Reproductions such as this one of a soldier offer a glimpse into what life was like in Florence in the 14th century.

One of the most moving parts of the museum is the second floor, which includes information about Dante’s exile from Florence. One display case includes a reproduction of the “Libro del Chiodo,” or “Book of the Nail.” The book is a record of sentences handed down in Florence during the 14th century. It is called the “Book of the Nail” because it was bound in wooden covers and hung from a nail in the courtroom. Among the sentences in the book is Dante’s – if he ever returned to Florence, he was to be burned at the stake.

The "Libro del Chiodo," or "Book of the Nail"

The top floor of the museum is devoted to the “Divine Comedy” - a topic I could write about for days (but I won’t). It doesn’t take long to visit the Museo Casa di Dante, although most first-time visitors to Florence with limited time will no doubt choose to gaze at the David and try to conquer the Uffizi instead. But language and literature lovers should definitely stop by this small museum, which is located not far from the Duomo.                                                                             -post by JG

Museocasadidante.it