Italian Culinary Adventure 2003 ~ Day Four ~ Florence

View Of Florence From Piazza Michelangelo

Florence was our choice of destination on day four, and since we needed to get an early start, we skipped our morning walk through the countryside. I had hoped that by going to Florence early in the week, a Tuesday it turned out, that perhaps it might be less crowded than on my last few trips. Unfortunately that did not prove true, and it seems that during "tourist season" from Easter through to October, that Florence is busy every day. I would have skipped Florence altogether this trip since my experience there last year was not a favorable one, but my daughter-in-law had never been to Italy before, and we felt since we were in Tuscany we needed to take her there. Florence used to be my favorite city when we lived in Italy 8 years ago, but on each visit back it just seems more crowded, noisy and dirty.

We arrived in Florence about 10 am in the morning, and drove to Piazza Michelangelo where we knew there was public parking as well as one of the best views of all of Florence and the hills around it. There even is a copy of Michelangelo's David in the piazza, as well as outdoor cafes packed with tourists, and artists selling their interpretation of the great city created in oils, water colors and pastels. From this piazza set high above the city, it is possible to see just how beautiful it really is, apart from the crowds and noise of the motorcycles. We spent some time there admiring the view, watching the tourists bargain with the street vendors, and taking photographs from every angle before heading down into the city.

I had decided before we arrived in Florence, that the church of Santa Croce would be the one place I would insist we all visited. I have not been in this church for many years, and wanted to once again admire its beauty. The church was a short walk from Santa Croce, and after purchasing tickets, we headed into the cool, darkness of the church. The church itself is gothic in appearance, and its exterior façade dates back just from the 19th century. What makes Santa Croce unique however is its stunning artwork and tombs inside. It is said that as a burial place, Santa Croce probably contains more skeletons of famous Renaissance people in history than any other church in history. As well as Michelangelo (shown in the photo at the left), Dante, and Galileo, you can also find Machiavelli and Rossini entombed in the church. We moved slowly through the church, exploring its treasures while we weaved in and out of the tour groups around us. The artwork inside the church is truly impressive, particularly the frescoes in the two chapels situated on either side of the high alter at the front of the church. Once we felt we had seen the highlights, we exited into the courtyard and walked through to Piazza Santa Croce. This huge piazza was created for the Franciscans for public preaching, and "bonfires of the vanities" occurred here, along with soccer matches in the 16th century. The piazza is lined with many 15th century pretty palazzi, with stores and restaurants on the lower level.

Walking from the piazza towards the duomo, we passed through the narrow streets of the city, attempting to stay clear of the many motorcycles that raced past us. The area around Santa Croce is full of leather factories and stores, and many of them we noticed were packed with tour groups as we passed by. The Piazza del Duomo was crowded with tour groups when we arrived, and there was a good sized line in to visit the inside of the duomo. Instead of trying to get inside, we simply walked around massive structure taking photographs, and admiring its neo Gothic appearance. The Battistero, or Babtistery in front of the duomo is wonderful to see, with it's bronze Renaissance doors decorated with panels designed by Ghiberti. When we finally had our fill of the duomo, it was after 1pm and time to head over to our restaurant of choice for that day. My son had chosen Il Latini, a typical Tuscan trattoria we had been to many times in the past. The trattoria is very casual, its interior ceiling lined with whole prosciutto hanging from it, and it is crowded with old, plain wooden tables that fill up very quickly each day at lunch and dinner. Il Latini still has the true Florentine feeling to it, from its simple menu with limited pasta dishes offered, to the sharing of communal tables where you may be seated with strangers. No reservations are taken until late dinner, and people are seated on a "first come, first serve" basis. Although the food is simple, it is delicious and not badly priced for a city as expensive as Florence can be. A jug of Chianti wine is placed on your table if you are interested, and at the end of the meal, you are charged according to what is left in the bottle.

To begin our meal, we each ordered one of the traditional Tuscan soups offered including Pappa al Pomodoro (Tomato and Bread Soup), Ribollita (Vegetable Bean Soup), and Minestrone. All the soups were delicious, particularly after we drizzled the tops of them with some good, flavorful olive oil. My son had been looking forward to a good Bistecca Fiorentina (Tuscan Steak) since we first planned on coming to Italy, so we ordered enough to feed five, which we were told was about 4 kilograms of meat. The thick slabs of steak came nicely grilled on the outside, and rare inside, served with lemon wedges. I decided to order something different since I was not in the mood for steak, and I chose Salsiccia e Fagiole (Sausage and Beans) dish. To complete our main course, we ordered side salads and a plate of Tuscan beans. My dish came with two sausages on a bed of beans cooked in tomato sauce. Simple, yet delicious, I was thoroughly pleased with my choice for lunch. After we finished, we ended our meal with an espresso each, too full at that time to contemplate dessert.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent visiting the Ponte Vecchio which is lined with gold stores, strolling through the leather market, and browsing through the many stores that line the streets leading from the duomo. Once we had bought everything we had planned to, we walked over to the Piazza della Signoria, my favorite place in Florence to people watch and relax. We sat at our usual outdoor bar shown in the photo at the left, ordered drinks, and spent a nice hour watching the chaotic possession of tourists and tour groups file through the piazza. Although the sky was overcast and rain threatened, the temperature was warm and we sat amongst the statues lining the piazza and enjoyed the atmosphere, sipping our overpriced refreshments. Leaving Piazza Signoria, we stopped for our first Italian gelato of the trip and headed back up towards the car park at about 6pm. Traffic was a little heavier heading back to Villa le Focaie than it had been coming, and we arrived in Asciano a couple of hours later. Before driving up the road leading to our farmhouse, we picked up pizza in Asciano for dinner, and relaxed outdoors in the peaceful countryside after our hectic day in Florence. We all went to bed early that night after a full day, knowing the next day would be just as busy as we were heading over to Umbria.

Il Latini
Via dei Palchetti, 6R
(off Via del Moro, near the Arno)
Tel: 055-210-916
Closed Monday
Overall Impressions: I have been to Il Latini numerous times and have never been disappointed. If you are looking for good, simple Tuscan food at a reasonable price, served in a fun environment, then you will enjoy Il Latini. I would recommend getting there early for either lunch or dinner, so you do not have to wait long in line.

Continue to view more photos of Florence

Click HERE to continue on to Day Five in Umbria.

Click HERE to return to the Introduction and Trip Index!

Do you need some help planning for an upcoming trip to Italy? Click HERE for travel tips!

Buon Appetito!
Deborah Mele 2003
Email
Recipe Request
Newsletter Signup

Choose from these categories: