Next stop: Florence. When you make it to the city, where do you go first?
I’ve found the best parking is across from Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio, and if you drive, it’s really nice to have that place to park. You come up from the parking lot and you’re at this small, little antique market, the Mercato delle Pulci, that has maybe, like, 14 or 16 vendors, and is near two big food markets in Florence: the Centrale and Sant’Ambrogio. The markets themselves are great, and there are a handful of restaurants under the Cibrèo family right there, like Cibrèo Sant’Ambroggio. Fabio Picchi, who was the owner of Cibrèo, is no longer alive, but he was at the heart of the best Tuscan food and I still go back. It’s in a market of very well curated Tuscan products, including a lovely bakery and to-go food. And what’s nice about that is that, sometimes, if you’re spending a lot of time in Florence, and especially in the summer, the food tends to be pretty heavy, right? But if you go to the market you can make a picnic basket, and eat inside the market itself. I also love Cafe Cibrèo and Teatro del Sale.
As far as trattorias go, I have three go-tos. I love Sostanza. Everyone goes for their bistecca alla Fiorentina, but what I love is their buttered chicken, their artichoke tortino, which is almost like a little frittata, and their meringue cake for dessert, which they actually don’t make, but buy from a bakery. And I love Cammillo, which is the classic, with a menu that has 100 offerings. I like Vini e Vecchi Sapori a lot, because there’s a very thoughtful hand when it comes to composing the dishes. There’s a lightness, a finesse, but in a very old school way. They have a few more vegetables that other trattorias, and their insalata caprese is really refined.
Any quick, casual eats you love?
Ino! The chef Alessandro is so charming, and his sandwich combinations are so delicious and unusual and so carefully curated, not only with things that he makes, but in taking advantage of all the fantastic Italian jarred items, which he is a master of using. It makes his sandwiches different than all the other big focaccia that you can get throughout Florence. His are really chef-driven. I love what he does with artichokes, pecorinos, even anchovy.
And for dessert?
I love to get cantucci in Florence (what we Americans often call biscotti), and there’s a place called San Lorenzo that makes them a little bit softer. They do both sweet and savory versions, and they’re so delicious that I buy bags to bring home.
My favorite gelato is La Sorbettiera Gelato Artigianale at Piazza Tasso. All of their gelato and sorbetti is so good, but they have one chocolate flavor that is so dark that it translates to tar: catrame. Everyone has the fondant that’s black, but it’s not like this.
