 La Giostra is a fine restaurant in Florence where the flavors (and quantities) of yesterday coexist in peaceful harmony with the culinary and trends of tomorrow.
Just for its atmosphere, somehow combining old-school cordiality with a good-hearted laidback attitude, eating at La Giostra would be a worthwhile experience. The restaurant's history also makes it unusual, as does the fact that it is run by members of the Hapsburgs - a royal Austrian family.
And then there's food..
Read the rest of: "Ristorante La Giostra"»  Perhaps because it's more out of the way, smaller, and slightly less spectacular than the Mercato Centrale, the Mercato di Sant'Ambrogio is frequented mostly by genuine Florentines and their wannabe compatriots.
However, since it's only a 15-20 minute walk from the Duomo, it can't really be considered off-the-beaten track, and certainly such a convenient yet relatively uncrowded market deserves a gastronomic visit...
Read the rest of: "Mercato di Sant'Ambrogio"»  The Trattoria da Rocco, inside the Mercato Sant' Ambrogio is one of the rare places in Florence where you will still hear more Italian than English at mealtime. Everyone eats lunch here, from the occasional bewildered tourist to businessmen to construction workers. It's open for lunch, from about 11 to whenever they run out of food.
The market itself is wonderful and deserves a review of its own, so suffice it to say that the trattoria is the same size as the regular stalls in the market but it's the one that looks more like a greenhouse. Don't be concerned if you can't find the door, there isn't any. Simply open one of the windows/walls and slide into a booth and prepare for a cheap, simple, and simply good meal...
Read the rest of: "Lunch at Trattoria da Rocco"»  Pig's head, anyone?
I might have had it and so have you, in all
likelihood.
It's just a way to make salami or any
other kind of sausage. Usually, to make a salami,
you take an
intestine, fill it with ground up pig parts and there you have it.
In this case, however, you'll start with an emptied
head (eyes and mouth sewn shut, all by hand) and
get it filled
with the ground stuff from the rest of the body.
This particular beauty was spotted at a grocery shop
(La Standa, via Pietrapiana, 42, near Piazza
Cesare Beccaria). And there's more good stuff in that
neighborhood (read on)...
Read the rest of: "Testa di Maiale and Other Florentine Treats"»  In Canada and the US, going to the market is an event for special occasions, an outing, a break from the supermarket – in other words, an exception. In Italy (and I imagine most other places in the world that filter life less) the market is still special, but for different reasons. Fresh food and eating well are integral to daily life; it is a given that gastronomy begins at the stalls. Granted, the market is a few steps removed from the watering and harvesting, feeding and slaughtering that produces even the average dish, but it is still a better point of departure for truly understanding cuisine than the supermarket.
The flavours for this venture are those of Florence, Italy – that famous Tuscan cooking! If you can go armed with some knowledge or at least a culinary guidebook, you'll be able to spot some of the most savoury and intriguing ingredients, which will aid you in your menu choices later on...
Read the rest of: "Gastronomy Through the Backdoor: The Markets of Florence"» 
Monteriggioni is a thirteenth century fortified town
on a hilltop in Tuscany. It was founded to defend the
city of Siena against invaders from neighboring
Florence, hence the high walls interspersed with
towers and only two entry gates.
Read the rest of: "Postcard from Monteriggioni"» 
If you want to understand Siena and its people, you should attend the Palio at least once in
your life. The Palio of Siena is a basically a twice
yearly horse race during which the usual nightlife
trinity of sex, drugs, and rock and roll is replaced
by wine, drugs for the horses, and medieval songs...
Read the rest of: "Palio di Siena: Medieval Tradition Brought to Life"»
On your tour of Italy you may have
reserved a day or two to see Florence. The names are probably already
echoing in your mind: Piazza delle Signorie, Palazzo Pitti, Giardini
di Bobboli, Galleria degli Ufizzi, Il Duomo, Davide, Dante...
But even if you've been running around Italy trying to see and do
everything, I advise you to take it slow once in Florence.
Relax and enjoy the city at the heart of Tuscany...
Read the rest of: "Slow Lane in Florence"» 
Take a walk around Siena and you will be amazed at every grocery store's
insistence on displaying prosciutto (jambon), wheels of cheese, and many
other buon di dio (as the senese say), meaning "everything good there is".
Naturally, you'll get all euphoric and hungry.
The next logical stop for you will be a restaurant. Unless you're accompanied
by someone who knows the town a little, however, I'd be very careful about where to go.
Of course, since you're in Siena, surrounded by Medieval Tuscan ambiance, everything will
taste good, and nothing particularly bad will happen to you if you choose to eat
any-old-where, but wouldn't you rather avoid the possibility of ending up unsatisfied,
torpid, and irritated with a uselessly inflated check to boot? Wouldn't
you rather have a good experience, leaving the restaurant well-fed and
invigorated? (I hope this is a hypothetical question for you.)
Read the rest of: "Where Not To Eat In Siena"» 
Whoever likes good wine and good food should go to
Siena, a little town in the heart of Tuscany. It has
something magical that you don't fully realize until
you've left the town. Everybody who has been there
once will return sooner or later because of the
medieval spell that follows you as you roam through
the narrow streets lined by red brick walls, giving
you a sense of safety and carefree-ness that you might
have lost.
Read the rest of: "Siena - a Little Town in the Heart of Tuscany"»
Tuscany  |
