Monday, June 2 (Florence) – While shopping in Florence, my mom and I had struck up a conversation with a nice guy who works in a leather shop and he gave us some restaurant recommendations that were close to the city center but high-quality restaurants that primarily locals know about and go to.  We decided to check one of them out – Vini e Vechi Sapori - a family-run osteria where the Nonna works in the kitchen cooking the day’s specialties.  We walked by hoping for a late breakfast or early lunch (when perhaps a reservation wasn’t necessary), but they were closed.  Then the door magically opened and one of the waiters started talking to us and invited us back at 12:30 sharp when they opened.  We had a reservation at one of the most exclusive restaurants in Florence! 

We arrived back at the restaurant to a small crowd of people waiting for the doors to open (and hoping to get in).  As the restaurant opened, we were seated but some people were sent away without having a reservation.  The small restaurant with about six or seven tables was filled with a mix of in-the-know tourists and the local regulars including three little old ladies who were clearly catching up on the neighborhood gossip.  The walls are adorned with paintings from every artistic genre including a caricature portrait of the three owners (one of whom happened to be sitting directly beneath it at the time!).

The waiter gave us hand-written menus with today’s date and after a few minutes he sat down at the table with us to take our order.  He was extremely nice and friendly – which isn’t very common at restaurants in Italy – and was happy to translate the somewhat indecipherable handwriting and Italian for us. 

The food:  delicious!!  Really some of the absolute best I’ve had in Italy.  We started with a caprese salad (the freshest mozzarella I’ve ever had) and a cold artichoke salad which was lovely as well.  For main dishes, my mom had a spaghetti pomodoro and I had Bolognese on a big flat rigatoni-like pasta.  Again, fantastic, fresh and tasty.

We ended the meal with a mocha-flavored espresso drink, full bellies and smiles on our faces.  This place is a winner!

Antica Trattoria da Tito

Delicious, traditional Italian food, but people seem to go more for the atmosphere.  The waiters have attitudes (in a fun and flirty way) an will yell at you for not finishing your plate or if they are trying to walk by and you're in the way.  While the decor is standard for a restaurant, the music is loud and hopping!  In fact, rumor has it that late night gets a bit crazy at Tito's... dancing on the tables and such...

Cantina del Gelato 

Some of the tastiest gelato I encountered in Italy... and for those of you who just can't decide, there is a flavor wheel to help you out!

Caffé le Logge 

Although a bit pricey for a coffee and a bite, this is a great place for breakfast, just next to the leather market.  We even ran into the man from the leather store there who suggested Vini e Vechi Sapori!

Brac 


If you're feeling a bit pizza & pasta'd out, this vegetarian / vegan restaurant is not only delicious and healthy, it is also part gallery, part book shop so there's a lot to look at to stimulate both your mind and your taste buds.

Thursday, May 29 (Florence) – After hiking through Cinque Terre, my mom and I found out that there would be a train strike the following day and that we wouldn’t be able to make it to Florence where we were headed.  We didn’t want to risk not getting there, so we made the decision to forfeit that night’s hotel deposit in Cinque Terre and race over to Florence to beat the strike.  Our hotel in Florence was completely booked for the night before our scheduled reservation, but Lorenzo – the owner of our little hotel – was able to find us a great accommodation nearby!  So we had an extra day in Florence and everything seemed to be working out for the best.

Then we started walking.

I am a New Yorker.  I have seen my fair share of tourist stampedes and crowds, but I have never seen anything like the crowd in the center of Florence.  When our walking tour began, I don’t know what was more difficult:  being able to find our tour guide as he walked through the crowds (think: the hardest level of Frogger) or being able to hear him speak!  It was complete madness, particularly by the Duomo, and it made it difficult to connect with the city or get a proper introduction to its history, art and importance.

Regardless, we enjoyed our 5 Euro walking tour with MyTours which gave us a better perspective of the layout of the city as well as which museum was which.  We also had a chance to snap obligatory photos of the Duomo and the (reproductions) of the statue of David and Lorenzo Ghiberti's golden doors.

I’ve learned that many tour guides can be a bit stiff and are used to just going through their script, but as soon as you ask a question and show real interest, they open up and show character.  This is what happened in Florence.  As soon as we started asking questions about the city and what we were seeing, our guide became a person instead of a recording and was very helpful and insightful.