First Night…Florence

  So let me just say this. I am exhausted.  We are exhausted. A good thirty hours later, and we are tucking up in bed, after a fantastic first night dinner in Florence. Tomorrow, Johnny gets supplies at his favorite old school art supply store here, and then we hop the train to Umbria.

  Sigh. What a long trip…but so worth it. Weather is nice enough to be strolling the streets at night, and some brave folks are even eating outside.

  The flight was fine…the only hook up was at San Francisco airport. It had to happen eventually…

I love my Molden salt, and always pack some in a zip-lock baggie to take with. I put the label front and center, and put it in our carry on, just in case. Well, this was the case, I guess. We were pulled aside and 'drug-swiped'. Big fun. It came up SALT. Move on, dudes…

  Next stop Frankfurt, then touch down at sunset in Florence.

  Sweet.

  We checked in, freshened up, and headed out to a favorite spot for Proseco…..

Proseco…right over there.

  I had already made reservations at a favorite spot, so we walked on over after enjoying the scene.

Johnny fooling around with his new device.
And the Duomo,  just for added drama.

Happy Artist in his Happy Place.

  Before leaving home, we like to have our night before take-off dinner at la Balena, just up the street from the gallery. 

  We really enjoy the owners, Anna and Emanuele, her husband, who was born and raised in Florence. We all wax poetic as the wine is poured and the meal is enjoyed. This particular meal was gifted to us by some dear clients who knew we loved this place.

  Anyway, as we sat over glasses of fine Italian wines and amazing plates of tasty food, we talked to Emanuele about some of our favorite spots in Florence. We agree on several, and tonight had dinner at dinner at one of the best….

  Coquinarius. We return again and again. We adore Nico, the owner, and he knows our pals from La Balena, so it's a fun way to connect our two worlds. After catching up with Nico, we settled in for a nice after flight meal. Oh, and we were so glad we said no to the airplane food!

I have and will continue to write posts about this place!

Add caption

  The reason we love Coquinarius so much is that they have so many options for vegetarians, as well as an extensive wine list…which Nico knows front to back.
  These folks turn out fabulous 'Big Salads'…the kind that make a meal. They also have awesome cheese and charcuterie platters, pastas and desserts. Everything is fresh and so flavor forwardd.

  We began with a vegetarian mixed crostini platter:

Sun dried tomatoes, pear jam,  avocado(odd in Italy), various cheeses, mushrooms…Sigh.
Flavors to die for…I kid you not.

We were sent out this slice of savory potato and leek pie.
Sorry it's fuzzy. I was honestly that excited.

  We were so ready for pasta, and there were some nice ravioli to try….we went for both vegetarian options….

Ravioli stuffed with caciocavallo cheese and pepper, served with a mushroom sauce.
Yes, it was good. The cheese is salty and has a true barnyard forward funkiness.
Add in lots of good black pepper…perfect.

My ravioli were stuffed with buratta, with a pistachio sauce and
served on a bed of red onion puree. Yeah, it rocked.
Sweet, subtle and tangy all at once.

Yummy close up of Johnny's ravioli...

….and mine.
We will be back, no doubt.

  After dinner, we walked around the historic center of town, thought about gelato..(no)..and then decided we were done.

  Until tomorrow. 

The Duomo at night never caesars to amaze me.

Almost too much…but not.

  So glad to be back in our 'other' life.
  More soon, Dear Ones...

A Couple Of Days In Florence 2015

  It's getting harder to leave Italy every year…the longer stays mean our roots are digging deeper into the soil of our adopted second home. 

  Back home for almost three weeks now, and we still find ourselves slipping into the "double-kiss" when we meet a friend on the street, or throwing out "grazie" "prego", and an occasional "mi scusi" while shopping in the local market or standing in line for coffee in the morning.

  Sigh. We miss it. It's true.

  But, hey…home in California is just fine, thank you. Could use a tad more sun, perhaps a few days of  gentle rain…It's great here, too, and I appreciate this place very much.

  Thankfully, I still have a zillion photos I can go through to keep the dream going, and several kazillion ideas for my little bloggy. 

  This evening, as I sit here in bed, I'm thinking it might be fun to head on back to Florence for awhile.

  

What a swell town.

  We like to spend our last couple of nights in either Florence or Rome, depending on where we fly home from. This year, it was Florence. (Coming soon…a post about a day trip to Roma!)

  The weather in Florence was stellar…very warm, but so pretty and so clear...

The Duomo is really looking fine, with all the exterior cleaning
over the past few years.

  For the first time in many years, we really didn't have a big plan of attack. There wasn't a special show we wanted to see, so we just caught up on some sights we had missed in the past, ate at some favorite spots, and found some new adventures just walking around town.

  It was pretty great, too. Nice to be relaxed…no big hurry to see this and that.

  The one place we did want to visit this time was the Brancacci Chapel, located inside the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine. Johnny especially wanted to see the frescoes here, which were done by various artists, including Panicale homeboy, Masolino da Panicale.

  For me, these frescoes are all about the color. I just love the sensitivity of the color and shadow. I'm the first to admit my almost complete ignorance of this work…Johnny was able to give me most of the lowdown, which is always a nice bonus, but I enjoy these excursions in my own way, taking it all in slowly with an eye for color, texture and line.

  

  Listening to the low hum of reverent voices is soothing, as I sit in a pew, remembering long hours spent in church as a youngster. I watch as groups large and small walk through, while Johnny takes his time to really absorb it all.

  I think my favorite aspect of these particular frescoes were the various structures that were in the background...

  We spent a good amount of time in the Chapel.

  Again, it was great to have no real plans for Florence. Art, food, wine….what can possibly be better?    Florence is a jewel, all the more beautiful to enjoy at a snails pace. Lesson learned!

  While deciding where to head next, we popped by I Due Fratellini for a quick glass of wine. This is a place we'll stop by when we are in the area. No tables or chairs, it's just a curbside wine and panini place. It's perfect for a hit and run glass of reasonably priced wine.
  

  

Always some good people watching here, too...

  All this stop made we want was an actual "sit-down"…my feet were beginning to speak out, and it was getting warm. Time for a more serious rest..

  Of course, that meant heading across the Arno to a new favorite, Le Volpi e L'uva.

  We love this tiny, off the main drag, friendly and tasty enoteca/cafe. What the folks behind the bar do with a couple of toaster ovens and a couple of cutting boards, well..it's outstanding. (thanks for the tip last year, Elizabeth & James..still love it!)

  We were happy to sit inside at the bar, as it was getting uncomfortably warm for us outside. Plus, watching the action is more than half the fun. We ended up going twice, once each day we were there. Why not? So many tasty crostone (open faced sandwiches) and salads to try.

Perfect to share with some good olive oil and garlic bruschetta..

    What a great spot to kill some time while chatting to strangers and watching the world go by. It was wonderful to relax, eat and drink…just chill for a spell. 

  We found out that the BBC was coming by the following day to do an onsite interview featuring one of the women who work there. She would be explaining why Chianti wines are so important, and just how they pair with different dishes. We had fun listening to their "practice" interview, and became part of the scene very quickly, as they all wanted our opinion on how it came across.

  Lots of laughs, teasing and nerves, too! We hope it all went well with the actual BBC crew the next day. I need to look for the video online…

  With the late afternoon ahead of us, we wandered back over the Arno to make a stop into the Palazzo Medici Riccardi, another must see that we hadn't yet seen. It is a Renaissance palace, built between 1444 and 1448. 

  On it's own, the building is impressive. It's known for it's rusticated stone walls, and inner courtyard, along with some outstanding interior frescoes, most notably by Benozzo Gozzoli.

  Ok, truth be told…this is all info I just gleaned off Google. 

  Sure, I enjoyed it, and the courtyard with all it's potted lemon trees is really beautiful….but…I was so happy that they were featuring some contemporary art in various rooms the day we were there.

  Paintings, photos, a couple of interesting installation works…all great to see. My favorite, though, was the outside garden room which had an amazing show of ceramic work by Marcello Fantoni.

One cool Italian dude.

  The space itself was a work of art, and how sweet to be the only visitors! It was a decent sized show, with lots of variety of form and color. 

  A seriously nice treat. I wasn't too familiar with his story, but had seen some of his ceramics while at the 2013 Venice Biennale.

  Me like, very much.

Captivating.

Hard to keep my hands off this work!

  

Classic Mid-Century Modern, Italian style.

  Well, that show was a real highlight for me. 

  Now, what's for dinner? 

  I'll tell you, I'm so glad I had made reservations for dinner at 5eCinque, another favorite spot, in the delightfully wacky Piazza della Passera. This little piazza has a fantastic vegetarian restaurant, a couple of other great restaurants, an artisan gelateria, and a small but very mighty bar.

  We go for all these reasons. A fun, fun place to spend a warm evening. Added bonus…benches all around, to make it all the better to hang out. It's just over the Arno, on the way to the much larger Piazza Santo Spirito.

  So, 5eCinque, which I have written about before, is the vegetarian place. Small, with small tables…I recommend reservations…especially for the two tables outside. 

  They set up a table for us on the sidewalk, bless their hearts, since the others were booked. I hadn't reserved for outside, not knowing if it would be too cool, but it was lovely, so they made it work. Grazie!!

We have sat at this table on past visits..It's just fine!

A menu sample from Trip Advisor…
I forgot to take a photo myself, but you get the idea..

  We were ready for something different, and that's what we went for. We both ordered different salads, which are always so good here.

Oh, yum…lots of toasty crunches on top..sunflower and sesame seeds,
as well as radishes and pumpkin seeds...

Don't know where they are coming from, but we were so happy
to taste a perfectly ripe avocado… Johnny's choice.

Also Johnny's choice…Rice with vegetables.
Not risotto, but with a more Indian spice profile.

Bad, bad photo…Good, good risotto with saffron.
Simple and tasty.

  We opted out on dessert, which isn't all that strange for Johnny and I. I know we didn't have gelato…I would have remembered. Guess we called it a night and moseyed on back to the hotel. 

  Travel is exhausting, even when you aren't really doing anything.

  Next morning we were awake early and ready to head over to the famous Mercato Centrale. This is always a must do, because I bring back loads of dried porcini to give as gifts to friends and family.

  Big changes this year, though! I had read that they opened the upper floor to house a "food court" type space, but wasn't prepared for just how modern it would be.

  There were a bunch of purveyors, some making the jump from food truck status, some just smaller versions of nearby restaurants. Tables are in the center, with stalls of deliciousness all around. The idea being..grab something yummy, get yourself a glass of wine, artisan beer, or juice, and sit down to enjoy.

  I didn't take lots of photos, because it was very early in the day, and not much was going on yet.   Naturally, we enjoyed some proseco with the best cheesy bread sticks I've ever had. Breakfast of Champions! Well, it was like… 11:00 or so…

  Anyway, you can get an idea here. It's going to be fantastic, I imagine, once people get used to the idea of it all. It sure smells good in the morning, as all the stalls are making magic in the kitchens.

  Oh, and BTW…We were both knocked out by the Daniel Buren installation here! Having just experienced his mind blowing work in San Gimignano earlier in our trip, this was a most perfect last day surprise.

The Daniel Buren pieces are the small red/white and blue/white striped boxes
all above the main area…so cool!

It's all about the scale of it..

  Yes, I know…I should have more shots of the foodie end of the place, but that's what the next visit will be for!

  Afterwards, we strolled through all the market area, and then just took our time walking around Florence. It was great…I know we made it back across the Arno..at least twice…I wanted to head way up above for a shot of the city at sunset time. That would be my first photo of this particular post.

  We enjoyed another visit, this time lunch, at Le Volpi e L'uva, we checked out an antiques market in Piazza Santo Spirito, had wine behind the Duomo, did the requisite shopping at Zecchi, (the art supply shop of Johnny's dreams)….We really did so much, considering we had no big plans.
  That's what I love about having no big plans, now that I think about it.
  We just cruised around….

We found a new spot to have a glass of wine….
Ummm…do you all get the general theme here?

Discovered this interesting shot of the Duomo….

Took a fun "Mirror Shot"….

Saw more art….

Explored an area we hadn't been to before….
What a great visit to Florence!

  Naturally, we had one more dinner in Italy, last night and all that.

  We had promised our local pals and owners of Carmel's own La Balena, Anna & Emanuele Bartolini, that we would say "ciao" to their pal, Nicolo, at one of our favorite places in Florence, Coquinarius.

  We planned to have our "last meal" there anyway, so what a special treat to make this new connection so far from home.

See that very sad looking gal on the left?
That would be me.

  Sure, I was sad…who wouldn't be, eh? It was the last night of two magical months in Umbria…in Italy…sigh. Tough to leave, my friends.

  Ok, I know…I'm so lucky to get to…blah, blah, blah..it's still TOUGH! 

  That's all.

  The  good wine and great food helped….

I am officially in love with Vernaccia di San Gimignano.
This was recommended by dear Nicolo, and we loved it.

  I know we split an appetizer and ended with sharing a salad, but I guess the photos were not too good, because I deleted them at some point. Also deleted, Johnny's very good artichoke and potato torta, like a big slice of savory pie.

  I did manage to save one nice shot of my pasta, which was two large ravioli, filled with winter squash and served with a buffalo mozzarella sauce. No kidding. It rocked my sad little world. Put a happy smile where there had been a frown.

We ate and ate and ate.
And drank some, too. Again, last night and all that.

  A spectacular last dinner in Florence. Thanks Nicolo! Thanks, Coquinarius! Thanks dudes in the kitchen!

Dudes from the kitchen, taking a little smoke break.
Classic.

  We said our goodbyes as we walked across the River Arno, checking it out and holding it all close.

  We'll be back soon, I just know it.

  Until next time…Buona Notte, Firenze!!

Food And Fun In Firenze

  Johnny and I love Florence.
  Sure, she can be crowded…especially with packs of screaming teenaged girls from the States... and there are way too many scooters, buses, and stinky diesel engines in general, but I can overlook pretty much anything for this jewel of the Renaissance.
  When planning our yearly trip to Umbria, I will choose to fly in and out of either Florence or Rome. They are equal distance by train to Chiusi, where we pick up our car. It just depends on which flights are the best deal, or where we want to spend our last few nights before flying home.
  This past trip we went for Florence. Year before, it was Rome. Maybe one of these years it will be Paris, and we'll add the South of France to the trip, something we keep talking about doing.

  When we leave Panicale, it's heart wrenching, for sure. We find that a couple of nights in Florence to decompress works well. Something to get us ready for the "real world", sort of. Hey, whatever works. Plus, there is almost always something interesting happening in one or more of the many museums to look forward to. And food. It's always about the food for me. I will gleefully await a visit to an old favorite trattoria as well as research a new spot to try each visit.
  For me, this is at least half the fun of planning the trip. Of course!

  This visit, our fellow Panicale lovers, as well as amazing artists and bloggers, Elizabeth and James, made some great dining suggestions for us to check out. I trust these wonderful friends, as they know we are vegetarians, they know great food, and they get where we are coming from.
  They travel to Panicale each year, around the same time as we do, and we really have enjoyed getting to know them. We tell each other about places that would interest foodies, artists, gardeners….we have much in common.
  That being said….we totally envy that they travel from their home on the East coast, making it a much shorter journey! But mostly we just enjoy sharing all things Panicale with them. (see you guys in only a few short months, eh?)


  So, anyway, Elizabeth & James had told us we really needed to try this little spot in the Oltrarno area…this being the other side of the bridge.

 

Half way across the Arno, had to stop for this "selfie".
Ponte Vecchio in the background.

  I had actually read about Le Volpi e L'uva before, and just never remembered it was on "The List". A reminder from our pals was the clincher to get us to seek it out. So glad we did! We ended up visiting both days we were in Florence. And I'll tell you right here and now…I will go back and I look forward to it.

  It's small. There are just a few tables outside, on a raised wooden deck, and then some indoor seating, but not much. It's a local favorite, too. We could tell that many of the diners visiting the days we were there were regulars. Good reason…the menu is filled with small plate treats that work well as either a midday snack or a light lunch. The wine list is extensive, and you have lots of options "by the glass". A perfect place to rest a bit during hectic hours running around Florence.

The outdoor deck is perfect for people watching.
Just off a main drag, you feel far away from the mayhem.

  Having only arrived a couple of hours before, we had already checked into our hotel, seen a few sites, and were ready for a bite to eat and a place to chill out. I needed something to eat, and we both were ready for wine. 

The wonderful tables made from wine boxes.
Water and wine by the glass…nice!

  Our first visit, we ordered just one plate to share, along with our wine. This was just a bite, to get us through until dinner. Oh, heaven.

Crostone al Pomodoro.
A large slice of well toasted bread with melted cheese, olives and tomatoes.

  The menu offers several "Crostoni", which are toasted slices of good country style bread, topped with either warm or room temperature toppings. Similar to the French "tartines", these are sort of giant bruschetta. This was a perfect late afternoon treat to share. 

What's not to like, right?

  We sat and had a nice bite, relaxed with our crisp white wine and toasted each other on living the good life. Then we were off.

 Next day, though…we couldn't help ourselves. There had been so many great choices on the menu, we had to go back for a proper lunch. This time, we had to wait a spell for a table outside. We didn't mind…it was a good reason to sit inside at the bar and watch the chefs in action. We ordered a bottle of something white… a Vernaccia, I think.... They kept the bottle cold for us while we enjoyed a first glass at the bar and watched the "kitchen" in action.

   Ok, the kitchen here is basically two toaster ovens, a few cutting boards and some very sharp knives. All the cooking happens behind the bar. It blew my mind…two guys just taking the orders one at a time. The bread gets toasted, the salads prepared, the salumi sliced, the little sandwiches made. It was astounding. Such quality food made in such a simple way. It can't be said enough…it's all about the product being used.

  Our second visit was just as tasty as the day before. We split a mixed green salad, which included lots of olives, very ripe tomatoes and shaved fennel….and also a mixed platter of vegetarian crostini. These were so good…pesto, mushroom, artichoke, and roasted pepper. Just perfect. 

  We'll go back, I promise.

Lunch, day two. Mmmmmm.

  I love to just walk around Florence, taking pictures as we go along…Usually we are heading somewhere…to see art, most of the time. To me, the whole city is just there, being "art"...

There were some nice clouds the days we were there.
I love these old street lamps. This is near the Palazzo Pitti.

I wanted this photo because of the little vehicle parked there.
Then I noticed the building at the end.

Wow….what a facade!
Palazzo di Bianco Cappello, decorated by Bernardo Buontalenti.
This is on the Via Maggio, also in th Otrarno area.

  We like the Oltrarno…there are still lots of the old artisan shops to peek into. Many don't exist any longer, but those that do give an idea of what this area must have been like a few hundred years ago...

Well, sans the florescent lights, of course…
This is a furniture restoration shop. These working studios are
almost always just this tiny. I love the floor and ceiling here.

Spring clouds over the river Arno and it's
Ponte Vecchio.

   Back over the river, we stroll through the heart of Florence. I think I could visit this city a hundred times, and never get tired of it. I could sit every day from here on out in Piazza della Signoria, enjoying an espresso or glass of wine, watching people wander by. The sounds of bells, birds, and a dozen different languages bouncing off the centuries old buildings…. It brings me this close to tears, just thinking about it. Honestly.

The extremely popular Piazza della Signoria.
Sigh.

  We then head over to Palazzo Strozzi. I have to say, I have seen some really great exhibits here. This  museum often has very contemporary shows, and is known for this. On this occasion, it was all about the works of Pontormo and Rossi, dating back to the 16th century and the Mannerism movement.

  Pontermo holds a very special place in Johnny's heart, and we were really fortunate that this show was up during our brief stay in Florence.

   Every time we are in this magic city, we stop into the Church of Santa Felicita, which by the way, is so close to Le Volpi e L'uva (restaurant I wrote about above), that I can not believe we hadn't eaten there before…

  oops…back to art….

  So, we stop into this lovely church, Santa Felicita, so Mr. J can once again be overwhelmed by the works of Pontormo in the chapel here. It's a must. 

  This exhibition was a dream show for Johnny, and I enjoyed it, as well. Lovely imagery done in the most unexpected colors….. You can get a very good idea here.

Here you see one very content artist.

  Later that evening, we pop back over the river Arno for dinner in our favorite teeny piazza ever, Piazza della Passera, home of Cinque, a teeny trattoria that specializes in vegetarian meals. We had a late afternoon snack here a couple of years ago, and I had always wanted to try it again.

  This little piazza packs a punch. It's also the home of Trattoria 4 Leoni, Caffe degli Artigiani, Osteria Tripperia il Magazzino, and the sublime Gelateria Piazza della Passera. Whew.
  And this weensy little square is about the size of our living room.

  The last time here, as I said, we just had a light munchie…I never forgot it. It was a simple slice of their cecina… a chickpea flour, oil and salt "crepe" sort of. These are very popular in parts of Italy, as well as the south of France. I wanted more.

Almost a hole in the wall, only with smashingly good food for us vegetarians.
Sitting outside is fun, but the tables are small for dinner.

A typical Cinque menu, which changes daily.
I took this from online, we were not there in February...

The small dining room inside.
It's quite perfect.

My cecina. Just plain, just wonderful.
We shared this as we decided on what else we wanted.
It was a tough decision.

  We each wanted something that wasn't pasta. We'd been in Italy now over two months, and we'd eaten lots of pasta. It was time for a different flavor profile, man.

 I liked the sound of the Tortino di Cipolli, an onion tart. Here, served with roasted potatoes and beets, with some fresh greens to dress on the side. 

  

I can't believe I didn't take a photo of the inside of this…it was all caramelized and yummy.
The pastry was flakey… I'm getting hungry.

  Johnny ordered the Crocchette di Ceci, a kind of falafel, but not really…it was served with a savory yogurt and an asian inspired slaw. Again, flavors we hadn't had in many weeks. 

  They were both very good, and we switched halfway through, as we usually do.

  I know we had wine, but don't remember what. We even went for dessert this time. We had done a whole bunch of walking, and were going to do a whole bunch more the next day. So, yes, dessert.

It was apple and cinnamon and flakey and not bad at all.
This was Johnny, of course.

It was chocolate and gooey and chocolate and chocolate.
This was me, of course.

 


  I will go back to Cinque. I read that they have gone all vegetarian, no meat on the menu. This place just has so many dishes I want to try, and get inspired by. I want to try to make some cecina at home, soon. I have chickpea flour, I just need to find an easy recipe.
  Ok, found one.

  Next day, we just walked all over the place, stopping here and there to have an espresso, or a glass of wine. I needed to get loads of dried porcini at the big fruit and veg market, so we did that in the morning. Then we just sort of wandered..more random acts of picture taking ensued...

A peek behind the fence of a grand Palazzo.

I love men who aren't afraid to wear color.

  We did go back to Le Volpi e Luva, as I mentioned above…nice lunch..then a couple of hours were spent apart. Johnny into the Palazzo Pitti, and me, well, I wandered off to the Boboli Gardens…which will be it's own post here, soon, I promise.

  We returned to our hotel for a little nap, and then went for dinner, the last supper, so to speak, this trip….

  On a walk earlier that day, I spied this restaurant, super close to our hotel, and the decor was what drew me in. Then I peeked at the menu, and we made a reservation for that night. That last night….

  

The placemat of Enoteca Coquinarius.

  The decor is comfortable, but modern. The tables are waxed, distressed wood, there are elements of  "industrial" in the design…the music is cool, the place was packed, with a good vibe going on. Seemed like lots of regulars were there. It felt just right.

  The menu is not super vegetarian forward, but that's fine. We never expect this. There are some great salads, though, and I will always order crostini or bruschetta….Here, we had a nice big plate, with lots of different toppings. They were nice to do a non-meat version for us.

Plenty to share, and some different flavors here, too.
The cheeses were all really good, with mostarda, fig jam and slivered almonds on top.
The others were mushroom, artichoke and peppers.

  We each ordered something that seemed good to share… Johnny went for this fantastic grilled vegetable and melted fontina "salad"…Man, it was tasty.

What a great combo…the charred sweetness of the veggies, with the creamy cheese and
peppery arugula. I would eat this again.

  My choice was pear and ricotta ravioli with a pistachio cream sauce…What!!??! Yes, it was all that.

 Light, too, believe it or not… Let's go back, ok?

  We had bought some extremely good looking cookies earlier in the day, so we went searching for  a gelato, then took our time strolling through the streets of Florence…we strung out that last evening as long as we could. It was a beautiful night. 

  We cried big baby tears while eating our cookies in the hotel bed that night.

  I'll leave you with this shot of the Duomo, from the Boboli gardens….a post coming your way soon!

Isn't she pretty?

  Go. Eat!
  Here are some sites to check out:

Le Volpi e L'uva

Coquinarius

Cinque