Category of: Florence

Florence markets #2: Mercato Sant’ Ambrogio and neighbourhood

March 20, 2016

Mercato San Ambrogio is another market in Florence that was designed by Giuseppe Mengoni in 1873, the same architect as Mercato Central and the famous Galleria in Milan. The market is located on the opposite side of town from Mercato Central in a residential Piazza Ghiberti. It is not far from Piazza Santa Croce where Michelangelo and other luminaries are buried inside the magnificent cathedral. Because of the less central location the market serves more locals... View Article

Florence Markets #1: Mercato Central

March 13, 2016

It’s hard to capture the charm of Florence in simple verse and its beauty inspired poets and writers to immortalize it in their prose. Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett eloped to Florence to get married and lived there many happy years afterwards. Unlike Rome, that took a little getting used to, Florence was a love at first sight. Walking through the ancient streets among magnificent palaces and works of art and in the footsteps of... View Article

Florence: the art of the aperitivo

February 11, 2016

Feature B&W image above used with special permission from the Ruth Orkin Photo Archive, American Girl in Italy, 1951, Copyright 1952, 1980 Ruth Orkin. Italian food culture is very seductive. It lures you with its rituals and once you are hooked, it’s hard to turn back. And why would you want to turn back anyway? One of the rituals that we engaged in while travelling in Italy was the aperitivo and Florence in particular raised this ceremony... View Article

Florence – the art of the panini

December 24, 2015

After travelling for a few weeks around Tuscany and indulging in three and four course meals, sometimes twice a day (when in Rome….), we were happy to arrive in Florence and see that it is okay to have just a sandwich for lunch. Every second store in Florence seems to be a sandwich shop and standing at the counter with a sandwich is part of the lunch routine here or so it seems. To be... View Article

Florence food tour with “Italy Customized”

December 8, 2015

One of the best ways to get an insider view of a city’s food scene is to do a food tour with a local guide. We chose Italy Customized, a Florence based custom tour company run by the lovely Linda Sorgiovanni. Linda also owns the Florence franchise of Urban Adventures, a company offering tours in over 105 destinations around the world. Between her two companies she offers food, markets and aperitivo tours in Florence as well... View Article