Food Glorious Food in Florence, Italy

If you love food as much as I do, once you step into Italy, you will be absolutely certain you’ve ventured into a culinary paradise.

To say everything was delicious is an understatement. It was mind blowing. You can taste every single ingredient in the dish, and the balance of flavor is on point. Dishes are simple, yet complex and they are a testament to how much respect Italian cooks bestow upon their ingredients. There are no complicated sauces and treatments, and it seems like every dish has about five ingredients or less. Magically, those five ingredients will combine together in an explosion of one thousand flavors once you bite into them.

First of all, everything is walking distance in Florence. The small B&B I booked, Nuova Italia was only a five minute walk from the main train station, and about a 10 to 20 minute walk to almost every other attraction in the city. The room was small and simple but incredibly clean and comfortable. They offered a complimentary breakfast of pastries, fresh fruits and freshly made cappuccino. I can’t emphasize just how good that cappuccino was. I don’t know if it’s because a cheery elderly Italian man who barely spoke English made it for me, or because I was finally in Italy (my dream country), every cup of cappuccino tasted like pure heaven.

The first thing I thought about in my Italian culinary quest was: just how much food can I cram into my stomach in just four days? Unfortunately, when you travel by yourself, it can be difficult to try a variety of dishes. That is probably the only disadvantage to traveling solo. But when I was up on the Duomo enjoying the sunset, I heard an American girl whining to her friend that she was hungry and tired. It was clear that her friend had wanted to stay longer. I thanked my lucky stars I could do whatever I wanted at that moment.

But I digress.

I had dinner at a charming little restaurant called Osteria Il Brincello on my first night in Florence. For someone who gets lost really easily in a new city, I was relieved that the restaurant was only a five minute walk away from my hotel. Online reviews raved about their pappardelle with wild boar sauce so of course I had to try it. It didn’t disappoint but it was a HUGE portion.

The pappardelle was freshly handmade and the wild boar sauce was simple yet divine. I don’t know how I did it, but I ate every morsel of the meal that was meant for two people. I wanted to try about a dozen things in the menu but obviously couldn’t.

The next day, after walking for hours around the city, I got lost trying to get back to the hotel. It was a blessing in disguise because I happened to chance upon a really famous sandwich shop called All’Antico Vinaio.

It wasn’t even on my radar and I didn’t know it was so well known. I was helplessly wandering down the street when I saw that there was a long line of both locals and tourists outside this quaint sandwich shop. My curiosity got the better of me, plus I was starving, so I decided to join the line. It’s practically a hole-in-the-wall with just a deli counter and lots of meat hanging from the ceiling. You order your sandwich and can also buy a glass of self-pour wine. People were just hanging around the street eating their massive paninis and drinking wine. I ordered a ham and cheese panini and it was gloriously tasty and filling.

As much as I love giant platters of pasta with meat sauce and massive sandwiches, I really missed eating vegetables and I know Italy grows some of the best produce in the world. I headed over to Mercato Centrale (central market) and loaded up on some gorgeous fruits.

They also have a few mini restaurants in the market selling a variety of grilled vegetable sides, sandwiches and pastas. I had the porchetta (roast pork) sandwich with a side of beautifully grilled eggplant. I know the porchetta is supposed to be the star, but the eggplant blew my mind!

Armed with the desire for more glorious Italian-grown vegetables, the locals at the hotel told me about a vegetarian restaurant called Libreria Brac that’s very popular with the locals. SOLD! They took my map and circled the location without giving me an exact address and warned me that there’s no sign on the door. I was intrigued by this hipster-sounding underground restaurant so of course I set off to look for it. Miraculously, I found the restaurant even though it’s on a tiny street in an office/industrial area that’s not close to any tourist sites.

Most shops had already closed for the night and there was one little store that looked like a cross between a bar and an Internet cafe. Success! They have a dish that allows you to order three items to sample. That made me so happy! I had the avocado salad, fresh pasta with spinach and tomatoes, and a crostini with eggplant. Everything tasted so fresh.

Real Italian food isn’t covered with a ton of spices and herbs. They let the ingredients speak for themselves! The restaurant seems small but when you look outside, there’s a beautiful courtyard and another little indoor seating area. I can see why it’s so popular with the locals — gorgeous setting with equally gorgeous food!

So when you’re in Florence, find out where the locals eat and follow suit! Additionally, don’t be afraid to get a little (or a lot) lost, you’ll never know what you’ll end up finding.