Two Nights in Florence

Leaving Lucca was a drag. We only stayed one night there, and it turned out to be our favorite city in Italy. Florence was next on the itinerary, and we were not quite prepared for the maddening crowds looking for a taste of the Renaissance. We decided to duck down the alley way, away from it all, and enjoy our first dinner at Hosteria il Desco. The place where we stayed offered amazing restaurant recommendations, and Florence became a front runner for the best food we had in Italy. Away from the sea, we were now in the land of grazing cattle, wild boar, and rabbits. There wasn't a shortage of meat on the menu, and if you were hoping for a tofurkey sandwich, you were out of luck. 

We were seated in a little alley, and Regan prepared to translate our Italian language menu. Surprisingly, we were greeted with a complimentary bowl of mushroom soup and a glass of Prosecco -- a nice touch, and a big difference from our first dinner in Rome. Florence was looking pretty good at the end of our forks. Regan ordered some thinly-sliced steak with tomatoes and pecorino cheese. It was a simple and tasty sensation, and we were finally thrilled to be in Florence.

I went straight for the wild boar. Presented in a fancy, ceramic wild boar dish, it was a beautiful stew-like porridge of tender boar in a rich tomato sauce with olives and creamy polenta -- a fantastic way to begin a couple nights and a nice, romantic Firenze experience. We almost went back the next night, but there were other delicious avenues to explore. 

After waiting in line for an hour the next morning to view Michelangelo's David at the Galleria dell'Accademia, we were starving from skipping breakfast and walking all morning. We had a list of recommended lunch places and started our search for a damn good Italian sandwich! Il Cernacchino wasn't too difficult to find, but it seemed far removed from the tourist lines. It was a quiet little sandwich shop that is a local favorite.



Regan had the Salami sandwich with pecorino and fig chutney.  

I had the porchetta with mustard and tomato. 

I loved the porchetta. For four euro, I got an enormous sandwich that was a little heavy on bread but still had great flavor. I could knock down one of these sandwiches daily, if given a chance.

For dinner, we prepared ourselves to undertake the mighty bistecca alla Fiorentina! We walked for seven hours and drank lots of water. It was almost like preparing for a decathlon to take on Florence's most famous cut of beef. Just across the Arno river, Antico Ristoro di Cambi is a solid old-time favorite for best massive steak in Florence.   

Walking in, you see the enormous t-bone steaks that you will be choosing for your night of splendor. Each one is two and a half pounds and four inches thick! They only cook it one way, hot and fast on each side, leaving the middle raw with some salt and olive oil. It was brilliant!

We shared the Flintstone cut, and if this was a drive through restaurant it could have tipped over the car.

I drizzled mine with some olive oil and had a small salad on the side.

It was so good that I became a vulture and picked at the bones until I could use the bone as a toothpick. After dinner, we took a bus to Piazzale Michelangelo high atop Florence and watched the sunset. Bella!

The next morning, we had to pick up our rental car for our journey to the Tuscan countryside and wanted to enjoy one last meal in Florence. We stood outside Trattoria Mario for them to open their doors at noon. It's a good thing we were there when they opened, because this popular lunch spot fills up by 12:10 and then a line begins to form. Regan ordered the Panzanella salad which was a delicious bread salad with a slight vinegar tang -- very refreshing for a hot day in Florence. 

We shared a bowl of the fagioli soup -- quite possibly one of the best soups either of us have ever had. The flavors sent my taste buds to the stratosphere! It was a mostly creamy soup with some whole beans, a brick of garlic bread like an island of yum in the middle, and a drizzle of olive oil to finish it off.

I also ordered the potato ravioli with meat sauce -- a contender for best pasta of the entire trip -- cooked perfectly with a rich and comforting ragu sauce. Everything we ordered came to our table one minute after we ordered it. They are clearly prepared for the massive lunch crowd everyday. We were finished by 12:20, and people eagerly waited their turn at what is simply one of the quickest and tastiest lunches you will find anywhere. So, after a great send-off in Florence, we hopped into our Fiat 500 and followed the road south for a further taste of Tuscany.