How I ate my way through Florence

By Denise V. Suarez

Upon hearing that I would be going to Italy, the first thing I did was email my former professor who once described a four cheese pizza she had tried in Florence as “latte on crust.” I couldn’t imagine what that would taste like and couldn’t wait to find out! In fact, I didn’t know what I was more excited for: the pizza or all the gelatos I’d be able to eat. Luckily, my professor replied immediately and before I knew it, I was with my sister on a train to Florence, armed with a list of must-try trattorias, pizzerias, and gelaterias. 

Day 1: Florence

Lunch: MARIO via Rosini
http://trattoria-mario.com/index_english.html 

Numerous travel guidebooks and Florence locals recommended Mario. Though it is popular, I had a hard time finding this hole-in-the-wall establishment. But the long line of people  confirmed I was in the right place.

Mario’s is nothing fancy. In fact, they don’t even give out menus. Instead, they have the offerings for the day written on Manila paper and stuck to the wall. I had insalata verde and ravioli funghi. I was surprised that their insalata verde was simply lettuce and a bit of dressing. Strangely enough, I truly enjoyed it, finding it full of flavor. I promised myself I would return for lunch the next day.

Gelato: CARABE via Ricasoli
http://www.gelatocarabe.com/ 

Carabe was a gelateria recommended by professor. Since it was fairly near to Mario, I decided to go there for dessert. I got the banana gelato but didn’t consider it much to rave about. I still had a long list of gelaterias to check out and I hoped they would be better.

Dessert: IL MIO GELATO via de Macci

Yes, I had dessert before having dinner. Because the waiting time for the restaurant with the famous four cheese pizza was so long, I decided to walk around and couldn’t resist the gelato. This time, I got the Nutella flavor and wasn’t disappointed. Since I didn’t really enjoy my gelato earlier and this gelateria wasn’t in my list, I wasn’t expecting much. But I was pleasantly surprised. When I finished my cup, I had to remind myself that I still had the pizza to eat to keep from getting more.

Dinner: IL PIZZAIUOLO via de Macci
http://www.ilpizzaiuolo.com/ 

Nothing prepared me for this. While my sister and I ordered other things aside from the quattro formaggi pizza, it is the only thing I remember. For the first and only time of my life, I got high on pizza. After one bite of it, I felt my mood lift and I couldn’t stop smiling – or eating. The oil from all the cheese spilled over making it look a bit like soup; but the pizza didn't taste oily at all. The texture really was like latte on crust. I seriously considered extending my stay in Florence just so I could have more of the pizza.

Day 2: Florence

Lunch: MARIO via Rosini

Since Mario’s menu changes daily, I didn’t hesitate to go back. This time, I had osso bucco, veal shank braised in white wine. Just like how their insalata verde really meant green salad, osso bucco in Mario was really just the meat. It was still good though!

Gelato: VIVOLI via Isola delle Stinche
http://www.vivoli.it/

Another gelateria on my list, Vivoli was out of the way from everything and it was expensive compared to the others, probably because it has a really good reputation. They had three different flavors of chocolate gelato, one of them being chocolate mousse. I decided to get the pure mint gelato since it isn’t a flavor I see often. It was totally worth it. Mint flavored foods have a tendency to taste like toothpaste, but this one didn’t. It was minty, sweet and creamy – just my type.

Gelato: GROM via delle Oche corner via del Campanlle
http://www.grom.it/eng/index.php

Grom was the most recommended gelateria online. At first, I didn’t want to go there because it wasn’t one of those quaint little gelaterias – it has branches all around the world, but bloggers kept on raving about it so I decided to check it out. I’m glad I did. Grom perhaps has the best gelato in Florence. I got Baci flavor, yum!

Dinner: TRATORRIA ZAZA Piazza del Mercato Centrale
http://www.trattoriazaza.it/ 

For my last night in Florence, I met up with some friends and ate in Tratorria Zaza, another recommended restaurant. We ordered the Pizza Zaza, a four seasons pizza. Though good, nothing compared to Il Pizzaiuolo from the night before. I also ordered chicken cooked Florentine style which was nothing but glorified fried chicken.

Dessert: GROM via delle Oche corner via del Campanlle

Because my friends were curious about Grom and I had enjoyed it so much, we went there for dessert. This time I got Cream of Grom, their version of vanilla and their best seller. It was good.

Thankfully, there are many things to do in Florence aside from eat so I didn’t get fat during my trip. But out of everything I saw and did, it’s the food I remember the most.