Duemilladodici (2012) begins in Florence
Sunday, January 1, 2012Florence, Italy
Interested in a Music and Markets Tour? We'd love to hear from you!
Next on the itinerary: Visions of Venice
We begin the New Year lazily, sleeping in after our very late night. The streets of Florence are so quiet - few cars, people walking around, but plenty of room to meander, unlike the packed streets and piazzas of last night. It's always a delight to catch sight of Brunelleschi's dome rising down a lane.
Today's one of the few days o
f the year that the outdoor stalls around San Lorenzo are closed.... how unusual to see these streets as we've never seen them, no crowds, no leather jackets, purses, belts or gloves, no silk scarves, no florentine paper. Cosimo de Medici reigns over his quiet kingdom.Both Rachel (of Florentine Flats) and Gloria (who recommended these apartments to us) have told us not to miss Trattoria Roberto, just around the corner from the apartment. As we walk in we see lots of paintings of the Amalfi Coast, and not just the renowned spots such as Positano and Amalfi, but off the beaten track hamlets such as Scala, where we enjoyed a mountainside walk years ago. We're shown to a table by a smiling gent and ask if he's Franco (the owner, who kept the Roberto name since it has been called thus for generations). No - Franco's in the kitchen. He reaches out a hand to shake from the kitchen window, and we tell him that we're in Rachel's apartment. He welcomes us and tells our waiter to take good care of us.
It's rare to find a fish restaurant in Florence, but Franco has
brought all of the local flavors of the Amalfi Coast with him, and the menu's full of tempting seafood dishes, such as this Spaghetti allo Scoglio. We couldn't resist all the wonderful seafood, ordering stuffed calamari, a carpaccio of tuna, octopus Amalfitana... and I asked if by any chance they had fried artichokes, although they weren't on the menu. Our friendly waiter said he would see, and after our main dishes came out, Franco brought a platter of crispy lightly battered artichokes - fabulous! We wanted to continue the Amalfi tastes and chose the lemon tart for dessert.... then were told it was "finito" . Too bad.... nothing else grabbed our fancy. Then Franco brought a small bowl of creamy lemon filling to our table - "This is all that's left - enjoy!" Yum!Every other table was filled with Italian speakers - families, "ladies who lunch", a sister from a nearby convent... and no wonder! The food is the best, and very well priced - no credit cards, though - cash only. I see by the Trip Advisor reviews of Trattoria Roberto that it is definitely "discovered" - but it remains truly Italian and unspoiled, and a great value!
Labels: Amalfi Coast, Florence Italy, Florence restaurants
posted by Anne and Kirk @ 5:22 PM
3 Comments:
I see your flat is in a good location, close to the Arno and Ponte Vecchio. I am going by the map of Trattoria Roberto. We have our favorite Trattoria as well off the Piazza San Lorenzo. A local favorite.
We will have to try Florentine Flats and Roberto next time in Firenze.
Yes we really liked this location - very close to everything yet it felt a bit off the beaten path. What's your favorite Trattoria?
It is Trattoria Sergio Gozzi. A trattoria frequented by locals that my cousins introduced us to. In the past they would tell you what was offered for that day according to what was available at the markets. But, unfortunately, tourists are now finding it and I noticed menus. They still cater to locals but are only open for lunch. If you go, tell me what you think.
Buon appetito!
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