{"id":213,"date":"2006-09-29T14:17:56","date_gmt":"2006-09-29T14:17:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.sararosso.com\/index.php\/2006\/09\/29\/day-trippin-firenze-my-secret-eating-place\/"},"modified":"2006-09-29T14:17:56","modified_gmt":"2006-09-29T14:17:56","slug":"day-trippin-firenze-my-secret-eating-place","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2006\/09\/29\/day-trippin-firenze-my-secret-eating-place\/","title":{"rendered":"Day Trippin’ Firenze: My Secret Eating Place"},"content":{"rendered":"

Even as I write this post, I feel like I am breaking some sacred code. I want to share something with you, something I enjoy so much that by sharing it I am also lessening my enjoyment at the same time. <\/p>\n

\nI did a semester abroad in Italy back in 1999, when they still had the lira, and we spent a lot of time discussing the coming impact of the Euro in my business classes, which was already being introduced to the public. This “introduction” was mostly by signs placed on cash registers reading, “1 Euro = 1,936 Lire.” Some places even went so far to list both prices on items.\n<\/p>\n

I studied in Castiglion Fiorentino<\/a>, a tiny town that was unfortunate enough to be the home to three groups of 100 American students throughout the year. We were the fortunate ones, and of course now I realize it more than ever. I remember looking through Texas A&M’s description in the big College Board book of ALL universities when I was a junior in high school. I saw the “Study Abroad Program in Italy” and I literally made my mind up then to do it, six years later.\n<\/p>\n

At the time, this town had one internet point, in the library way at the top of the hill, and it charged you a scatto<\/em>, a measurement which could be around 220 seconds and had you paranoid the whole time you were using their Windows 95 computer and modem. Of course, a long line of students were behind you. One pay phone inside our building meant no private conversations and again that same line. Now, I see people studying here walking around with cell phones, and there are internet cafes everywhere. There were no blogs (I saw over 100+ mentions of this town on Technorati <\/a>today) in my day, no digital cameras, no camera phones. It’s only been 7 years but the experience they are having is completely different from mine.<\/p>\n

I was voted “Most Likely to Return<\/strong>” by my fellow classmates, and it looks like they were right. I didn’t go back immediately after, like I had thought about at the time. I knew my MIS degree would have a half-life (I took a class in COBOL<\/a>, folks) that would demand immediate usage of my skills or I would miss the boat completely.<\/p>\n

Castiglion Fiorentino is quite close to Arezzo<\/a>, but most of the time our university mindset made us search out Florence for more choice, more monuments, just more. We spent hours going through the San Lorenzo market, looking for the quintessential leather jacket and music we had been hearing in the discos. We usually went to an internet cafe (for above-mentioned reasons) and spent the day in the city before getting one of the last trains back to Arezzo and then Castiglion Fiorentino. Sometimes we even got a tattoo<\/a>. (Guilty. She’s still there, and very good, btw)\n<\/p>\n

We spent a lot of time eating bad food, as most tourists are forced to do, being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Tired and hungry, we just wanted a place to sit down, eat and recoup.\n<\/p>\n

After striking out many times with stale sandwiches and reheated, limp pieces of pizza, I found this place. I found this place right under my nose! It’s probably my favorite place in all of Italy, I like it so much.\n<\/p>\n

Note to the wise: They DO close for summer holidays, usually all of August. I made this embarassing discovery in 2002 when I tried to bring my family there for a quick lunch. Oops. <\/p>\n


\nThe inside of this place hasn’t changed in seven years, and there’s no need to. A row of tables lines each side of this narrow hole-in-the-wall, with the oven and workers in the very back. The tables are thick solid wood placed so close together that it often leaves you with your back up against another customer. But no one really notices, because they are concentrated on the food.
\n\"pic<\/a>
\n<\/center><\/p>\n

\nNext….the food!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Even as I write this post, I feel like I am breaking some sacred code. I want to share something with you, something I enjoy so much that by sharing it I am also lessening my enjoyment at the same time. I did a semester abroad in Italy back in 1999, when they still had…<\/p>\n

Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-213","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-food","7":"category-italy","8":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4uB1-3r","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":142,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2006\/03\/06\/thirsting-for-knowledgeor-at-least-a-good-book\/","url_meta":{"origin":213,"position":0},"title":"Thirsting for knowledge…or at least a good book","author":"Sara, Ms Adventures in Italy","date":"March 6, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"I have a problem. An addiction. I like to read. A lot. And I read fast. Actually, more of an eater. When I first moved to Italy, I used my paltry salary as an excuse not to buy the 12 euro books that beckoned me. I knew I would finish\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Italy"","block_context":{"text":"Italy","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/italy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":682,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2008\/11\/11\/the-cheapest-great-gelato-with-the-longest-line-in-italy\/","url_meta":{"origin":213,"position":1},"title":"The Cheapest, Great Gelato with the Longest Line in Italy","author":"Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy","date":"November 11, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm adding another stop on the Tour del Gelato! If you haven't checked out some of gelaterias, there are over 40 from all over the world! If you'd like to participate on the Tour del Gelato, just check the directions on the Tour del Gelato blogroll page. Some housekeeping: I'm\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog Event"","block_context":{"text":"Blog Event","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/blog-event\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"An eternal line outside Gelateria da Tommasino in Puglia, Italy","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3011\/3021713860_fd96d012d9.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":395,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2008\/03\/27\/the-guide-to-italian-aperitivo-and-drinks-in-italy\/","url_meta":{"origin":213,"position":2},"title":"The Guide to Italian Aperitivo and Drinks in Italy","author":"Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy","date":"March 27, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"If you have read my blog before, you know that I love aperitivo in Italy. Getting an aperitivo in a bar or hosting aperitivo at home, it's one of my favorite things about living in Italy, especially in Milan which I proclaim the \"Capital of Aperitivo in Italy.\" If you've\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/italy\/italian-culture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Non-alcoholic Fruit Cocktail for Aperitivo Italiano in Italy","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3273\/2365222711_db3315d5e0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2598,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2010\/06\/24\/strawberry-festival-sagra-delle-fragole-in-italy\/","url_meta":{"origin":213,"position":3},"title":"Strawberry Festival, Sagra delle Fragole in Italy","author":"Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy","date":"June 24, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"If it's summertime, that means loads of wonderful sagre, festivals, in Italy. Many sagre are food-related celebrations and festivals, but not all. But when it is food-related, you know that you're going to eat well! Even the tiniest cities can have excellent sagre. Case in point is the Sagra delle\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Discovering Food"","block_context":{"text":"Discovering Food","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/discovering-food\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fresh strawberries - Sagra della Fragola, Strawberry Festival in Italy","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1081\/4729380157_50f0c2af01.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1390,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2009\/06\/04\/visiting-bellagio-on-lake-como-and-villa-melzi-gardens\/","url_meta":{"origin":213,"position":4},"title":"Visiting Bellagio on Lake Como and Villa Melzi Gardens","author":"Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy","date":"June 4, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Bellagio is a little town on Lake Como. Perhaps you've been to Las Vegas and seen the Bellagio hotel with its wonderful water fountain displays or their beautiful Murano-glass flowers in the entrance (which enchant me every time) and never really thought about the inspiration for the hotel. On a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Como"","block_context":{"text":"Como","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/italy\/como\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Bellagio, Lake Como, Italy","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3391\/3594774498_6951779cff.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2099,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2009\/11\/06\/pizza-in-naples-the-best-in-the-world-napoletana-pizza-at-di-matteo-pizzeria\/","url_meta":{"origin":213,"position":5},"title":"Pizza in Naples: The Best in the World? 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I'll try not to turn this post into a rant, but I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Discovering Food"","block_context":{"text":"Discovering Food","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/discovering-food\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Diavola - Hot Salame Napoletana Pizza from Di Matteo, Naples","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2742\/4079306137_e02ec025e3.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=213"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}