Travelling

Florence Travel Tips from Mauro Santoni, a Teacher & Arts Enthusiast

Conversations with Locals

Mauro Santoni is a Literature, History and Geography teacher living in Florence, and has a penchant for the theatre and the Arts. We talk to Mauro about his beloved home city, why Spaghetti Bolognese is not Italian, and his favourite under-the-radar art galleries in the capital of Tuscany. 

Photo: Mauro Santoni

What do you feel defines Florentine cuisine?

In the past, food in Florence was poor in quality. For example, in the Middle Ages, the city had to pay high taxes on salt, and this meant that bread was often baked without salt due to its high cost. Today, this tradition continues. Typical Florentine food such as ribollita, panzanella and pappa al pomodoro was often made with stale bread. Eventually, such dishes become rich and tasty, and have come to define what Florentine cuisine is all about.

Pappa al pomodoro is a Tuscan soup made with bread, tomatoes and olive oil.

What do you feel are the most common misconceptions about Italian food? 

Italian food is not only about pastas and pizzas, and spaghetti bolognese and Hawaiian pizza are not Italian recipes!

Is there a difference between food in Florence from other parts of Italy?

Sure, every region and city in Italy has their own type of food. For instance, Florence has very simple desserts, while Sicilian desserts tend to be rich and sweet. The character of Florentine food is formed by its ingredients which are all produced in Tuscany, such as the Chianina cow’s meat, olive oil and the Chianti vineyards!

In your opinion, which parts of Florence is the best for food?

In the city centre, that would be Santa Croce and Santo Spirito.

Where are your favourite restaurants or cafés in Florence for Italian food?

For something inexpensive, that would be the traditional Sabatino in San Frediano. For mid-range prices, Il Santo Bevitore in Oltrarno is a good choice. Il Cibreo in Sant’Ambrogio would be pricey but nonetheless, it serves great food as well.

What are some local dishes you feel travellers can’t leave Florence without trying?

The famed bistecca alla fiorentina (T-bone steak that’s served rare on the inside but seared on the outside), ribollita (Tuscan soup made with bread and vegetables) and panino al lampredotto (tripe sandwich) are an absolute must to try.

Where are your favourite art galleries in Florence?

Besides the famous art galleries (Uffizi Gallery, Galleria dell’Accademia and Palatina Gallery), I love the Bargello. It is one of the most ancient and charming buildings in Florence with the largest collection of Donatello’s sculptures. I also love the San Marco Convent, it was entirely painted by the Renaissance master Beato Angelico.

Photo: Mauro Santoni

What do you feel most travellers miss out on when they are visiting Florence?

I feel that most travellers miss out on the many cultural events of the city. Catching an opera at Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, as the Opera was practically born in Florence with Monteverdi! Watching V.O. (English dubbed) movies during one of the international cinema festivals in the gorgeous Odeon, probably the most beautiful movie theatre in Italy for its Art Nouveau style. It is also worth catching any one of the shows in the Bargello or in Strozzi’s Courtyards.

 

WHERE TO EAT IN FLORENCE


Sabatino
Where: Via Pisana, 2R, 50143 Firenze
For: Inexpensive traditional Florentine food

Il Santo Bevitore
Where: Via di Santo Spirito, 64/66, Firenze, Italy
For: Italian food at mid-range pricing

Il Cibreo
Where: Via del Verrocchio, 8r Firenze
For: High end Italian food

 

WHERE TO GO IN FLORENCE


Bargello National Museum
Where: Via del Proconsolo, 4, 50122 Firenze, Italy
For: Donatello’s sculptures

San Marco Convent
Where: Piazza San Marco, 3, 50121 Firenze, Italy
For: Art pieces by Italian Renaissance painters such as Fra Angelico and Domenico Ghirlandaio

Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
Where: Opera di Firenze – Piazzale Vittorio Gui, Firenze
For: An opera festival

Odeon
Where: Cinema Odeon Firenze, Piazza Strozzi, 50123 Firenze
For: The international cinema festivals

Strozzi’s Courtyards
Where: Piazza degli Strozzi, 50123 Firenze, Italy
For: Concerts and performances

London Travel Tips from Valeria Necchio, Italian Food Writer

Conversations with Locals

Valeria Necchio is the author of the cookbook Veneto, where she shares her cooking and travel adventures. Raised in the countryside of Venice, she is now based in the city of London. We talk to Valeria about her favourite places in Italy for food, her love for English green asparagus, and her go-to places for gelato in London. 

Photo: Valeria Necchio/Life Love Food

What do you feel defines Italian cuisine?

Quality raw ingredients, seasonality, simple flavours and regional differences.

What do you feel are the most common misconceptions about Italian food? 

That it’s always the same stuff – pizza, lasagne, spaghetti – from North to South. I will never stress this enough: every region has some amazing dishes and specialities that are unique to that area and are worth trying. Be adventurous and ask the locals!

Sfogliatelle, a type of pastry filled with ricotta cream and sweet citrus, that can be found in Naples. Photo: Valeria Necchio/Life Love Food

In your opinion, which parts of Italy has the best food? 

It would be really hard to pick one, because there are so very many regional differences, and every region has such great food! I am of course fond of the food of my origins – Venice and the surrounding countryside – with its abundance of seafood and its focus on great seasonal produce.

Yet, if I had to pick one, Sicily would be my second region of choice – their granite, fresh ricotta and range of great seafood is truly hard to beat.

Pane cunzato, a Sicilian sandwich made from a loaf of bread. Photo: Valeria Necchio/Life Love Food

Freshly caught seafood in Sicily. Photo: Valeria Necchio/Life Love Food

Panini in Sicily. Photo: Valeria Necchio/Life Love Food

What are some Venetian dishes you feel travellers can’t leave Venice without trying?

Squid ink risotto is a great classic, but also baccalà mantecato (a sort of cream made with stockfish), and sarde in saor are great examples of Venetian cuisine. The latter is a dish made of fried sardines topped with cooked slices of sweet and sour white onion, often punctuated with pine nuts and raisins. It is served as a cold starter or bite-size snack in many traditional restaurants or osterie in the city – it’s my absolute favourite.

As a Venetian, what do you feel most travellers miss out on when they are visiting Venice? 

The city offers hidden gems to whoever dares to venture beyond the beaten path, without the fear of getting lost. The real charm of Venice is in its decadent beauty made of crumbling walls and empty small squares. Sure enough, the big attractions are worth seeing, but there is so much more to the city than St Mark’s Square and the Rialto Bridge.

Now that you are based in London, can you share with us your thoughts on the difference between British food and Italian food?

Italy, perhaps because of its location and its favourable climate, has a broader variety of raw ingredients available throughout the seasons. This leads to a cuisine that is varied and deeply seasonal, changing from one month to the other. Britain seems to have less of this variety – at least from a consumer perspective. It also has less regional differences. In this sense, a typical dish usually plays around the theme of ‘meat and two veg’.

That said, there is a great generation of British chefs who are changing the way people eat, and exploring new routes while making local ingredients shine.

Could you share with us some of the English food you fell in love with while you are living in London?

English green asparagus are just on a league of their own – the best asparagus I have ever tasted. There are also some truly outstanding cheese makers producing some fantastic artisan cheese, most of which can be found at Neal’s Yard Dairy.

Where are your favourite restaurants or cafés in London for Italian food?

I love Artusi in Peckham – straightforward, well-thought seasonal Italian food with great wines to pair. The River Cafe is, of course, an institution in the city, and the best place to treat yourself to a quintessential, simple-yet-sophisticated Italian meal.

Where are your favourite spots in London for a good gelato?

Gelupo serves some delicious gelato – my favourite being the seasonal and ever-changing fruit flavours. For ice cream, La Grotta Ices in Bermondsey is plain delicious.

Where are your favourite food markets in London?

Spa Terminus in Bermondsey on a Saturday morning – the best food artisans in the area open their warehouses and sell their goods to a crown of food lovers. You can find cheese, bread, fruit and vegetables, beer, gin, honey, etc. It feels a bit like a treasure hunt.

WHERE TO EAT IN LONDON


Artusi
Where: 161 Bellenden Road, Peckham, London SE15 4DH
For: Seasonal Italian food

River Cafe
Where: Thames Wharf, Rainville Rd, London W6 9HA
For: Simple and sophisticated Italian food

Gelupo
Where: No 1 Cambridge Circus London, WC2H 8AP
For: Gelato

La Grotta Ices
Where: Arch 5, Voyager South, London SE16 4RP
For: Ice cream

Neal’s Yard Dairy
Where: Unit 6 Dockley, Dockley Road, London, SE16 3SF (and more)
For: Cheese

WHERE TO GO IN LONDON


Spa Terminus
Where: Dockley Road Industrial Estate, Dockley Rd, London SE16 3SF
For: A food market

The Eating Guide to Gothenburg, Sweden

Sweden

To many, Gothenburg isn’t much to talk about and is often passed over as a sleepy unexciting city. But even sleepy cities have a certain appeal to tourists looking for a laid back holiday. With its quiet sprawling gardens, old school charm of the Haga District and benches overlooking sea views coaxing you to just sit back and relax, you might just feel like you’re selling short of Sweden’s second largest city.

Look forward to: Fish and seafood

Café Husaren

Where: Haga Nygata 28, 411 22 Gothenburg
What: Fika
For: Breakfast

There is one thing every tourist must do when they go to Sweden – get a fika. Fika is a Swedish culture where people grab a coffee and some pastries. What better place to grab a fika than Café Husaren. The largest cinnamon buns in the world can be found in this classic cafe with roots in the 1800s. You can’t miss it when you walk along Haga District, with its window display of tempting pastries, cookies and cakes.

Trattoria La Strega

Where: Aschebergsgatan 23B, 41125 Gothenburg
What: Risotto with breaded pike-perch fillet and sage butter
For: A treat

People who have been to Gothenburg must have heard of Trattoria La Strega. Garnering rave reviews on Tripadvisor, this restaurant went right on top of my list to visit. I even went as far as to make a reservation a few weeks in advance just to secure a spot. The rustic interiors and dark wooden tables resemble an Italian wine cellar. For starters, the Självinporterat meats is a good selection of cured meats. For the mains, I went straight for the owner’s recommended dishes, which was the pasta with king crab and risotto with breaded pike-perch fillet and sage butter.

Sjöbaren

Where: Haga Nygata 25, 413 01 Gothenburg
What: Cod fish
For: Cheap Swedish food

Located in the heart of Haga District, Sjöbaren prides itself on serving fresh fish and seafood from the Gothenburg harbour. Their lunch sets are a steal, which changes daily. The menu is small but expect quality food due to their careful sourcing of ingredients.

Mellow Cafe & Bistro

Where: Östra Klevgatan 4, 452 30 Strömstad
What: American Breakfast
For: A charming cafe 

Sweden is no lack of charming cafes that serve gorgeous breakfasts, and Mellow Cafe & Bistro is just one of them. The cafe is in Strömstad, a small town two hours away from Gothenburg. Think American style breakfasts with a Swedish twist. The menu is all in Swedish, but the friendly staff are more than happy to translate it for you.