Contents
1. Our Featured Recipe
- Costoletto di Maiale alla Alfredo
2. Our Favorite Restaurants
of the Centro
3. Two Delightful Museums
Costoletto di Maiale alla Alfredo
We wondered into Trattoria Alfredo, just behind
the Palazzo Vecchio, at the suggestion of some delightful
shopkeepers we will introduce in an upcoming newsletter,
and we are grateful for the recommendation. This
small trattoria was teeming with students and tourists,
but the crowds only added to its conviviality. We
have done our best to reproduce our favorite dish
from Trattoria Alfredo:
Costoletto di Maiale
Pork Chops Braised with White Wine and Herbs
Serves 4
For the marinade:
4 large cloves finely chopped garlic
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 small bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 sprig fresh oregano
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
4 thick pork chops on the bone
For sauteing and braising the chops:
3/4 cup White Wine
3/4 cup Chicken Stock
With a mortar and pestle, (or using a chopping board
and knife for the dry ingredients), blend the garlic,
herbs, salt and pepper, then stir in the olive oil
to blend. Rub this mixture all over the chops, then
set them aside in the refrigerator to marinate for
at least two hours.
Using a large saute pan with enough extra virgin
olive oil to cover the bottom (with a bit extra)
heat the oil until hot. Add the chops, with most
of the marinade wiped away, and saute over medium
high heat until browned. This should take about
3 minutes per side.
At this point, when the chops are a golden brown
but not quite cooked through, remove them and set
them aside. Add the wine and stock, and cook over
medium high heat, scraping any browned bits off
the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook until the
liquid is reduced by half. At this point, add the
chops, and slowly simmer for 15 or 20 minutes, until
the liquid is further reduced and thickened to coat
the chops nicely, with just a bit of sauce to accompany
them to the plate; this will finish cooking the
chops. Serve immediately, and enjoy!
We suggest making this dish, and then visiting
Trattoria Alfredo to compare our version to the
original dish that inspired it.
Trattoria Alfredo
Via dei Leoni 14r
055 294912
Our Favorite Restaurants of the Centro
As you may know if you read our review of Oltrarno
restaurants in the last edition of the Tuscan Life
Newsletter, we favor simple, homely places to eat
over palaces of haute cuisine. We always seem to
have our most memorable meals in the least assuming
places, and this trip was no exception to our rule.
Here are three of our latest favorites.
Da Sergio
Each time we visit Florence, we make sure to stop
at Da Sergio for an incredible lunch. Over the years,
this authentic old trattoria, operated by the same
family for over 4 decades, has never failed to thrill
us. Da Sergio is open Monday through Saturday, and
only for lunch (11 am to 2:30 pm). We find that
taking time out for a midday meal at Da Sergio serves
us well: the brisk service and central location
add to the enjoyment of a busy day of sightseeing.
We first wondered in some years ago, while exploring
the stalls of the San Lorenzo street market, buying
souveniers and bargain hunting. Hidden behind the
many vendor stalls that line the via della Ruosina,
Da Sergio is easy to miss. We urge you to leave
the shopping for a bit, and enter this old marble
floored restaurant, with two bright rooms lined
with wooden benches and filled with happy diners;
you will be glad that you did. Most of the diners
at Da Sergio appear to be regulars, some with their
own vino and acqua bottles bearing their names.
Everyone seems happy, and everyone seems to be eating
quite a lot.
On our most recent visit, we had calamari that
was deliciously crisp, light and tender, and a wonderful
dish of penne in a simple fresh tomato sauce. In
the past, we've enjoyed a rich slice of tender,
wine flavored, roast veal, and a hearty vegetable
minestrone. Meals at Da Sergio are reasonably priced,
efficiently served and always eminently eatable,
and although the waiters don't appear to speak English,
we have always found them willing to do what it
takes to communicate with us. We highly recommend
a visit to our favorite casual restaurant in Firenze.
Da Sergio
Via della Ruosina, 2r
055 218 550
La Maremma
We had heard good things about La Maremma from
other visitors to Florence, and when we discovered,
on the first walk from "our" apartment in Santa
Croce, that this lovely little spot was just a few
blocks from home, we decided that it would be a
perfect spot for our first dinner in Firenze. We
happened upon it on our way to buy a few supplies,
just an hour after our arrival in the city. Stepping
in, we asked for reservations for that evening,
and were delighted with the warm and friendly greeting
we received.
Despite a bit of jet lag, we were happy to freshen
up and head out to dinner in our own quarter of
Florence. We began our dinner, which called for
comfort due to the long travel day we had just put
in, with two tasty dishes. The first was the traditional,
nearly ubiquitous antipasto of Tuscany, Crostini
di Fegatini, an unusually flavored, creamy puree
of hot chicken livers on crisply toasted bread,
flavored with a bit of good green olive oil. We
also enjoyed a salad of fresh rucola topped with
thin slices of artichoke. The artichokes were nearly
raw, and sliced crosswise, then gracefully arranged
atop the greens. All of this was then topped again
with paper thin shavings of pungent yet creamy tasting
Parmesan cheese, and dressed with that familiar
green olive oil and just a hint of lemon.
Being arugula lovers, we can and sometimes do,
eat it everyday. Our first dinner in Firenze called
for extra rucola, which came in the form of my very
favorite Tuscan dish; Tagliata con Rucola. Thin
slices of tender beef filet, cooked rare and draped
over a plate of crisp greens, were simply dressed
with olive oil and a drizzle of aged aceto balsamico.
I was in heaven! As I said, I love this dish, and
the rendition at La Maremma was outstanding.
La Maremma
Via Verdi 16r
055-244615
Osteria De' Benci
Our friend Elizabeth, of the Florencevillas.com
team, suggested Osteria De' Benci to us, and we
were very happy that she did. The highlight of our
meal was the outstanding filetto di Chianina
that we shared. Despite our fear of cholesterol,
we found ourselves eating Tuscany's signature beef
quite often during our week's stay. This version
was a mangeable size for two of us to share, crisp
and brown on the outside and meltingly rare on the
inside. We ordered a delicious gratin of creamy
potatos and vegetables to accompany it. The young
waiters bustling about Osteria de' Benci , handsome
as well as friendly and helpful, suggest a delicious
pasta first course to share along with the filetto.
Also at their suggestion, we began with a rich and
delicious antipasto of pate and crostini. Their
kind and able hospitality greatly enhanced our enjoyment
of our meal, and we look forward to returning. Their
card tells us that "La Domenica Ci Riposiamo" so
make sure to go during the week.
Osteria De' Benci
Via de' Benci, 13r
055 2344 923
Two Delightful Museums
Museo Nazionale del Bargello
We absolutely loved our first visit to the Bargello
museum. The austere exterior, almost forbidding
in its bulk, gives very little idea of the treasures
that are to be found within. The building itself
was completed in 1250, and served various functions
until the Medici made it into a
prison and the headquarters for the chief of police
(Bargello) ; the building remained a prison
until 1859.
Passing through the fortress-like exterior and
entry, we found ourselves in the delightful courtyard,
which owes its pleasant atmosphere to a restoration
in the 1860s. Prior to that, the courtyard served
as home to the executioner's noose and chopping
block, until 1786 when torture and the death penalty
were abolished in Tuscany. Today, standing in the
courtyard filled with light and air, gazing up to
the beautiful second story open gallery, one would
never guess that unspeakable horrors formerly took
place in this courtyard.
Before heading up the impressive gothic staircase
to the second story, visitors enter The
Michelangelo Room , the main gallery on
the ground floor. The highlights of this room are
Michelangelo's only bust, the
commanding and powerful Brutus (1540); and another
bust, Cellini's bronze Cosimo (1548) rendered in
striking detail (especially note the armor).
The Salone del Consiglio Generale ,
also on the ground floor, is the former courtroom
of the podesta . Here one finds many of
the greatest masterpieces of Renaissance sculpture,
including Donatello's David, his St. George,
Artys Amor, and The Dancing Putto . Among my
favorite works in this room were several touching
ceramic Madonnas by Luca della Robbia .
More masterworks of the della Robbia family are
to be found on the second floor, as well as a fabulous
collection of small Italian Renaissance bronzes.
We were thrilled that our week in Firenze allowed
us time to take in the Bargello and its amazing
Renaissance art.
The Museo del Opera di Duomo
And as much as I loved the Bargello, it was truly
the Museo del Opera di Duomo that
impressed me more than any other place we visited
during our stay in Florence. The combination of
spectacular architecture, astounding presentation,
and a wondrous collection of historic and beautiful
sculpture is unsurpassed, I think, in any museum
I have visited.
In 1998 and 99, the museum was renovated, and I
use the term "renovated" lightly, because this is
more of a rebirth than a renovation, by architects
Luigi Zangheri and David
Palterer . Every room in the museum reflects
the careful choices made by the architects in order
to best showcase both the relics of the Duomo's
construction, and the many works of art
that have graced the Cathedral of Santa
Maria del Fiore .
According to David Palterer, in an interview published
in the online kwArt Magazine ( www.kwart.kataweb.it
) , "Certain basic concepts emerge
from the project, the most evident one being the
search for a synthesis which can transform an eclectic
group of areas into continuous sequences of recognisable
integrated locations within a compact architectural
itinerary. The new project has made some of the
areas from the old museum layout its own, purposely
assimilating sophisticated technological and safety
installations. Architecture has been given the task
of returning a complexity of context to the works,
according to their own original spirit."
We urge everyone to visit the Museo del
Opera to see how very well the architects
realized their vision of creating an atmosphere
for the works that truly communicates the impact
of the original context of the ancient Duomo where
they first made their home. Most memorable to me
were the Cantorie, or marble choir balconies, of
Luca della Robbia and Donatello
. Perched above the visitors, as they should
be, their detail and dynamic sense of movement recreate
some of the sense of awe with which they must have
been viewed in their original home.
Set alone on a staircase landing, lit warmly and
yet dramatically, stands the Pieta that Michelangelo
intended for his own tomb. This unfinished
work contains a self-portrait: the hooded figure
of Nicodemus is said to be the likeness
of Michelangelo .
The museum is filled with more wonderful works
and displays than we can recount here. Please do
make a point to visit if you possibly can.
We look forward to continuing our tour of Firenze
with you, concentrating on shopping, in our next
issue of The Tuscan Life Newsletter .
Debra Cole-Weber, Editor
Our
Accommodations
Before we begin sharing with
you a bit more about how the holidays are
spent in Tuscany, we invite you to view our
accommodations, and perhaps make plans of
your own to visit Bella Toscana, our beautiful
corner of Italy.
www.florencevillas.com
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