Contents

1. Our Featured Recipe: Red Snapper al Forno

2. Our Favorite Markets

3 The Gold Shops of the Ponte Vecchio

4. Great Shops and Shopping Streets

Our Featured Recipe:

RED SNAPPER AL FORNO

This dish was inspired by the lovely fresh fish we saw for sale while visiting the Mercato Centrale . We always enjoy branzino , or bass, while in Italy, but find that this fish is hard to find when we are in the United States. Accordingly, we developed this presentation, combining the flavors of Italy and the convenience of our local supermarket's fish counter. We hope you enjoy this simple preparation as much as we do.

This recipe serves 2, but it can be easily doubled. Do not double the liquids, and only increase the liquid amounts a little to generously cover the bottom of the baking dish to a depth of no more than one quarter of an inch.

2 Large fillets of Red Snapper

2 Medium cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

2 Sprigs fresh rosemary

2 to 3 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 Lemon, sliced

Salt and Freshly ground pepper

1/3 Cup fish stock or clam juice

1/2 Cup dry white wine

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, and lightly coat the bottom of a glass baking dish with olive oil. Make sure that each fish fillet is free of bones and scales, then season each with salt and pepper.

Lay each fillet in the baking dish, and arrange the garlic and rosemary sprigs on each one. Sprinkle each with the fresh herbs, and then lay the lemon slices over each fillet, covering as much area as possible.

Pour the fish stock or clam juice and the white wine around the fillets, drizzling a bit over their surface as you go. Bake for 15 minutes (the fish should be done at this point, but do use a fork to check for flakiness, as different thicknesses may require more or less baking). Remove the fish from the pan to a warm platter and cover. Pour the pan juices into a small sauce pan and quickly reduce them over high heat. Pour the reduction over the fillets and serve. This is as delicious as it is easy!

OUR FAVORITE MARKETS

Mercato Centrale

If you love food the way we do, we know you will enjoy a visit to Florence's Mercato Centrale . This cast iron building, built in the latter part of the 19th century, is filled with wonderful stalls and shops, and there are plenty of prepared foods for the casual visitor to choose from. And if you're cooking in, this is, of course, the place to come. Situated behind the San Lorenzo street market, you will find this vast building full of treasures.

Located on the first floor are stalls selling fresh fish, meats, poultry, cheeses, cured meats, canned goods, dairy products, and baked goods, as well as coffee and wine bars, and the venerable Nerbone , at stand number 292. Even though it was early morning, we had to pay a visit to this most famous of all Firenze's casual food stands. Having heard so much about Nerbone and its famous boiled beef sandwiches, we were almost tempted to try one, but alas, the early hour was just too much for our western appetites; even we couldn't eat beef at breakfast time. We were happy though, to see several Florentine citizens enjoying a bollito sandwich and a small glass of vino at 9:00 in the morning, even if we couldn't bring ourselves to join them. Nerbone is owned by the same people as the wonderful Alla Vecchia Bettola that we wrote about in our Oltrarno newsletter, and we assume that the food is every bit as delicious at Nerbone.

We consoled ourselves for our sacrifice of early morning beef with a coffee at Bar Anna e Piero , and a delicious piece of stuffed schiacciata filled with pears and almonds from a nearby bakery stall, both on the first floor of the Mercato Centrale.

The second floor of the market is gaily decorated and filled with stalls selling gorgeous fruits and vegetables. We purchased sun dried tomatoes, several types of dried mushrooms, pink peppercorns and delicious chunks of dried coconut at a wonderful stand just at the top of the central staircase.

The Mercato Centrale is open Monday through Friday until 2pm, and until noon on Saturday. The Piazza Mercato Centrale and the streets surrounding the marketplace are home to several popular cafes and trattorias. Highly recommend but untried by us is Trattoria Zaza, on the piazza at the corner of via Rosina. We are headed there, next time!

The San Lorenzo Street Market

While the Mercato Centrale was fairly devoid of tourists, nearly every visitor to Firenze eventually pays a visit to the San Lorenzo Market. You may recall our review of the restaurant, Da Sergio , in our last newsletter. Da Sergio, on via Ruosina, sits just behind a long line of market stalls, and we originally found it while visiting the San Lorenzo street market.

Drifting through the market, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the number and variety of goods for sale. Local inhabitants have told us that it is a bit risky to buy CDs from the vendors that spread them on blankets or folding tables throughout the market area, and that sometimes, the CDs don't work. A good rule of thumb is to make your purchases from the more permanent stalls, and to avoid the vendors that appear to be there illegally. That said, we like to shop for souvenirs, small ceramics, purses, gloves and other small leather gift items at the market.

There are plenty of leather coats, jackets, and other garments for sale, but a close inspection of the offered items is always called for. These leathers aren't always of the highest quality, and it is possible to find shoddy workmanship. But it is just as possible to find a nicely made item at a good price. We suggest being careful, avoiding a hard selling salesperson, and inspecting every item carefully. With these guidelines in mind, you can have a great time at the San Lorenzo market.

We briefly also want to mention the Mercato Nuovo , or Mercato del Porcellino , as it is sometimes known in honor of the brass boar that sits across the way. Do stop by and try the trick of letting a coin drop off the boar's shiny nose and through the grate below, while making a wish. Then head into the market, under cover of ancient arches where straw hats were once sold. Nowadays this market specializes in small leather goods and souvenir items.

THE PONTE VECCHIO

As we were planning our recent stay in Firenze, I began to feel the need for a new pair of earrings. Just thinking about all the lovely gold jewelry for sale throughout Firenze, and especially on the Ponte Vecchio, made even me, who wears little or no jewelry, long for something new. Just like all visitors to Florence, we wandered over the Ponte Vecchio, as we did nearly everyday during our week, marveling at the gorgeous gold on display, and trying to find just the right thing to purchase. It took awhile, but finally, after several days of window shopping, we discovered the perfect pair of lapis lazuli earrings: little ovals blue, full of fire, and surrounded by a delicate frame of lovely, pink-toned gold.

The shop where we made this purchase was U. Gherardi , on the Ponte Vecchio at 5r. This store was large and gracious, filled with the specialties of the house: corals, cameos, and cultured pearls. With plenty of plush seating and well dressed salespeople, U. Gherardi has a pleasing formal air.

In the past, we have made a few purchases at The Golden River , another store that we like very much. The attractive young ladies that always greet us in this tiny shop make us feel at home, and we forget the somewhat cramped quarters while being dazzled by their many lovely gold necklaces, bracelets, earring and rings. The Golden River, at 12 and 14r on the Ponte Vecchio, is one of the consistently friendliest shops we have ever visited, and we highly recommend them. I've been wearing a pair of earrings daily, bought there over 7 years ago, and they are still like new. My husband also wears a wedding ring from them!

A third shop that we highly recommend on the Ponte Vecchio is Bellini , across from The Golden River. We purchased a delicate chain here some years ago, that I love. The Ponte Vecchio gold shops are not inexpensive, but quality is consistent and there can't possibly be a place to buy jewelry that's more fun or more evocative of another time. As we trod the ancient stones and marvelled at the old buildings that have survived the centuries, we were always grateful that the Ponte Vecchio was miraculously spared in the bombings of W.W.II that destroyed Florence's other ancient bridges.

GREAT SHOPS AND SHOPPING STREETS

Firenze is home to some of the world's greatest shopping, and like everyone who visits, we have our favorites. Near our lovely flat, we enjoyed the many leather shops that ring the Piazza Santo Croce , where the leathers are high quality and the prices are very reasonable. A trip inside the courtyard of Santo Croce itself will reveal the venerable Leather School , where one can purchase beautiful bags and watch skilled artisans practice their craft.

One of my favorite travel moments comes when I recognize, in the guidebooks and travel columns, a destination that I "discovered and loved long before these other reporters! Il Portico in Firenze is one such place. I had told my husband about Il Portico for years: how I just wandered in to this shop, filled with pots, plants, flowers, seeds and garden accessories, and how it was like walking into another world. This beautiful emporium, tucked into the ground floor of the Renaissance Palazzo Gondi , features plants and flowers tucked in among the arches and vaults, and the galleried staircase of the palazzo. Il Portico has a friendly staff and some of the loveliest merchandise available in Firenze. We bought small ceramic garden accessories, and seeds to plant. Il Portico has scads of great gift items, far superior to many of the things that can be found in souvenir shops and stands, and at the very same low prices.

We also enjoyed perusing the shops along the Via della Corso , and the Via Tornabuoni . The Corso features stores ranging from large department stores to small fashion shops, and something for everyone is the rule there. But the shops along via Tornabuoni are filled with luxury items and high fashion merchandise. Even if you aren't buying, we recommend a leisurely sightseeing stroll down this street, in order to marvel at the gorgeous and sometimes outrageous high fashion statements that are tantalizingly displayed in the shop windows there.