August 18, 2019 – Florence

THE THOMS SUNDAY TRAVEL SECTION

WHERE TO?                  THE SENSES.

Florentine Favorite

Florence is the capital of Tuscany. It was a major medieval center for trade and finance, making it one of the wealthiest cities of that period.

It’s the birthplace of the Renaissance, Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Donatello, Galileo, and Florence Nightingale, to name a few. There’s also the Medici Family and Salvatore Ferragamo. This cast of characters would be enough to keep you exploring for days. But we need to add Florentine architecture.

There are more than 60 churches, 12 palaces, several museums, gardens, a fort, and a historic bridge. There is also a statue of a shepherd’s son you need to see.

So it looks like you will need at least a month to scratch the surface.

Good Enough For the Medici

The local family began to make a name for themselves circa 1434. Beginning as wool gathers, they soon start a bank.

They also begin acquiring land and within a few years are one of the most powerful families in the area. By 1454, they are in charge of Florence, one of the most powerful city-states of northern Italy.

Lorenzo Medici takes control circa 1469. He is a great patron of the arts, commissioning works by Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Botticelli. They refer to him as Lorenzo il Magnifico, (Lorenzo the Magnificent).

Upon his death in 1482, the Medici fall from power.

By 1512, with help from the Pope, the Medici come back into power. The Florentines are fed up with the Medici and drive them out of control again by 1527. The Florentines re-establish a republic.

Return of the Empire

1532 and Pope Clement VII creates the Duchy of the Florentine Republic and names Alessandro de’ Medici as the Duke.

This move makes it a hereditary monarchy, instead of a position requiring a vote. Later, the pope will elevate the present Duke of the Florentine Kingdom, as the Grand Duke of Tuscany.

This move makes the Florentines a very little fish in a big pond and eliminates them ousting the Medici. Also, it increases the Medici land holdings and finances dramatically.

Pope Clement VII’s real name is Giulio di Giuliano de’ Medici. Coincidence?

The Medici will rule, with few challenges until 1723, when the last male Medici passes away. They are out of heirs and money.

Anna Maria Luisa is the last of the Medici family by blood. Upon her death in 1743, she bequeaths the Medici’s art collection, to the Tuscan state with conditions. No part of the group can leave Tuscany.

Today, we can thank her for the majority of Florence’s art. These include large parts of the collections of the Uffizi, Palazzo Pitti, Palazzo Medici Riccardi, and Palazzo Vecchio. Also, the Medici homes, buildings, and gardens.

The Next 200 Years

Much of Florence does not change over the next 200 years.

The capital of the newly formed Kingdom of Italy moves in 1865 to Florence. They immediately begin ripping out old houses and the ancient market.

New streets and buildings go in. They widen the Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, (today’s Piazza della Repubblica.) Also, they construct a massive triumphal arch at the west end.

Then in 1871, the capital moves to Rome. Thank goodness or they might have put an end to more of the old city.

The only other significant change in the city’s architecture comes in August of 1944. The retreating Germans began to demolish all the bridges along the Arno river to slow the Allied troops.

The Florentines convince the Germans to spare the Ponte Vecchio. The Germans do, but they bomb the neighborhoods on either side to prevent anyone from accessing the bridge.

Florence was too far for Allied bombers to reach. Thank goodness. The old city is a museum of Florence’s history. I think it should be a World Heritage Site. UNESCO had the same idea in 2015. The Historic Centre of Florence encompasses just about everything that was within the last set of city walls.

For more on Florence History, click here.

Florentine Cuisine

You could spend a week just eating your way through Florence.

First, we should probably talk about “Florentine” cuisine. What does it mean? The term à la Florentine means with spinach. A dish with fresh spinach that they gently simmer in butter. Not from the microwave or a pot of boiling water, and certainly not from the freezer.

Over the spinach, they place the main ingredient, fish, poultry, or even a poached egg. Then a Mornay sauce (cream with gruyère cheese) goes over the top. They may, or may not, brown it under a broiler. (au gratin).

A real Eggs Florentine should be an English muffin with an egg on spinach and Mornay sauce. In American restaurants, it is not uncommon to find hollandaise sauce and Canadian ham on it.

What else?

There is more to Florence cuisine than just spinach. Of the seventeen PDO, PGI and IGP products in Tuscany, five of them are growing in or near Florence.

And there are several dishes that Florence does better than anyone else.

Soups

Ribollita – is the classic Florentine cabbage-and-bean soup. This slow-simmering dish is an authentic peasant dish that has come down through the centuries. They serve it with old Tuscan bread.

Pappa al Pomodoro – Has fresh tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, and basil. They crumble old bread into the soup, adding texture and taste. Depending on where and what time of year you try it, it may be hot, room temperature, or chilled.

Pasta

Pappardelle sulla Lepre – Pappardelle is a broad, flat pasta noodle. They use marinated lepre (hare) to make the tomato meat sauce.  The marinating in red wine, vinegar, and garlic removes any gamey flavors.

Ravioli Gnudi (Naked Ravioli) – Is a pasta-less dumpling. After mixing fresh spinach, ricotta, eggs, and parmesan, they form little meatballs with the mix. They give them a light coating of flour and then into boiling water like other pasta.

Meat

Arista di Maiale – is a roast loin of pork they stuff with sage, rosemary, and garlic. Then they slowly roast it until it is mouth-watering.

Bistecca alla Fiorentina – is a T-bone or porterhouse steak Florentine style. The steak must be a minimum of 2-3 inches thick.  They rub the local meat with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and usually rosemary and maybe sage. They grill it over high heat for a short time. The traditional cooking temperature is rare.

Vegetables

Fagioli all’uccelletto – are beans in tomato, sage, and garlic sauce.

Scarpetta – is not a food, but a verb. It translates as a slipper. But at an Italian table, it refers to cleaning (sopping) your plate with a piece of bread. It would be a shame to leave one drop of sauce or olive oil.  Do NOT look at it as carbs; it’s merely complimenting the chef.

Dulce (Sweets)

Castagnaccio – is a cake they make with chestnut flour. It is not an overly sweet cake.

Bernardo Buontalenti (1531 – 1608), was a stage designer, architect, theatrical designer, military engineer, and artist. He had the Medici family as his sponsor. He would produce grand entertainments and festivals for the family.

What the blue blazes does this guy have to do with dessert?

For one of the events Cosimo I de’ Medici is hosting, he creates a new dessert. He takes the rich local cream and freezes it. Crema Congelata is popular with the visiting Spanish king and the Medici. It morphs a few times, and they abbreviate the name into gelato. Many places claim to be the first, but it was the Medici who first served it. 

 Today, many shops carry a Crema de Buontalenti flavor. There is no vanilla in it. It has the taste of sweet cream.

Read more on Florentine Cuisine.

The Wines of Tuscany

They would take another blog to do justice to them. Tuscany has 53 D.O.C. (D.O.C.G.) zones of wine.

But that’s just the tip. Tuscany is the home to Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.

It is home of the Super Tuscans, which are great wines and not in a D.O.C.

And there are some impressive white wines as well.

Read more on Tuscan Wines.

Florentine At a Glance

I hope by now you see that’s not an option. Everything about Florence deserves a glance and a more extended look.

People look at it as a stop between Rome and Venice. It’s much more than that.

To me, Florence deserves a minimum of three days to scratch the surface.

Where would you start?

PLEASE scroll down to the “Leave a Reply” section at the bottom and tell me your thoughts on: 

What does Florence mean to you?” 

Please help me spread the news by liking, commenting, and sharing this blog. – THANKS!

“See Naxos Greece” Continued on Page T3         “Taste Greek Cuisine” Continued on T11