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La Sala Bianca: dove la Moda Italiana ha avuto inizio.

È il 12 febbraio 1951 la data ufficiale in cui la Moda Italiana, grazie all’idea di Giovanni Battista Giorgini, prese l’avvio, sia pure in modo poco eclatante se è vero che avvenne nel salone di casa Giorgini, Villa Torrigiani, in via de’ Serragli a Firenze, dove Giorgini presentò a cinque compratori americani le creazioni di alcuni importanti stilisti: Carosa, Fabiani, Marucelli, Simonetta, Noberasko, Fontana, Veneziani, Shuberth, Pucci e Gallotti. L’iniziativa non passò, tuttavia, sotto silenzio: l’indomani il Paris Press riportava la notizia definendola una “minaccia” per il monopolio dei saloni d’alta moda parigini. La Moda Italiana era lanciata e iniziava una inesorabile e costante salita che ben presto necessitò di una sede più rappresentativa rispetto a quella offerta da Villa Torrigiani che, prima fu individuata nel Grand Hotel di Firenze, e, successivamente, nel 1952, nella Sala Bianca di Palazzo Pitti.
Tuttavia conviene forse fare un salto indietro per capire la genesi della brillante idea che Giovan Battista Giorgini attuò.
Giorgini era un resident buyer per grandi department stores americani e da ormai molti anni promuoveva con discreto successo l’inserimento di prodotti fiorentini in paglia sul mercato americano. Dopo la Seconda Guerra Mondiale, riuscì a convincere i propri clienti dell’alta qualità, oltre all’evidente convenienza, dei prodotti d’abbigliamento italiani. Per favorire questa iniziativa perfezionò i modelli degli articoli da esportare secondo la struttura fisica e le misure americane, ovvero comprese per primo l’importanza di adattare il prodotto alle esigenze del cliente, regola base del marketing. Queste furono le premesse della successiva idea di promuovere la Moda Italiana tramite sfilate, come avveniva oramai da molto tempo in Francia.
Sala Bianca. Eccoci dunque tornati allo sfolgorante scenario della Sala Bianca: sede adeguata ad accogliere i modelli italiani, a valorizzarne la bellezza, a creare l’atmosfera da mito che sarebbe per sempre rimasta legata agli esordi del Made in Italy e a rappresentare il luogo più adatto per le prime rappresentazioni di moda. Del resto la Moda Italiana degli Anni ’50 è un’espressione del desiderio di lusso del quale a quell’epoca l’Italia era più che mai comprensibilmente ammalata, vista la recente guerra e la condizione di prostrazione nella quale il paese si era trovato e la Sala Bianca corrispondeva perfettamente a questa richiesta. Oltre a una quantità infinita di idee e di realizzazioni innovative e superbe per la loro bellezza e la loro preziosità che caratterizzavano le maggiori case di moda italiane, si registrano, infatti, in questo periodo creazioni di abiti in materiali particolarmente pregiati, come rasi, velluti, decorati da perle, materiali, insomma, derivanti dall’insieme del patrimonio artistico, storico, artigianale e di nobili origini che l’Italia può vantare.

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Pitti Palace

Palazzo Pitti

Piazza Pitti 1

This enormous palace is one of Florence's largest architectural monuments. The original palazzo was built for the Pitti family in 1457, designed by Filippo Brunelleschi and built by his pupil Luca Fancelli. The original construction consisted of only the middle cube of the present building (the middle seven windows on the top floor). In 1549, the property was sold to the Medicis and became the primary residence of the grand ducal family. The palace was then enlarged and altered; from 1560, Bartolomeo Ammannati designed and added the grandiose courtyard and two lateral wings. Under Cosimo II de' Medici, the layout of the piazza and opening up of the view were begun. The facade then assumed its present appearance, except for the two projecting wings, added by the House of Lorraine in the early 18th century. Behind the palace lie the famous Boboli Gardens.

Today, the Pitti Palace houses some of the most important museums in Florence: on the first floor is the Palatine Gallery, containing a broad collection 16th and 17th century paintings, and the Royal Apartments, containing furnishings from a remodeling done in the 19th century; on the ground floor and mezzanine the Silver Museum (Museo degli Argenti) displaying a vast collection of Medici household treasures; and the Gallery of Modern Art is on the top floor, holding a collection of mostly Tuscan 19th and 20th century paintings. In the separate Palazzina del Cavaliere on the upper slopes of the Boboli Gardens is the Porcelain Museum, while the Palazzina of the Meridiana contains the Costume Gallery, a showcase of the fashions of the past 300 years.

The Palatine Gallery and Royal Apartments
Address
Piazza Pitti 1
50123 Firenze (FI)
Ticket
Full euro 8,50
Reduced euro 4,25
includes entrance to Gallery of Modern Art
Ticket office accepts only cash payments

Opening hours
Open from 8.15 a.m. to 6.50 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday
Days of closure
Closed Mondays, January 1, May 1, and December 25
The Royal Apartments closed every January for maintenance

The Palatine Gallery occupies the whole left wing of the first floor of the Pitti Palace, which was the residence of the Medici Grand Dukes. In 1828, when Tuscany came under the rule of the Lorraine family, the most important paintings in the Palace were hung in the Gallery and opened it to the public. It is an impressive collection comprising works by Raphael, Titian, Correggio, Rubens, Pietro da Cortona and other Italian and European masters of the Renaissance and Baroque periods.

Its present layout preserves the character of a private picture gallery with a sumptuous combination of lavish interior decoration and the rich picture frames ordered by the Medici themselves. Unlike most of the museums arranged in recent times, the Palatine Gallery's layout follows nether chronological order nor schools of painting, revealing instead in its hanging and sheer numerical size the personal taste of the great collectors who lived in the palace.

The rooms at present occupied by the gallery overlook the piazza and were frescoed by Pietro da Cortona (1596-1669) with an imposing decorative cycle which makes use of the classical myth to allude to life and education of the prince. The imposing ceilings with their frescoes and large stucco decorations are one of the most important examples of the Baroque style in Florence and provide a splendid framework for the 16th to 18th century paintings on show.

From the Palatine Gallery, the visit continues through the Royal Apartments, fourteen magnificent rooms which were the home of the Medici and Lorraine families and, from 1865, of the king of Italy during the brief period that Florence was capital of Italy. Three historical moments and styles are seen side by side in these series of rooms, giving a sense of the growth of the palace over a long period of time.

The Gallery of Modern Art
Address
Piazza Pitti 1
50123 Firenze (FI)
Ticket
Full euro 8,50
Reduced euro 4,25
includes entrance to Palatine Gallery
Ticket office accepts only cash payments

Opening hours
Open from 8.15 a.m. to 6.50 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday
Days of closure
Closed Mondays, January 1, May 1, and December 25

The Gallery of Modern Art, located on the second floor of the Pitti Palace, has a fine collection of paintings and sculpture, mostly Italian, dating from the late 18th century to World War I. The elegant rooms, which were inhabited by the Lorraine grand dukes, are decorated with works of the neo-classical and romantic periods. There is also a splendid collection of works by artists of the Macchiaioli movement and of other Italian schools of the later 19th and early 20th centuries.

The "Museo degli Argenti" (The Silver Museum)
Address
Piazza Pitti 1
50123 Firenze (FI)
Ticket
Full euro 7,00
Reduced euro 3,50
combined ticket for Museo degli Argenti, Costume Gallery, Porcelain museum and Bardini Gardens
Ticket office accepts only cash payments

Opening hours
Open from 8.15 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. (winter) 6:30 p.m. (summer) Tuesday through Sunday
Days of closure
Closed on the 1st and last Monday of each, January 1, May 1, and December 25

The Museum houses an extraordinarily rich collection of precious objects, many of which were commissioned by members of the Medici family. The works of art range from Florentine workmanship to other schools and countries and include rock crystal vases and works in pietre dure (semi-precious stones), ivory, gems, cameos, silver, carpets, clocks and chinoiserie.

The Museum is situated in the left wing of the Pitti Palace on the ground floor and in the first mezzanine. The state rooms, which formed part of the grand-ducal summer apartment, are decorated with important 17th-century frescoes by Giovanni da San Giovanni where the theme is the evocation through mythology of Medici history at the time of Lorenzo the Magnificent.

The Porcelain Museum
Address
Piazza Pitti 1
50123 Firenze (FI)
Ticket
Full euro 7,00
Reduced euro 3,50
combined ticket for Museo degli Argenti, Costume Gallery, Porcelain Museum and Bardini Gardens
Ticket office accepts only cash payments

Opening hours
Open from 8.15 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. (winter) 6:30 p.m. (summer) Tuesday through Sunday
Days of closure
Closed on the 1st and last Monday of each, January 1, May 1, and December 25

Until a few years ago, the Porcelain Museum was a section of the Museo degli Argenti and was situated in the mezzanine of the Pitti Palace. In 1973 with the total rearrangement of this complex the collection was transferred to the Casino del Cavaliere at the top of the Boboli gardens' slopes. Built in the 18th century as a retreat for the Grand Duke, the Casino has proved a particularly ideal setting for the conservation and display of a unified collection.

The collection consists mainly of table porcelain used by the Gran Ducal and Royal Houses of the Medici, Lorraine and Savoy. The collection can be described as princely, in that many pieces were made for the grand ducal court or were gifts from other European rulers. The grand dukes made use of the local Florentine manufactory of Doccia for their large services in daily use, which are well represented in the museum.


The Costume Gallery
Address
Piazza Pitti 1
50123 Firenze (FI)
Ticket
Full euro 7,00
Reduced euro 3,50
combined ticket for Museo degli Argenti, Costume Gallery, Porcelain Museum and Bardini Gardens
Ticket office accepts only cash payments

Opening hours
Open from 8.15 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. (winter) 7:30 p.m. (summer) Tuesday through Sunday
Days of closure
Closed on the 1st and last Monday of each, January 1, May 1, and December 25

The Costume Gallery occupies the 18th century Palazzina della Meridiana, a wing of the Pitti Palace overlooking the Boboli Gardens. The collection comprises six thousand items including costumes dating from the 16th to the 20th centuries, theatre costumes and accessories.

It is the only museum of the history of fashion in Italy and one of the most important in the world. A selection is exhibited in rotation every two years. There are frequent special exhibitions devoted to particular aspects of the collection.

The Boboli Gardens
Address
Piazza Pitti 1
50123 Firenze (FI)
Ticket
Full euro 7,00
Reduced euro 3,50
combined ticket for Museo degli Argenti, Costume Gallery, Porcelain Museum and Bardini Gardens
Ticket office accepts only cash payments

Opening hours
Open from 8.15 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. (winter) 7:30 p.m. (summer) Tuesday through Sunday
Days of closure
Closed on the 1st and last Monday of each, January 1, May 1, and December 25

These gardens comprise the largest monumental green area in Florence. Their history goes back over four centuries, for Cosimo I commissioned the designs from Niccolo Pericoli, known as Tribolo, in 1549. Work was continued by Ammannati, Buontalenti and Parigi the Younger. Noteworthy places are: Buontalenti's Grotto (1583), the Amphitheather with the Roman basin and the Egyptian obelisk at the center, Neptune's Fishpond, the statue of Plenty by Giambologna and Tacca (1563), the Grand Duke's Casino, the Cavalier's Garden, Parigi's Fountain of the Ocean.

Vegan "Fettunta"

Fettunta (Toasted bread with olive oil)

Preparation time: 10 minutes.
Cooking time: 10 minutes.
Bread.
Extra-virgin olive oil.
Garlic.
Salt.
Black pepper.


This dish is generally associated with the month of november, when the olives have been gathered and the oil is newly pressed. Obviously it is eaten all year round, but in other seasons in lacks that characteristic pungent flavour of the new oil. Cut the bread about a centimetre thick, grill well on both sides and rub one side generously with a clove of garlic. You just have to forget the unpleasant effect on your breath, if you are going to enjoy this properly: semel in anno licet insanire, as Dante once said, "everyone can go mad at least once a year".

Place the slices on a large serving platter and drizzle the oil over them. Season with salt and pepper and eat while still hot. In the summer you can top the crostini with chopped tomatoes, or tomato sauce. In winter, fettunta is the basis of a traditional soup known, somewhat inexplicably, as "Lombard soup": place the slice of bread in a soup bowl and cover with boiled cannellini beans, adding a little of the thick liquid in which they were cooked. Season with oil, salt and pepper.

Tuscan villas and gardens by Pinsent

Cecil Ross Pinsent FRIBA (1884 - 5 December 1963) was a British architect and garden designer noted for his Tuscan villas and gardens. Pinsent and his friend Geoffrey Scott, when touring Tuscany, met the American art historian Bernard Berenson. Berenson employed Scott as his librarian, and Pinsent assisted with work on the Villa I Tatti. Through Berenson, Pinsent gained access to a rich clientele, drawn from the English-speaking community in Tuscany. His clients included: Charles Augustus Strong; Alice Keppel; Lady Sybil Cutting and her daughter, the novelist Iris Origo.
Gardens designed by Pinsent include those at; Villa Capponi, Villa I Tatti, Villa La Foce and Villa Le Balze.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Winetown Firenze 2011

Arene estive e cinema all'aperto a Firenze

Arene Estive Estate:

Le notti di Cabiria
Spettacolo unico ore 21.30
Piazza della Resistenza, Scandicci
Tel: 055/210764

Arena Castello
Spettacolo unico ore 21.30
Via R. Giuliani 374, Firenze
Tel: 055/451480-055/450749

Poggetto (Flog)
Spettacolo unico ore 21.30
Via Mercati 24/b, Firenze
Tel: 055/4220300


Cinema Estivo Moderno
Spettacolo unico ore 21.30
p.zza Garibaldi, Lastra a Signa, Firenze
Tel 055/8720058

Arena Estiva Chiardiluna
Via Monteoliveto 1 Firenze
Tel: 0552337042

Cinema Grotta
Spettacolo unico ore 21.30
Via Gramsci 387 Sesto Fiorentino, Firenze
Tel: 055/446600

Cinema Buondelmonti
p.zza Buondelmonti, Impruneta, Firenze
Tel: 055/2312304

Arena Grande di Marte
v.le Paoli
Firenze
Tel: 055-678841

The Treasure of Cremlino - An exhibition between Florence and Moscow

When: 27 May – 11 September 2011

Where: Museo degli Argenti (Palazzo Pitti)

Time: Every days from 8.15 a.m. until 6.30 p.m.

Tickets: Full ticket 9€.

The Treasure of Cremlino is the exhibition at Museo degli Argenti, into Palazzo Pitti, on the occasion of the celebration between Italy and Russia 2011. The Exchange forecasts also an exhibition in the same period, in Moscow, into the Cremlino Museum, dedicated to the Medician tresure. It includes a large period, from 12th until 18th century, presenting 150 overcrafts, part of the Cremlino Armeria, a rich collection of real objects, linked to the daily use or to particolar cerimonies, belonged to the big zars of Russia. The armoury was the “room of the tresor” of the zars, in which will be L’armeria era appunto la “stanza del tesoro” degli zar, in which many objects were kept, some of these were presents of foreigner ambassadors: the tecnique used was very refined, in fact there are many jewels made of filigree, enamelled icons, engraved stones, and also clothes made of silver, tipica of the crowning cerimony. In the last Eighteen century, it was also a place of production for fire arms, came from West Europe and in that period there were also clothes and jewels, that had many influence by European taste.

The Cricket Festival

Festa del Grillo, or the Cricket Festival is performed on the first Sunday after Ascension at the park of Le Cascine, in Florence. The huge park to the west of Florence, where Shelley wrote Ode to the West Wind, is the setting for this event, a celebration of the joys of spring.
Stallholders used to sell live crickets, which were then released to bring good luck.

Festa del Grillo (Ascensione di N.S.)
Parco delle Cascine
Viale Abramo Lincoln -Firenze
May 6th, 2011

White Night in Florence

After the huge success of last year’s “test edition” of the white night (notte bianca) in Florencewith late-night openings, performances, shows, installations, concerts, and exhibits involving more than 150,000 people, the City of Florence is gearing up for the 2011 edition.

The date has been chosen: April 30 2011. This year, the idea is to focus on what’s “contemporary”. The goal? help revive the vision of Florence, not as a faded tourist postcard of bygone or Renaissance years, but as a vibrant and rich city that lives in the present, and lives collectively during this visionary evening.

Amongst the principle events, there will be a multiethnic orchestra in the form of a street band that will depart from piazza del Cestello and work its way along the Lungarni providing music that is guaranteed to be open and contaminating! In the piazzale of the Uffizi there will be a marathon jazz event with young talented italians and international musicians; also, a special city-center session dedicated to experimental and international music.

http://news.comune.fi.it/cultura/?p=845&lang=en

THE TRIBUNE IN THE GALLERIA DEGLI UFFIZI

Brief historical notes

The Tribune in the Uffizi (1584) is one of the museum’s most famous and admired rooms. The elegant space was created to celebrate the eclectic interests of the great collector, Francesco I (1541-1587), the spirited Medici prince. It was designed by the architect Bernardo Buontalenti (1523-1608), who was Francesco’s friend and shared his dreams and love of knowledge.

The Tribune opens onto the corridor on the top floor of the large mid-sixteenth century building designed by Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574) by order of Francesco’s father, Cosimo I (1519-1574). It was Francesco himself who wanted the first section of the corridor arranged as a gallery: the first museum in Europe.

At the end of the sixteenth century, the crimson velvet covered walls were fitted with fine shelving that displayed jewels, natural rarities, objects made of semiprecious stones, ancient and modern bronzes, small Roman busts, medals and other items that were unusual either in the way they were made or because of their provenance. And the most outstanding paintings of the collections dominated the room.

The Tribune was rearranged, sometimes drastically over the years, or rather centuries. For example under the Lorraines, in the 1780s two doors were opened onto the series of small rooms that lead to the corridor overlooking the Arno and the Tribune became a passageway, albeit a remarkable one, but still a passageway. The walls were stripped of all the shelving to make room for the greatest masterpieces of European painting that flanked the ancient statuary that had been moved into this stately room at the end of the seventeenth century. That the Tribune was a place of excellence, was confirmed throughout the Western World in the letters and diaries of famous travelers.

Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali- Galleria degli Uffizi press release 2

During carnival season, all pranks and practical jokes are allowed

From a gastronomic point of view schiacciata alla fiorentina (florentine flat cake), cenci (sweet "rag") and frittelle (rice fritters) are the kings and queens of Carnival. A delight for children but loved by everyone, they make a fine show in bakeries and confectioner's shops. It is even possible to make them at home, it just takes a little good will!!

Schiacciata alla Fiorentina is THE traditional cake made in Florence at Carnival time ; it can be found only in town. You can buy it plain or filled with cream or Chantilly cream.
It was once called greased schiacciata because it was made with lard – this version calls for extra-virgin olive oil which is much lighter.

INGREDIENTS
250 gr. 00 flour
150 gr. sugar
1 egg
1 orange (squeezed and with the peel grated)
15 gr. brewer’s yeast
1 sachet vanilla
extra-virgin olive oil
saffron or nutmeg
icing sugar

Place the flour in a large bowl, add the yeast and water and knead till smooth and even. Cover with a cloth and allow to rise for about 1 hour.
Add the egg, sugar, vanilla, 4 tblsp oil and the orange juice and grated peel a pinch of salt and some grated nutmeg or a sachet of saffron. Knead well for 5 minutes and lay in a greased rectangular baking tin of a size that the dough is 2 cm high. Allow the dough to rest for another hour then bake at 180°C for 30 minutes until the cake turns a golden orange brown.
Allow to cool and sprinkle with abundant icing sugar.

Their name, Cenci, means “rags” they are widespread in whole Italy with other names, but everywhere they are prepared at Carnival time.

INGREDIENTS
300 gr flour
2 eggs
110 gr sugar
lemon grated peel
a couple of spoons of Marsala
40 gr butter
pinch of salt
15 gr. brewer’s yeast

oil to boi

licing sugar

Make a pile with flour on the table, add eggs, sugar, lemon grated peel, the liquid butter, salt, the brewer’s yeast dissolved in a little warm milk and Marsala. Knead all ingredients well and let rest for 15 minutes. Roll out the dough thin with a rolling-pin, cut out stripes, rectangles and deep fry in boiling oil until golden. Sprinkle with icing sugar. .

Rice fritters used to be made for the feast of St Joseph on 19 March, but now they are very popular at Carnival time, as well. The recipe we give below is the richest, most complete version – it can also be made lighter leaving out the pine nuts and sultanas.

INGREDIENTS
½ litre warm milk
100 gr. rice
100 gr. flour
50 gr. sultanas
15 gr. coarsely chopped pine nuts
3 eggs
a knob of butter
2 tsps sugar
1 tblsp rum
lemon peel
30 gr. brewer’s yeast
pinch of salt

Make a pile with approximately 40 gr. flour and fold in the brewer’s yeast dissolved in a little warm milk to make a smooth bun. Make a cross in the middle to keep track of how it rises. Boil the rice in the milk stirring often to prevent it sticking. Allow to cool, add the risen yeast and flour, a whole egg and two yokes, the remaining flour, the pine nuts, rum and a little milk if needed to soften the dough. Knead well and add the sultanas. Place the dough in a container near a source of warmth and allow to rise more.
When rising is finished, make golf-ball sized spheres and deep fry in boiling oil until golden brown. Sprinkle with icing sugar when cool.

The Ghirlandaios

I Ghirlandaio. Una famiglia di pittori del Rinascimento tra Firenze e Scandicci:
visita alla cappella privata della Villa di Volmiano
The Ghirlandaios. A family of painters in the Renaissance between Florence
and Scandicci :
guided visit to the private chapel of the Volmiano Villa
13 febbraio / February
Villa di Volmiano
info: 055 8833254/265 - 055 2340742
www.ghirlandaio.it

Concerts in the square on New Year’s Eve

Do you want to spend a night of magic and fun in one of the most beautiful and famous cities in the world? Florence has always its undeniable charm and for New Year’s Eve, more than ever. The city, with its historical monuments illuminated at night by the glow of the lights, gives you the opportunity to live an experience that will remain indelibly imprinted in your memory.You can choose between a plenty of distinguished and elegant structures, the ideal location to enjoy the best of Tuscan cuisine, while waiting with your friends and relatives the arrival of 2011.

Christmas Markets in Florence

FIRENZE
Mercato tedesco di Natale
Christmas German Market
dal 1 al 19 dicembre
December from 1 to 19
Piazza S. Croce info: 055 2705233 - 335365966

Mercato di Natale della Croce Rossa
Italiana
Christmas Market by Croce Rossa Italiana
3, 4, 5 dicembre / December
Saschall info: 055 27441 - 055 2744202/203
www.saschall.it

Florence Noël - mostra mercato di Natale
Florence Noël - Christmas Market
dal 4 al 12 dicembre
December from 4 to 12
Stazione Leopolda info: 347 4838142
www.florencenoel.it

Fierucola dell’Immacolata
8th December Market
8 dicembre / December
Piazza SS. Annunziata info: 055 697747

Il Libro in Piazza - mostra mercato del
libro e del fumetto usato
Il Libro in Piazza - Second-hand book
and comics fair
8 dicembre / December
Piazza Strozzi info: 055 27051 - 055 2616557
www.anva.it/

Bioquartiere: Mercato dei prodotti
biologici a filiera corta + Luci di Natale
Organic Market - local products, local
traditions + Christmas Lights
12 dicembre / December
piazzale di Villa Arrivabene
info: 055 2767822 www.comune.fi.it

Fierucola di Natale
The little Christmas Fair
19 dicembre / December
Piazza S. Spirito info: 055 697747

Florentine cuisine

Florentine cuisine acquired a more than local dimension in 1533, when Caterina de’ Medici married Henry of Valois, King of France. Caterina was just 14 years old at the time, but was already fond of good food, and she took some cooks and pastry chefs with her to France. With the arrival of the new queen, France was introduced to the smells and aromas of Florentine court cuisine by way of recipes like salsa colla (now besciamella), onion soup and tongue in dolceforte (‘sweet and strong’).
Florentine cuisine acquired a more than local dimension in 1533, when Caterina de’ Medici married Henry of Valois, King of France. Caterina was just 14 years old at the time, but was already fond of good food, and she took some cooks and pastry chefs with her to France. With the arrival of the new queen, France was introduced to the smells and aromas of Florentine court cuisine by way of recipes like salsa colla (now besciamella), onion soup and tongue in dolceforte (‘sweet and strong’).
The culinary fare of ordinary people was of course very different, and was based on simple, humble ingredients like bread, oil and fresh vegetables. And it was above all this “humble” cooking that was passed down from one family generation to the next, although some more elaborate recipes, like meats in dolceforte, have also survived.
Without a doubt the most celebrated Florentine dish in the world is the Florentine T-bone steak, which must be prepared using top-quality beef (never veal!) cut to a thickness of 5-6 cm and cooked on a charcoal grill, preferably using chestnut wood. It should be rare-done and dressed with salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil after cooking.The classic Tuscan first courses are the soup dishes: pappa al pomodoro and ribollita, hot bread-based soups that give way to panzanella in the summer months.
Apart from the steaks, other meats that feature in Tuscan cooking are game, pork (including arista, pork loin cooked in the oven with garlic and rosemary), stews and boiled meats. Florentines also have a passion for livers: pork livers are wrapped in a mesh and cooked on skewers, with abundant bay and slices of bread stuck between the bits of liver. Chicken liver, together with veal spleen, are the base ingredients for the very popular liver pâté canapés, an essential starter generally served with cold cuts like finocchiona, soppressata, sanguinacci, various kinds of ham, salami and sausage.
When Caterina de’ Medici married Henry of Valois, King of France. Caterina was just
14 years old at the time, but was already fond of good food, and she took some cooks and pastry chefs with her to France. With the arrival of the new queen, France was introduced to the smells and aromas of Florentine court cuisine by way of recipes like salsa colla (now besciamella), onion soup and tongue in dolceforte (‘sweet and strong’).
Florentine cuisine acquired a more than local dimension in 1533, when Caterina
de’ Medici married Henry of Valois, King of France. Caterina was just 14 years old at the time, but was already fond of good food, and she took some cooks and pastry chefs with her to France.
With the arrival of the new queen, France was introduced to the smells and aromas of Florentine court cuisine by way of recipes like salsa colla (now besciamella), onion soup and tongue in dolceforte (‘sweet and strong’).
The culinary fare of ordinary people was of course very different, and was based on simple, humble ingredients like bread, oil and fresh vegetables. And it was above all this “humble” cooking that was passed down from one family generation to the next, although some more elaborate recipes, like meats in dolceforte, have also survived.
Without a doubt the most celebrated Florentine dish in the world is the Florentine
T-bone steak, which must be prepared using top-quality beef (never veal!) cut to a thickness of 5-6 cm and cooked on a charcoal grill, preferably using chestnut wood.
It should be rare-done and dressed with salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil after cooking.
The classic Tuscan first courses are the soup dishes: pappa al pomodoro and ribollita, hot bread-based soups that give way to panzanella in the summer months.
Apart from the steaks, other meats that feature in Tuscan cooking are game,
pork (including arista, pork loin cooked in the oven with garlic and rosemary),
stews and boiled meats. Florentines also have a passion for livers:
pork livers are wrapped in a mesh and cooked on skewers, with abundant bay and slices of bread stuck between the bits of liver. Chicken liver, together with veal spleen, are the base ingredients for the very popular liver pâté canapés, an essential starter generally served with cold cuts like finocchiona, soppressata, sanguinacci, various kinds of ham, salami and sausage.
And if on your travels you happen to run across a trippaio, ask for tripe Florence-style with sauce, or lampredotto (the fourth part of the cow’s stomach, otherwise known in English as ‘reed tripe’) in a bread roll. These culinary delights are not only served in restaurants and trattorie but also from mobile stalls in streets and squares around the city. Genuine gourmands know that offal, when cooked properly, is a real delicacy!
Of all the various side dishes particular mention must be made of beans, simply boiled and dressed with, or rather drowned in, oil, or cooked all’uccelletto with sage and tomato. Other fine specialities include sweet and sour onions and beets or spinach, which are boiled and then tossed in a pan with oil, garlic and chilli. Desserts include traditional castagnaccio, made with sweet chestnut flour, schiacciata alla fiorentina and the very sweet schiacciata con l'uva (with grapes).

Wine and Art in Florence

Florence has always been one of the capitals of wine in the world, this' year presents "Florence Wine Town" from September 30 to October 3 in various places in the city.

Four days dedicated to tasting of Tuscan wines and their world. The event was conceived and dedicated to the people and tourists fans of the nectar of the gods. For four days you will meet the great Florentine and Tuscan wine producers in a 'unique and unforgettable celebration of music, Arts and Dance in the many squares and buildings of the city.

Theater, music, dancing, entertainment and more. Many tastings that will take place along the streets of the city, giving visitors an unconventional atmosphere made fun of smiles and friendliness to the rediscovery of old values and tastes.

The event is created by Art and wine of excellent quality, a mixture of lifestyle, culture and territory and ready to transport you to one of the best events held to celebrate the wine, in one of the most beautiful cities in Italy.

The numbers of Florence Wine Town:

338 Manufacturers of high quality wine, divided into nine world capital of wine. The tastings will take place at 'internal 25 historic buildings. Artists will present 108 performances of more than 100 characters. Will be organized into 30 large squares and palaces of culinary highlights.

Website: http://www.firenzewinetown.com