GREAT FLORENCE WEBSITES -- PART 10

SILVIA NESTI, MAKER OF FINE JEWELRY 

Silvia Nesti has a fabulous little ateller on the ground floor of an ancient building on Via Dei Velluti, just east of Via Toscanella in the Oltrarno.

A stone's throw from the famed goldsmiths, silver smiths and jewelers of the Ponte Vecchio, her stunning creations are 100 times more interesting and a fraction of a cost of the old bridge's shops.

She is interested in folded jewelery -- a kind of Florentine origami -- and sells handmade pieces for as low as 40 euro.

Nesti has exhibited her jewellery in Italy, at Inhorgenta; in Munich, Germany and in Aura2007 at Burton Agnes Hall in Yorkshire. 

She completed her Jewellery education at Le Arti Orafe Jewellery School in Florence, Italy in 2005.

"At the moment I am developing my personal research in contemporary jewellery, working with materials like silver, gold, precious stones, and Japanese paper for Origami.

My research is based on the concept of folding, using a very important quality of metal, flexibility," she notes on her website.

Nesti, who designs and makes her own jewels, was awarded a recognized diploma as a goldsmith.

She also practices with soft and hard wax and enamelling.

Nesti attended a metal-forging workshop with Giovanni Corvaja, a renowned Italian goldsmith.

To see Silvia Nesti's latest collection, visit her website at:

www.silvianesti.com

GREAT FLORENCE WEBSITES -- PART 9

GIAMPIERO M. GALLO & THE FLORENTINE

When we were in Florence, we had the great pleasure of meeting Giampiero Gallo inside the historic Palazzo Vecchio.

Palazzo Vecchio has been the home of Florentine government for centuries and it also has priceless art treasures displayed throughout.

Mr. Gallo welcomed us to the city as a consigliere of the comunale -- basically, an elected city council member.

He is part of forward-thinking Florence Mayor Matteo Renzi's majority party, Gruppo Consiliare Partito Democratico.

We noticed that our new friend Giampiero was wearing a pin shaped like a bicycle.

It sparked a long conversation about walkability, bikeability and our favorite -- wheelchair accessibility.

A brilliant professor of economics, he speaks flawless English and understands that urban areas depend on being able to move people around without being car-dependent.

We found a great interview with him in The Florentine, the online site of the great English language newspaper of Firenze.

The article is here:

http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=7522

Gallo's academic website is here:

http://unifi.academia.edu/GiampieroMGallo

GREAT FLORENCE WEBSITES -- PART 8

PALAZZO MEDICI RICCARDI -- FIRENZE

In the words of its operators:

Medici Riccardi Palace is one the most important monuments in Florence, a prototype of Renaissance and Baroque architecture. 

Medici Riccardi Palace hosts temporary exhibitions and experimental virtual environment for museums and galleries.

As an added bonus, courtesy of PBS's outstanding Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance series, here is a reading list of excellent books about Florence, the Medici and the Renaissance period:

• April Blood - Florence and the Plot against the Medici - Lauro Martines
• Brunelleschi's Dome - Ross King
• Catherine de'Medici - Leonie Frieda
• Cosimo de'Medici and the Florentine Renaissance - Dale Kent
• Dynasty and Destiny in Medici Art - Janet Cox Rearick
• Florence and the Medici - J.R Hale
• Florentine politics 1502 - 1515 - Humfrey Butters
• Galileo - Courtier - Mario Biagioli
• Galileo's Daughter - Dava Sobel
• Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling - Ross King
• Patronage - Art and Society in Renaissance Italy - F.W. Kent
• The French wars of Religion - R. J. Knecht
• The Last of the Medici - Harold Acton
• The Lives of the Artists - Giorgio Vasari
• The Pope's Elephant - Silvio Bedini
• The Prince - Niccolo Machiavelli
• The Renaissance Bazaar - Jerry Brotton
• The Rise and Decline of the Medici Bank - Raymond de Roover
• The Rise and Fall of the House of Medici - Christopher Hibbert
• The Rise of the Medici - Faction in Florence 1426-1434 - Dale Kent

 http://www.palazzo-medici.it

GREAT FLORENCE WEBSITES -- PART 7

THE MEDICI ARCHIVE PROJECT

In the website's own words:

Since its foundation in the early 1990s, the Medici Archive Project (MAP) has been innovating new strategies for research in the Humanities. 

During the early stages of its existence, MAP’s mission was to merge archival research with technological innovations for data management. 

A pioneering group of scholars began to catalog in a rudimentary electronic database the letters of one of the most exhaustive and complete courtly archives of early modern Europe: the Medici Granducal Archival Collection (Mediceo del Principato).

This archival collection ― comprising over four-million letters distributed in 6,429 volumes and occupying a mile of shelf space ― covers a chronological span of two hundred years, from 1537 to 1743. 

It documents the political, diplomatic, gastronomic, economic, artistic, scientific, military and medical culture of early modern Tuscany and Europe.

http://www.medici.org/

GREAT FLORENCE WEBSITES -- PART 6

MUSEO GALILEO

Formerly the Institute and Museum of the History of Science, this museum rightfully honors the name of one of Florence's most enlightened mind.

We all remember from school that Galileo Galilei was an Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer and philosopher who played a major role in the Scientific Revolution.

The Medicis not only were patrons to the great artists of Florence.

They also sponsored a great many scientists seeking enlightenment.

Galileo perfected the telescope and greatly advanced the study of gravity and buoyancy under the wing of the Medici.

Unfortunately, he was so enlightened, that he figured out that the earth revolved around the sun, not vice versa.

This ran afoul of the Catholic Church and he was silenced by the Roman Inquisition.

The Medicis could have gone out on a limb to protect him, but they needed the support of the Vatican to maintain their vast wealth -- so the great Galileo died a broken and silenced man.

Much of his works, along with collections of the Medici, are on display at his museum.

Located on the bank of the River Arno in the 11th century Palazzo Castellani, the Galileo museum is wheelchair-accessible.

http://www.museogalileo.it/en/index.html

GREAT FLORENCE WEBSITES -- PART 5

TOSCANA PROMOZIONE -- PROMOTING TUSCANY

You could spend a month in the City Center of Florence and never tire of visiting endless museums, cathedrals, restaurants, plazas, shops, neighborhoods and more.

But Tuscany is so much more than the City of Florence.

The great walled city of Lucca -- Tuscany.

The great medieval town of Sienna -- Tuscany.

Maybe you've heard of the great hill town of Arezzo?, the seaside splendor of Via Reggio?, or a town with a faulty tower by the name of Pisa?

All of these and hundreds of other fabulous countryside villages are in Tuscany.

Toscana Promozione can help you find out where to stay, how to locate an authentic winery, where to eat with the locals and whether your perfect spot under the Tuscan sun can be reached by train or bus -- so you can leave the driving to someone else.

The organization also promotes Tuscany beyond tourism.

It can help you take the first step toward opening a business or buying a home in the famed region of Italy.

But we used it for visitor information, and the great folks at  Toscana Promozione linked us up with Tiziana Bacchioni.

Tiziana, pictured above in Plaza Michelangelo, knows the Uffizi galleries like she was raised in its hollowed halls.

She can plan for perfect wheelchair-access even in the hilly historic town of Fiesole.

http://www.toscanapromozione.com/

GREAT FLORENCE WEBSITES -- PART 4

TURISMO SENZA BARRIERE (TOURISM WITHOUT BARRIERS)

On the day we celebrate our American Independence, this is the perfect time to heap praise on a group in Central Italy that is working tirelessly to break down barriers to travel by wheelchair in Tuscany and beyond.

Lamberto Tozzi and others at Turismo Senza Barriere have tips on transportation, accommodations and museums.

They don't just give a vague wheelchair symbol to a place to say it has some level of access.

They actually tell you what is the best route to get to the entrance by wheelchair.

The Pitti Palace, for example, has very steep passageways and more gently-graded routes to its various museums filled with Medici treasures.

Taking the gentler slope can make all the difference in the world in terms of safety and mobility for a wheeler.

The organization helped us find an English-speaking driver with a lift-equipped van to meet us at the tiny Florence airport.

The driver navigated throw Florence's maze of one-way streets and narrow alleys to bring us right to the doorstep of our accessible apartment in the Oltrarno.

This website is entirely in Italian -- but you do plan on brushing up on a little Italiano before traveling to Tuscany, right?

Surely, you don't expect every mom and restaurant and off the beaten path shop to speak perfect English? 

You don't want to come off like an Ugly American, so you're at least buying a Rick Steves phrase book, yes?

For what it's worth, Turismo Senza Barriere is in the process of translating its materials to English.

When you contact the group, it does have some brochures and other printed matter in English.

The more you support them, the more they'll be able to deliver their priceless information in multiple languages.

www,turismosenzabarriere.it 

GREAT FLORENCE WEBSITES -- PART 3

THE DUOMO

The Duomo -- technically The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (Basilica of Saint Mary of the Flower) is the main church in Florence.

Its fabulous brick dome, architecturally designed ad engineered by the great Filippo Brunelleschi, has dominated the Firenze skyline for more than 500 years.

The Duomo sounds like the English word Dome, don't be fooled.

Duomo is the name for every Catholic Church in Italy -- whether it has a triumphant dome or not.

The word likely comes from Domus, Latin for home -- as in the church is the house of God.

The Duomo plays heavily in PBS' excellent four-part documentary: THE MEDICI -- GODFATHERS OF THE RENAISSANCE, as th Medici were patrons of Brunelleschi's daring attempt to creat the giant dome.

  

It remains the largest brick dome ever constructed.

The Duomo was begun in 1296 in the Gothic style.

Its Gothic Revival facade of marble in various shades of green and pink bordered by white dates only back to the 19th century.

The cathedral complex includes the Giotto's Campanile, the striking bell tower begun by late middle ages Italian painter and architect Giotto di Bondone.

The Baptistry includes grand doors modeled and cast by Lorenzo Ghibertia based on scenes from the Old Testament.

The complex also includes a museum about the construction of the Duomo.

The museum and main floor of the Basilica are wheelchair-accessible.

http://www.duomofirenze.it/storia/storia_eng.htm 

.

GREAT FLORENCE WEBSITES -- PART 2

THE UFFIZI

The Uffizi has the greatest collection of Renaissance art on earth.

Housed in ancient Florentine government office buildings constructed by the Medicis, the Uffizi museum contains works by Michelangelo, da Vinci, Botticelli, Giotto, Raphael, Caravaggio and Durer -- to name a few of the hundreds of artistic legends showcased there.

The most popular museum in Florence also has a series of ramps, elevators, lifts and barrier-free restrooms to ease the access for wheelchair-using visitors.

It also has a touch tour tactile experience for visually-impaired visitors.

Visually impaired folks are allowed to put on protective gloves and touch rare marbles and other three-dimensional works usually off-limits, tactile speaking, to visitors.

The Uffizi's exhaustive website, with an English version, is at:

http://www.uffizi.firenze.it/en/index.php

GREAT FLORENCE WEBSITES -- PART 1

THE MEDICI -- GODFATHERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 

Before we ever went to Florence, we watched this amazing 4-part series on PBS.

When we got home, we again watched the vivid story telling and visuals of each one-hour segment.

Only, this time, it was more fun because the No. 1 authority -- quoted throughout the fabulous documentary about the Medici family's control on Firenze for multiple centuries -- was our new friend, Marcello Fantoni,

Fantoni directs Kent State University's program in Florence.

Both of us are Kent grads, so it was gratifying to be hosted by Fantoni when we visited Florence and it is gratifying to see he was the top expert for the Medici program (though at the time, he worked for a different university, so Kent is not credited in the program.

You can find THE MEDICI -- GODFATHERS OF THE RENAISSANCE on youtube.

Check out its site at PBS:

http://www.pbs.org/empires/medici

TRATTORIA PALLOTTINO - PART 4

TRATTORIA PALLOTTINO -- FLORENCE, ITALY

Here comes another tirade.

Though I listened to Popeye and ate plenty of spinach growing up in the Rust Belt, I came to dread all pastas allegedly done Florentine style.

Even in big city restaurants in the Midwest, Manhattan and Miami, the Florentine stuff had an overpowering bitter spinach taste.

Often, it also included unappetizing green pasta -- allegedly infused with spinach, but most likely food dyed in the de-flavorizing machine.

Not so with Pallottino's lasagne fatte in casa alla vecchia maniera (homemade lasagna done the old way.)

Very mild spinach noodles caressed the finest ricotta in these meatless baked dish.

Crispy on top, dense and creamy inside, it was the best lasagna I have ever tasted.

IF YOU GO:

Address: Via Isola delle Stinche 1 r

Tel:  055/289573

http://www.trattoriapallottino.com

trattoriapallottino@yahoo.it

Pallatino has outstanding wheelchair access at its outside seating area.

Inside, things are a little tight, but the owner treated us like family -- bringing three different kinds of chairs until Heidi felt comfortable sitting in one to get a break from her manual wheelchair.

TRATTORIA PALLOTTINO - PART 3

TRATTORIA PALLOTTINO -- FLORENCE, ITALY

Speaking of roast potatoes, what is it about the Tuscan roast spud?

Why is it so superior to the American version?

I can't tell you how many times I've ordered "redskin" or "new" potatoes -- even at a top drawer seafood or steak house -- only to be sorely disappointed in the bland little cubes of flavorless starch sitting next to an otherwise top-drawer entree prepared by a skilled chef?

Is it the source tater itself?

Is it the generous use of olive oil? 

Do they know to toss a little garlic on the spuds to give 'em some life?

I've gotta ask somebody who knows, because Tuscan roast potatoes -- especially those prepared by the owner's wife at the helm in Pallottino's kitchen, are as savory as the best hash brown from a greasy spoon diner.

Somehow, in his limited English, Pallottino's owner convinced me to order lasagna with spinach.

PART 4 POSTS TOMORROW -- JUNE 10 

TRATTORIA PALLOTTINO - PART 2

TRATTORIA PALLOTTINO -- FLORENCE, ITALY

In Florence, local flavor means an Pallottino appetizer of crostini di polenta fritta ai funghi porcini -- ie, little toasts made of lightly fired polenta and topped with porcini mushrooms to die for.

Because lunch is often the biggest meal of the day, next comes ribollita alla contadina, the famed bread and tomato-based Tuscan soup thick as stew.

Starving, we also ordered Pallottino's signature cannellini beans in tomato sauce, though it might have been wiser to go with the more traditional olive oil base since the hearty ribollita also was tomato-based.

No matter how good the primi was, the best -- by far -- was yet to come in the secondi.

My bride of a quarter century Heidi went for the blackboard special of porchetta with outstanding roasted potatoes.

Porchetta is Italian for suckling pig that is heavily salted on the outside, deboned, stuffed with garlic, rosemary, fennel seeds, and other herbs, then rolled up and slowly roasted.

The result is a stunning piece of pork with the perfect amount of buttery fat and crispy skin on the plate to add to the flavor.

Porchetta usually is served room temperature or cold.

Pallottino serves it chilly.

Here's a little hint for those of you who perhaps are children of the Great Lakes who grew up thinking everything out of mom's kitchen should be nice and warm -- put the hot out of the oven taters on top of the porchetta and you've got warmed pork without offending the kitchen.

We certainly didn't stoop to such devices, we're just saying...

PART 3 POSTS TOMORROW -- JUNE 9 

TRATTORIA PALLOTTINO - 1

TRATTORIA PALLOTTINO -- FLORENCE, ITALY

Thanks to Trattoria Pallottino, the upscale Italian restaurants seem average, the dependable red table cloth joints have become barely mediocre and my homemade pasta just plain lousy.

Maybe it comes off as backhanded, but that's about the highest compliment I could pay to a family-run trattoria in the heart of historic Florence.

Family is key, as the owner cradles a sleeping infant against his shoulder as he hands you the menu.

He returns, little one in stroller this time, to tell you the day's specials and to help steer you toward the menu items that are most representative of Tuscan cuisine.

Tuscans are proud of the olive oil, white beans, wild boar, beef, tomatoes, mushrooms and other items that come from their region.

They want patrons to know that no matter what the 100-plus item Italian restaurant back on Mainstreet USA tells you, there IS NOT ONE ITALY.

The nation has barely been unified for a century and a half and unlike the globalization that kills individuality in the states, Italy takes pride in its unique regional flavors.

PART 2 POSTS TOMORROW -- JUNE 8

CIBREO -- PART 5

CIBREO -- FLORENCE'S BEST FINE DINING

Before dessert, a gourmet cheese plate arrived and we washed it down with a lovely dessert wine with an apricot bouquet.

Speaking of dessert, I opted for another renown Cibreo item -- the flourless chocolate cake. 

We also grazed on a dessert selection of cheese cake, chocolate flan and something that -- at least to our hillbilly-rooted tongues -- tasted like gourmet ice cream cake. Flawless espresso capped off dessert.

The prices, per person are roughly:  first course, 20 euro, second course 36 euro, cheeses 10 euro and dessert 15 euro.

Obviously, when you add a large bottle of sparkling water, a bottle of fine wine, dessert wine and espresso, you can add another nearly 80-100-plus euro to the bill.

We can only afford such extravagance once a year, but in our opinion, Cibreo is worth every penny.

IF YOU GO:

Cibreo is at Via del Verrocchio, 8r Firenze
Tel. : 055 234 11 00
e-mail : info@cibreo.com
www.cibreo.com


Get reservations or arrive at 7 p.m. and start pleading for a cherished table.


The restaurant is very near the famed Mercato di Sant'Ambrogio farmer's market.

Cibreo also has a casual trattoria, cafe and live theater nearby.

CIBREO -- PART 4

CIBREO -- FLORENCE'S BEST FINE DINING

Somewhere along the way, Team Picchi shows a little levity by bringing each table a giant bread stick shaped like a bone.

Despite being a fine dining joint, at least half the diners, (aka all the American tourists in the house) couldn't resist mugging for camera phone shots with the bone gritted in their teeth, Fido the hound style.

For the record, the breadstick tastes great and no, we did not mug for any cameras.

Now onto the fab the secondi patti. Heidi's was an ethereal deconstructed veal stew served on a plate, not a bowl, with edges defined by small homemade bread sticks. 

The super tender veal  was enhanced with carrot coins and pureed roasted potatoes.

Yours truly adopted for Cibreo's somewhat famous chicken and ricotta meat balls in tomato sauce with a side of asparagus. 

Yes, as some American over eaters whine, the meat balls are not huge by second course standards.

But no, you don't have the right to complain (you did get more than a half dozen samples of Tuscan treats, multiple kinds of bread, an appetizer and you'll have dessert...so no, you do not need a Fred Flintstone-sized portion for the main course.

PART 5 POSTS TOMORROW -- JUNE 6

CIBREO -- PART 3

CIBREO -- FLORENCE'S BEST FINE DINING

Out comes Giulio Picchi, Fabio's son, to tell you about the heavenly items spread out in tiny tasting portions for you.

Our grazing included:  white beans in fabulous olive oil, ricotta unlike any you've ever savored, smoked cold muscles good enough to seduce a non bi-valve eater, the best zucchini you've ever tasted, warm potato rolls, chicken liver pate spread on crostini, herbed goat cheese, tomato aspic (cold gelatin) and cold veal tripe salad.

Full disclosure time.  We really tried hard not to be stomach-squeamish, but could not rise above our Midwestern roots. Alas, we did not finish even the tiny taste o' trippa.

Trusting the sommelier , we went with a fine Super Tuscan Sangiovese-Cabernet Sauvignon blend that, well, blended perfectly with the wide range of delicacies brought to our table. Light on the tongue, it must of packed a bit of a punch, for we confess we forgot to note the label (sorry).

Spouse Heidi's primi patti was polenta with light ricotta cheese -- light as a cloud.  I opened with a brown fish stew that tasted like an upscale New Orleans gumbo.

PART 4 POSTS TOMORROW -- JUNE 5

CIBREO -- PART 2

CIBREO -- FLORENCE'S BEST FINE DINING

Cibreo has no printed menu. Waiters -- versed in several languages -- sit down with you and go over the fresh items the purveyors have delivered that day and how they might make an excellent primi and secondi for your palette.

Though Cibreo is for foodies -- not the Cracker Barrel crowd -- our server was very conscious of not allowing us to embarrass ourselves with an order we would be unhappy with.

She very subtly pointed out that a game meat would be served cold to room temperature (when an American might expect it warm and be disappointed if it didn't come out red hot.) She also subtly stressed that the roast pigeon does have lots of small bones and is to be eaten with fingers.

The attention to detail is staggering -- and not just with the memorized menu with dozens of dazzling preparations.

Our server noticed a wobbly-legged chair at the table next to ours. She shot a glance at an underling (apparently responsible for such things) that basically said "the next time you let this happen, that  faulty piece of furniture will be smashed over your head."

Again -- if you want endless soup, salad and bread sticks, this ain't your place.

If you love starting off your meal with a perfectly-crafted array of Tuscan tidbits -- created by Chef Picchi, he of the mad man genius  in the kitchen self-cultivated persona -- you have come to the right place.

PART 3 POSTS TOMORROW -- JUNE 4

CIBREO 1

CIBREO -- FLORENCE'S BEST FINE DINING

Cibreo is the most misunderstood restaurant in Florence.

A foodie paradise, Cibreo doesn't even crack the top 400 of more than 1,000 Florence restaurants ranked by the esteemed members of one of the world's most popular on-line rating sites.

Perhaps the fine dining establishment of star chef Fabio Picchi isn't for everyone -- the Olive Garden, it ain't.

But for anyone who appreciates slow food, outstanding service, premium ingredients and local sourcing, Cibreo easily deserves to be ranked among top dozen dining spots in fabled Florence.

It seems like the philistines who rail against Cibreo have a quartet of common complaints:

• Long waits for food (do you want fast service from a microwave or proper service from a kitchen that cares?)

• Small portions (they aren't small -- they are just appropriate size. Notice how Europeans aren't as obese as Americans?  There's a reason -- normal-sized portions.)

• They don't serve pasta (Tuscan cuisine involves a wide area of cheeses, game meat, beans, farm to table vegetables and other items that are not based on the noodle and slathered in red sauce.

• High prices (Florence is an expensive city and for the record, you could easily spend more than half of what it costs to eat at Cibreo drinking horrible wine, eating crappy food and being upsold on lousy appetizers and desserts at any number of tourist traps with pretty piazza views but cruddy kitchens. In other words, you get what you pay for.)                          

PART 2 POSTS TOMORROW -- JUNE 3

FLORENCE RESTAURANT GUIDE

FLORENCE EATS FROM THE VIEWPOINT OF STUDENTS

Restaurants in Florence is a straightforward guide to Tuscan Cuisine.  In the website's own words:

"Before coming in Florence perhaps your main thinking weren't only directed toward the world famous masterpieces such as the paintings of Leonardo, the sculptures of Michelangelo, or the projects of Brunelleschi....

Restaurantsinflorence.com the best selection of Italian and International restaurants, pubs, bars, pizzerias, ice cream shops, all with direct links to their official websites and to their social networks (where available). 

We at restaurantsinflorence.com know that your interests toward the Italian cuisine masterpieces competes with your interests toward the Florentine art...and we understand you!!

The pleasure of a good dinner in an excellent pizzeria can, without doubts, challenge the intellectual satisfaction of visiting the main masterpieces of the town: a good Chianti can give you the same joy of the view of a beautiful Leonardo da Vinci painting, the famous "bistecca alla fiorentina" can surely compete with all the sculptures of Michelangelo and the view of a real Italian tiramisu can give to you no less interior happiness than the view of a beautiful Tuscan landscape.

In Florence you can find very good place where you can spend little money...the very important thing is to go off the tourist main beaten road!!!

We'll indicate to you the places where the real Florentines prefer to go, places where you can find the best quality for a fair price.

We've even inserted some of the very best restaurants They can cost a lot of money but, once in a life, you should do this experience.

www.restaurantsinflorence.com