Florence, Italy: Food Guide

Italy. The place of foodie dreams. Some of my best memories growing up involve my Mom's side of the families Italian heritage. I can remember pulling a chair over to the kitchen counter to watch her cook meatballs and sauce, slowly graduating from egg-beater to sauce-maker as I grew older. My grandma and grandpa would always tell me stories about their Italian up-bringing and how every tradition revolved around food. Food IS their culture.

    I have always wanted to travel to Italy, mostly for the food, and was lucky enough to spend two-weeks driving around Tuscany with my mom last April. Although the trip was amazing, it left me wanting more. But it just so happens that my twin sister Monica is studying abroad in none-other than Florence this semester....so obviously I had to visit her!

    Last Sunday I set off to Pisa Airport (don't go to Pisa...don't say I didn't warn you) and travelled by train into Florence to meet up with Monica. On Monday morning I woke up ready to eat a weeks worth of food in just 2.5 days.

Below are some of the things I ate in one of my favorite places in the world.


TRATTORIA SOSTANZA
Like most bloggers do, of course I did deep research on the best places to eat in Florence. I found this authentic Trattoria from one of my favorite fellow Londoners, http://www.thelondoner.me/. 

Every post I read about this restaurant insisted I try the "pollo al burro" which translates to "chicken in butter sauce." So that's exactly what we did. My god were we satisfied. We split the chicken dish and also ordered "pasta with meat sauce" which was heaven as well. 

The family style seating allowed for us to meet new people and chat with them about other restaurants in town. We were sat next a woman from Switzerland who let me take a picture of her piece of cake! I'm not really sure what it was, but it looked good!!!!

LA PRIMERIA - IL MERCATO CENTRALE FIRENZE
I love a good market more than most things in the world. I'm pretty sure if someone were to find me somewhere in a random city, it would be a fresh food market. The central market in Florence is next level. The entire ground floor is filled with vendors of local delicacies such as truffles and olive oils, as well as fresh food vendors selling local meats and fish. The top level of the covered building is what I like to call a gourmet food court. Seriously, it's a thing of beauty.

I wandered around for a good hour before I decided on getting a pasta dish from La Primeria on the ground floor. The tiny little window is a bit hard to find, hidden deep in the middle of all the vendors. On the other side of the street food window was a counter selling freshly made pastas/raviolis that were being made right there. This is my heaven. I ended up getting the spinach and ricotta ravioli with a pomodoro sauce. Simple is always best. It was so good and SO cheap (5 euro!!!) that I almost considered going back for seconds 2 hours later. Unfortunately my stomach stopped me.

PANINI TOSCANI
When my mom and I were in Tuscany last April we unfortunately only got to spend one meal in Florence. This meal was a panini from Panini Toscani and I hadn't stopped thinking about it since I ate it. Whenever I travel I like to follow one rule: never eat next to a tourist attraction. They are usually tourist traps, however this one is the ONLY exception. Located in a very touristy location next to the Duomo, the food is the opposite of something you would find in an overpriced cafe. 

The owner lets you sample five different cheeses and three different meats, all from Tuscany. You then choose your bread and which number meat and cheese you preferred. I picked cheese 3, a young pecorino, and meat 1 which I think was a salami. You then got to pick from a variety of italian toppings such as roasted sweet peppers, eggplant, zucchini, arugula, and more. To finish off the masterpiece they stick it in a toaster (not a panini press, those are American) until it's nice and toasty. 

I ate plenty more amazing food, but the pictures of the other foods were taken at night and are not blog material. I hope whatever I'm doing in the future allows me to visit this amazing country at least once more. Until then, enjoy these pictures from the streets of Florence.

Thanks for reading!!

-C. 

Maine: A Local's Guide (Cumberland County)

Growing up in Maine, the last thing I wanted to do was be there. A self-proclaimed "city girl", I felt that I was growing up in the wrong environment. Every chance I had to escape, I did. When applying for college, a city was the only option. And that's the shortened and condensed story of how I ended up in London.
 
    I never thought the cliché saying "you don't know what you have until it's gone" would apply to me and Maine, but after spending just one month in London back in 2014, suddenly Vacationland was my favorite place in the world. I don't know if it was the change in culture, homesickness, or a mixture of both, but the only place I wanted to be was back in Maine. Since then, I've taken every opportunity to go back home; the same place I used to loathe with a passion.

    The thing I love about Maine is that there truly is no place like it. You can be feeling the sea mist on the rocky coast, drive 15 minutes inland and be in the mountainous forest. You have towns like Camden and Ogunquit, the poster children for coastal USA. Wiscasset and Bar Harbor; beautiful and unique with their own charm. And of course Portland; in my opinion, the gem of the Northeast.  Then you have places so rural that they don't even have names.

The next couple of posts will feature a couple of my fave places in the best state in the US....not that I'm biased or anything :) This first post will focus on Cumberland County, the county that I'm from (Yarmouth) and the most populated in the state.


PORTLAND

If you've never been to Portland, GO NOW! Seriously, you won't regret it. I'm sure me saying "go now" isn't enough to persuade you, but if one thing will, it's POTATO DONUTS. That's right...donuts made out of potatoes! "Holy Donuts" on Exchange Street is hands down the best part of the city. My fave is pomegranate, but if you're feeling adventurous, try the maple bacon.

NEW GLOUCESTER

If you're from Maine and you're reading this, you probably just said "why the heck did she choose New Gloucester????" So let me tell you a thing. I. Love. New Gloucester. Over the past two summers I nannied on Sabbathday Lake. Let me tell you, it was really tough work swimming in the lake all day. Jokes. But seriously, New Gloucester is one of those places that makes you forget civilization even exists. It's filled with back roads surrounded by tall pines and maples... and it's home to my fave: Thompson's Apple Orchard. I grew up going apple picking with my Dad and it still remains one of my favorite traditions. Even though he does 90% of the picking while I try and get the perfect Gram, I look forward to this every single year. Luckily for me I don't start classes until October, so I always fit in a Thompson's visit before I leave.

 

                               

                  

                  

PORTLAND HEADLIGHT/FORT WILLIAMS STATE PARK

Even though the name might suggest otherwise, this famous lighthouse is in the town of Cape Elizabeth. I have a tradition that every time I come home from London, I wake up at 5am (from jetlag and hunger), drive to Scratch Baking Co. in South Portland, and take my bagel to the headlight. Walking along the cliffs at the break of dawn with absolutely no tourists is such a refreshing difference from the bustling streets of London. 

                

PINE POINT BEACH

Sitting at the southern-most point of Cumberland County, Pine Point Beach involves (surprise surprise) another tradition. In the first weeks of summer, my family and I get seafood take-out from Ken's and bring it to the beach at sunset. How much more Maine can you get?

                

               

I hope you fell inlove with my home as much as I have! Stay tuned for more posts on other areas of Maine!!

-C.