Renee Arlotti, Pitt in Florence Summer 2023
Obviously, food is a basic necessity for life and, as such, was an important part of my experience in Florence. Before leaving to study abroad, I had learned a bit about Italian eating culture. Firstly, Italians eat a very light breakfast—no big American breakfasts of eggs, bacon, and toast galore. Italians keep it simple, tending to eat croissants or pastries with espresso. However, in America, despite the fact that we drink coffee, it is usually on the go. If I wanted to stop for a quick coffee, it was never quick, and that was part of the experience. I loved taking the time to sit down and enjoy the amazing, high-quality flavor of Italian espresso. Additionally, it’s not just breakfast—every meal is an experience in Italy, usually spent with the company of others. Mealtime is not just a time to eat, it is seen as a time to converse. Food is so much more than what it appears to be, and for that reason, I think it is the window to the soul. I feel that you could walk into any trattoria, which serves traditional Italian food, and the environment reflects Italian food culture. There aren’t chain trattorias in Italy, they are family-owned restaurants where the main priority is to spread the love for food. One of the most memorable places I frequented wasn’t a trattoria, but a sandwich shop called Pino’s Sandwiches. Every time I stopped for a sandwich, Pino was behind the counter, laughing with customers while working hard to make food for everyone (Pino is a very popular guy). My favorite part of dining in Italy was how intimate it was. Every restaurant was decorated in a way that created a very warm, comforting atmosphere and felt like walking into a house and smelling a nice home-cooked meal. Before going to Italy, I didn’t eat much Italian food. I always found pasta to be very heavy, but this is not the case in Italy. Pasta is usually on the menu as a first course, meant to be eaten before a heavier dish of meat or fish. For this reason, Italian portions of pasta are much smaller yet still filling enough to eat alone. Plus, it saved room for appetizers and dessert (I tried tiramisu at every restaurant because it’s never the same twice). At Pitt, it is easy to walk down Forbes Avenue and see a variety of foods, from tacos to ramen to kebabs. You can still find these things in Italy, but you are less likely to stumble upon them. For that reason, I took advantage of all the opportunities to eat authentic Italian food while I had it, because I know Italian food in America will never be able to compare.
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