Morgan Powers, Engineering Perspectives of the Renaissance and Sustainability: Florence Summer 2024
Before traveling to Florence, most of my friends and family excitedly told me, “You’re never going to eat as good as you will in Italy!” And they were right. My family enjoys pasta and pizza multiple times a week at home, but those meals are nothing compared to what is available in Italy. The food here is unlike anything I could have imagined.
The first day I arrived, my roommates and I walked to Pino’s sandwich shop – a famous sandwich place in Florence – to have our first meal. I genuinely do not think I will ever have a sandwich as good as the mozzarella, tomato, prosciutto, and pesto sandwich I had that day. This classic sandwich was only 6€, which is very affordable in my opinion. That night, we shopped for groceries at a local market and cooked pasta with marinara sauce, parmesan cheese, and basil. While it was a simple meal that most of us have cooked before, it tasted so much better with fresh Italian goods.
Throughout the first two weeks, my roommates and I had fun experimenting with different pasta dishes and sandwich lunches at home. We occasionally ate at a trattoria or café nearby; however, we had a list of restaurants and meals we wanted to try before we left to go home. So, the last two weeks were a race to check off our dinner bucket list.
The absolute must-haves in Florence are as follows: Florentine steak, truffle pasta, gelato, and tagliere. Many outdoor eateries have black chalkboard signs with meal deals, so my two roommates and I spent multiple days searching for a restaurant that had the best price for a shared Florentine steak and potatoes. Eventually, we found a trattoria near the river that flaunted the lowest price we had seen on our hunt: 35€ for a large, two-person, rare steak, potatoes, and beverages. Since there were three of us, we also ordered a cacio e pepe dish – a pasta staple that can only be described as an elevated version of American mac n’ cheese. The atmosphere was so inviting that we stayed for over two hours chatting amongst ourselves, sharing the dishes, and people watching.
While the steak was amazing, our favorite dish throughout the trip was truffle pasta. We tried several dishes at different restaurants, each having a different spin on the iconic Tuscan meal. Our favorite was at Osteria Pastella, a restaurant famous for its cheese wheel pasta experience. The waiter lit a parmesan cheese wheel on fire, carved the cheese, then mixed in tagliatelle pasta. Even though it was expensive, it was one of the best restaurant experiences I have ever had. Aside from the fact that it was my roommate’s birthday, the aura in the restaurant was exceptional. Everybody stopped what they were doing every time a cheese wheel appeared near them, watching in awe at the unique presentation.
Another unique restaurant we went to was Acqua al 2. They’re famous for their blueberry steak – a filet mignon with a special blueberry and strawberry glaze on top. The steak, however, was not even the best dish we tried. My roommates and I decided that we would share a few plates, including the blueberry steak, a cheese and pear platter (aka tagliere), and a dessert platter. We also all got our own pasta entrée. The tagliere consisted of four cheeses – two Italian and two French – along with pear slices and fig jam. Every aspect of the dish was fresh and tasty, which was a fantastic precursor to the rest of our meal. After the charcuterie board appetizer, my one roommate and I received pear and ricotta ravioli with balsamic reduction for our main course. Two of my roommates chose a vodka sauce pasta, while the others ordered truffle pasta and a spinach and ricotta pasta dish. Not even one of these pastas disappointed us. Afterward, we all split the blueberry steak and finished off with the dessert platter, which consisted of tiramisu, cheesecake, chocolate cake, and cannolo. We were all speechless at the end of this meal; it was the best cheese, the best pasta, the best steak, and the best dessert I had during the entire trip. If I could choose one restaurant to eat at in Florence, it would be Acqua al 2.
Lastly, Florence is known for their gelato, so obviously my roommates and I searched for the best gelateria in the city. After trying upwards of 20 locations, we found Gelateria La Carraia. For only 2.50€, I had a cone with two scoops – one scoop of chocolate raspberry, and one scoop of dark chocolate. While the iconic flavors of Florence are nocciola (hazelnut), Nutella, and Buontalenti (vanilla/cream), this blend of flavors was my holy grail. The batches were fresh, which you can tell by the flatness of the gelato and the muted colors instead of bright, vibrant hues. I went to La Carraia at least three times in the last two weeks, and I would go there every day if I could. Gelato was a cheap snack that I rewarded myself with after class, after dinner, and after exams; I probably ate it every single day while I was abroad.
Overall, the food in Florence lived up to the Italian cuisine hype. While I am not a picky eater, I found myself trying many new foods that were out of my comfort zone. For lunch, I had a new sandwich every day, and for dinner, my roommates and I typically splurged on fancy meals. However, we did not always do that. The first two weeks we were in Florence, we cooked most of our meals from home. It was not until the final two weeks abroad that we started to eat out every night. Much of my spending budget was for food, so saving money at the beginning of the trip allowed me to go to nicer restaurants before I left. Florentine food, whether cooked at home or in a restaurant, is unmatched anywhere else.
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