Cafe Cities of Europe – Florence

by Gary Try

The splendour of Florence can be overwhelming and a ‘soft-entry’ into the city from the surrounding hills is a delightful way to ease into the onslaught of renaissance art, culture and architecture. Here, as part of our continuing series, Gary Try gives us his personal perspective on the city and its cafés.

There is such peace and serenity to be found in an olive grove. The tranquility that these gnarled old trees express falls over you like a soft cloak, gently caressing and relaxing. Dappled light falls from the intense blue sky above, through the silver-green leaves of the olive trees, creating a dance of millions of radiant ballerinas moving slowly across the grove in a never-ending ballet, staged on the rolling Tuscan hills. Below lies the river Arno, snaking its way through the valley, neatly defining the city of Florence, locally known as ‘Firenze – La Gioiello di Tuscano’ (the jewel of Tuscany).

The French writer Stendhal, on his first visit to Florence, was so overwhelmed by the magnificent splendour of the city and the Basilica of Santa Croce that he became faint-headed and unable to walk. Many tourists each year suffer a similar fate and local doctors treat cases of what is known locally as ‘Stendhalismo’.

However, after the madness of tourist-crazy Venice or the frenzied pace of Rome, a visit to the visual riches of Florence can provide solace to the weary traveller. After a visit to the market for a fresh-baked ciabatta, a roll of stracchino (soft white cheese) neatly wrapped in its grease-proof paper, cured sausage of cinghiale (wild boar), juicy tuscan black olives marinated in fresh rosemary and garlic cloves, and finally a bottle of ‘Bondi Santi-Brunello’ from Montalcino – you are ready to experience Florence.

Before heading towards the magnificent Uffizzi Gallery or the equally stunning Basilica Santa Croce, make a beeline to Piazza Della Republica, with Antica Caffe Gilli on the northern corner, and anchor yourself to the very heart of the city over an espresso and a slice of Torrone (Tuscan nougat).

Caffe Gilli was established in 1733 as a café-bar and pastry shop, and quickly attracted a clientele of refined intelligentsia, becoming recognized within Tuscany as the home-café of the region’s leading figures. Today, as in the last 320 years, it still holds the love of the Tuscan people and it is easy to see why when standing at the long, marble-topped bar, espresso in hand. The visual splendour is breathtaking. Just gazing from the outside at Caffe Gilli and taking in the window display is a delight. Uniformed staff inside are constantly reaching into the window display for vast platters of Torrone, stacked up like bricks of gold. Twelve varieties of this scrumptious almond nougat are on hand for the discerning Tuscan palate, offering variations on the basic recipe from town-to-town across the region.

Don’t try to walk past the seemingly endless pastry selections – just give in to Florence and spend your last Euro – after all, why not eat and drink yourself into paradise.

Piazza della Republica is home to many Antica caffes, which really make this piazza the heart of the city. In Italy, the piazza is the ‘stage of life’ – allowing a place for communal connection – and nowhere else in Italian culture is life expressed more openly and vividly.  With bells ringing in the background, exchanges of greeting constantly fill the air. Some dart into a cafe for a quick espresso while others enjoy a prosecco to catch up old friends or cement relationships – the piazza is the meeting place of the whole community and benefits all who move in its space.

Caffe Paszkowski (1846) and Gran Caffe Giubbe Rose (1890) are also situated on the Piazza della Republica. Every Wednesday night the ‘literary encounter’ takes place at the Guibbe Rose, as it has with journalists, writers and painters for the last 115 years.

After a café-crawl around the piazza, Caffe Giubbe Rose is a great place to stop and share intellectual discussion on life and philosophy. Just avoid the politics and football; order another campari and soda, and stay on safe ground…

The Medici influence over the city appears as strong today as it was then. For its stamp on the cultural expression of Florence is most probably one of the greatest family legacies of any city in western Europe.

The Florentine reign of the Medici period coincided with the height of the renaissance in art, culture and learning. The Medicis strongly supported the growth of artistic expression and attracted the best of Italian artists to Florence, to complete commissions and establish a culture of artistic growth. Ardent collectors of all forms of art, the Medicis built a vast collection of Italian Florentine art which was left to the city in 1743 – ten years after the nearby Caffe Gilli (only a short stroll through old cobble-stoned lanes) opened its doors to the Florentine public. To catch up with Florence’s grand past, you don’t have to go far – it is everywhere and constantly around you.

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 6th, 2008 at 1:17 am and is filed under Coffee Culture - travel & lifestyle, Online Magazine. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.