In the beating heart of Florence, among the narrow streets crowded with tourists, there are three small islands where it is possible to relive moments of genuine Tuscan hospitality like fifty years ago. In these places there is an atmosphere that seems suspended, timeless. These are those few restaurants that are still family-run where the gastronomic tradition is intertwined with the stories of the owner family.
In a landscape dominated by luxury restaurants and trendy clubs, family-run trattorias stand as authentic guardians of Florentine cuisine.
We know that gourmet restaurants in Florence are a legacy of recent times and instead family-run restaurants, the old trattoria or fiaschetteria as they are called in these parts, are the typical settings where you cook in a simple way following the rhythms of the seasons. Among the tables of these restaurants, Florentines recognize each other and you usually hear about the events of the city, politics, football or gossip. In short, there is still that light-hearted air of teasing and the desire to feel welcomed into the family.
To tell the truth, there are very few of these places left where you can refresh yourself the old fashioned way, that is, to take a breather from the daily toil and find a moment of conviviality with the waiters or the other patrons of the place.
Here the kitchen returns to being the undisputed protagonist of a good economy. The menu is seasonal and of the reuse of everything that can be cooked and re-cooked such as meatloaf, brochette or flan which allow the dishes to live a second time while remaining appetizing. Just like my mother and grandmother before her did in Italian homes when nothing was thrown away and food was cooked in two or three different ways to create different courses.
The first place to mention is certainly La Casalinga in Piazza Santo Spirito at the corner of Borgo Tegolaio. As soon as you enter, Paolo welcomes you and never moves from his counter where he collects money and satisfaction from his guests: the true old-fashioned innkeeper. In the kitchen, family women prepare traditional recipes: croutons, boiled meats, seasonal vegetables, fabulous rabbit ragù and tomato or duck sauces.
Second place is Sabatino, a historic restaurant in Florence that has been overlooking Porta San Frediano for about forty years and is a restaurant where aunts and nephews share the dining room and kitchen. We went there when we were university students to breathe the air of revolution and chat about dreams and loves. But then as now, the pensioners of the neighborhood, husband and wife married for forty years, went there to eat a plate of pasta or minestrone. Here the typical dishes change every day and are those of the family. The table is shared with other guests and it should not be surprising if you then make friends, but only with grace and courtesy. In short, you go there to not feel alone.
Third place is the Fiaschetteria Nuvoli a stone's throw from Piazza del Duomo. From Nuvoli you can experience the thrill of eating in a hole as we say in Florence. If on the ground floor, you can taste crostini and cold cuts and enjoy small glasses of good local wines, on the lower floor, the basement (the hole), you can sit at the tables and eat typical dishes and seasonal. Here, during the aperitif, you can make friends with the Florentines who usually stay near the counter to enjoy a glass or two of good wine before returning home.
