Florence: A Town of Truffles
- Tahsan Scott
- Nov 7
- 2 min read
Tuscany looks just like a postcard. Taking the train in from Rome, I saw the rolling hills adorned with vines and villas. The cradle of the Renaissance, Florence is laden with rich history, and some of the best food in Italy.
My hotel was just a short 4 minute walk from the train station, right next to a 15th century Dominican church, Basilica of Santa Maria Nouvella. After checking in at the hotel, I asked the receptionist at the front desk where I should eat. She suggested a popular pizza spot just around the corner, Giotto Pizzeria.
It was raining, so I borrowed an umbrella from the hotel, hopped over a few puddles, and slid into Giotto (leaving my umbrella in the rack outside of course).
Choosing which pizza to order was difficult because they all sounded so good, but ultimately the only real option was the Carbonara 2.0. Crafted by local 2 Michelin star chef Rocco De Santis, the pie comes with fresh fior de latte mozzarella, 24 month aged parmigiano reggiano, egg yolk cream, crispy guanciale, Fontana Lupo EVOO, and as is often seen on many dishes in the region: freshly shaved black truffle.
I love truffles.
It was delicious. I also ordered some meatballs which were good too…but the pizza was the star: incredibly rich, creamy, salty from the guanciale and cheese, savory from the egg yolk cream, and unctuous from the truffle. I saved half for a late night snack, and even though it was cold and congealed coming out of the mini fridge in my hotel room, it was delicious.
After the rain stopped, I walked around the neighborhood a bit, took a few photos, and even got to order a spritz from one of the famous wine windows. The wine windows are literal holes in the walls that were used to sell wine in the 1600s during a terrible plague that swept through the city. There are quite a few that still exist, although most are not in use. Luckily the Matteoini Buchetta del Vino was open and served up a great spritz.
For dinner, I ended up at Ristorante La Spada, a small joint that specializes in grilled meats, homemade pastas, and the famous bistecca florentina. I ordered the Spada Fantasy Menu, which came with a tasting of 3 pastas, a plate of mixed grilled meats with potatoes, and some tiramisu for dessert. It was wonderful. The gnocchi with spinach and gorgonzola was out of this world, and the tomato sauce on the spaghetti is probably the best I’ve ever had, not to mention the decadent mushroom and truffle ravioli. The grilled meat platter came with a pork rib, pork loin, and a quarter of chicken, along with some of the best roasted potatoes I’ve ever had. Simply seasoned, perfectly cooked, a nice touch of smoke all around, it was rustic yet exactly what I needed. I saved a few pieces of meat and potatoes for a snack later on, leaving room for dessert. The tiramisu was classic, light, fluffy, slightly sweet and of course delicious, a perfect ending for my first night in Tuscany.
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