Page 136 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SUMMER 2022 DISCOVERING MADRID

In a sense, though, “what lies beneath” is ex-
actly what I hoped to learn on my return to
Florence. I craved “deep cut” experiences that
wouldn’t feature on a forced-march, box-tick-
ing itinerary, but which had the potential to
transform superficial sightseeing into mean-
ingful personal encounters and connections.
So, for my fellow fans of tangential detours,
here’s a guide to where to eat, shop and sleep
in Florence.
EAT
“People say they visit Italy for Michelangelo,
but they’re really coming for food,” Omar Aziz
explained to me with a sly smile. The native
Florentine was leading me on a guided food
tour with Eating Europe, which operates in a
multitude of cities across (you guessed it) Eu-
rope. “But you never find the same food in ev-
ery city,” Aziz continued, “because food tells
you about the local society where you are.”
Eating Europe’s “Other Side of Florence”
walking tour focuses on Oltrarno--literally,
“the other side of the Arno,” the river which bi-
sects the city. Over the course of four hours,
we visited seven foodie hotspots, but this was
more than an “Instagrammable” movable feast.
It was also a highly entertaining, bite-sized in-
troduction to Oltrarno’s history and to some of
the area’s most popular culinary purveyors.
Within Oltrarno lies San Frediano, an histor-
ically poor neighbourhood, “like the ancient
Bronx of Florence,” Aziz said. “Ten years ago,
no one was speaking English; no one was doing
tours here.”
Then, thanks in part to the double-edged
sword of Airbnb, travellers seeking more “au-
thentic” experiences (and cheaper accommo-
dation) started to arrive. These days, Aziz
noted, it’s “hipster land—very vibrant and
cool.”
Yet it’s also still a neighbourhood of crafts-
men and artisans, rooted in working-class ori-
gins and “poor food” culture. The term used to
refer to a reliance on leftovers and “making
do,” but now, Aziz noted, “poor food” means
simple fare made with a few high-quality in-

136 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE SUMMER 2022