Divine Destinations: Small Town Love
Don't just drive through small towns if you want a real feel of a place. Learn from the Italians and slow down.
"Chi va piano... Va lontano".
The beauty of Italy lies in discovering the everyday things.
Instagram has exploited what used to be the simple pleasures in life.
In 1985, I lived down the street from Vivolo’s Gelateria. A photographer took a photo of their gelato affogato while shooting an ad for Pucci in 2023. It’s good for Vivoli- bad for locals. Vivoli’s has a wine window that you can also see from the inside, which is rare. It’s a family business and has good gelato.
It’s a Catch-22 for those of us living here, working in tourism. You want to share your favorite places with your clients, but writing about them also encourages the masses to discover your secret spots. So many places now have long lines in front of them, something that Florentines are not used to.
The same holds for Antico Vinaio; it was a small wine bar that served small bites to eat while you sipped your glass of wine—a place to catch up with friends. The family also owned the restaurant in front of the wine bar. Now it’s strictly a to-go panino shop.
Many of these places I've been going to for 40 years.
Are they the best? Best is very relevant. It’s hard to say the BEST when there are so many good places around. Are they good? YES. Worth the line? Not for locals. We know where to go to get fabulous food without waiting.
I just had my birthday, and rather than presents, I prefer to do things. I had a craving to return to a favorite old-school trattoria in Chianti, located on the Strada del Chianti, the old road connecting Florence to Rome. The section between Florence and Siena is one of my favorite drives, which I like to return to over and over again in small segments.
We headed over to Strada in Chianti, a small village that has now rerouted traffic around the town, making it a one-way street. Coming from Florence, the small parking lot is on the left, just before the road turns right to go around the village.
I decided I wanted to celebrate my birthday with some classic dishes. We came here to eat with friends last summer, and it was as good as always. I love it when a place stays the same. I knew what I wanted before even looking at the menu. Most locals come out to eat things they can’t or wouldn’t make at home. Tuscany is famous for its massive steaks, Bistecca alla Fiorentina. They are often more than a kilo, 2,2 pounds. They bring out a steak for you to approve the weight, and then it’s grilled for you. They are made to be shared and sold by weight. When you see the price on the menu, it’s often shown as by the etto- or by the kilo.
The steak is cooked on the bone and cut at the table. Tuscan beef is lean and cooked rare, so it isn’t tough. They won’t overcook it. Trust me, it’s delicious.
I came to eat the Penne su gallo, a ragu made with a “gallo”, a rooster and it’s liver, heart and cocks comb and waddle as well as pinenuts.
The Chianti region’s symbol is a black rooster, so it’s appropriate. You will find these giant roosters all around Chianti. Fun for a photo op!
The other recipe I wanted to eat was the Stracotto de’ Medici, a Renaissance pot roast with raisins and pine nuts.
There was no tomato sauce until after the New World was discovered, and it took some time for the tomato to make its way into the kitchen. Perhaps the first recipe was around the 1600s.
These recipes are things that would be made on special occasions, as they take hours to cook—made with love. I search for this kind of food when I go out.
Alvaro is a passionate fan of Dante, and the restaurant is a museum and library of this collection of copies of the Divina Comedia.
For my paid subscribers, I'm including my recipe for a guinea fowl sauce, a traditional dish that may be easier to make than to find a rooster. Also more tips on Strada in Chianti.