I’ve decided that my favorite time to walk around Florence is at dusk (I can’t say dark because then my grandma won’t sleep for the next year or so). My classes finish at six so by the time I grab a caffe and then run some errands the sun has begun to set, the Florentines start heading home from work and most of the unsuffrable tourists are away eating at cheap pizzarias. The shops are more attractive and yet you buy less because you’re exhausted. The music from the street musicians doesn’t sound quite as desperate. And the waffle stand next to the chestnut vendor in the Piazza Nuovo make the air smell warm and sweet. It’s still about two months before I return to the states, but I think it’s this memory of the city I’m going to take home with me.
Anyway, the best way to enjoy this dusk is to grab aperitivi with some friends. The aperitivi trend started in Milan a couple of years ago and has slowly spread its way down the country. It’s to the point that most guidebooks now, for all the major cities, list the best 5-7 best places to find aperitivi in the city. So what does apertivi mean exactly? It basically means cocktails and buffet. For some, this is just appetizers. For us, it’s dinner.
From what my friends and I have come to learn is that there are four types of aperitivi.
1) Sunday brunch – €10-15 for a buffet filled with interesting eggs, mozzarella and rice dishes with bread, water and espresso. The only time we’ve ever tried this was in Rome and I think we all agreed that the higher price was bearable since there was no grease to be seen for miles.
2) Sidle up to a bar, buy a drink and nibble at the little chees plates – €7, This is really not the way to go if you’re looking for a full meal, but it’s a good way to rendezvous before dinner. It’s also a cop-out for some restaurants to say they serve aperitivi so beware.
3) Grab a table, buy a cocktail and help yourself to a buffet - €6-11, This is what we did in Rome. We walked in circles four about 45 min looking for this place that Lonely Planet described as being full of “effortlessly beautiful people streaming out into the piazza”. Who wouldn’t want to go? Needless to say, Lonely Planet was correct and the people watching was glorious and the atmosphere warm and welcoming. However, because you pay for the cocktail and then get food, the quality, despite the French-Asian fusion, was a little lacking in quality.
4) Grab a table, say you want aperitivi then order a cocktail - €7-12, What’s the difference between this and #3? You’re paying for the food and the first drink comes free. It’s a subtle distinction but one that’s important because it means that the food will be better. There are a couple of places like this in central Florence, but last night my friends and I stopped at this place we’d seen once from the autobus, called Kitsch, before seeing the movie Vicky Cristina Barcelona that was by far the best we’ve had so far. The buffet was much more like a full dinner, but more flavorful, and much more Tuscan. (The drinks were also great).
In all cases, if you stay long enough by either a) eating enough or b) catching the eye of a guy sitting with a group of friends who want to know more about American girls who speak Italian, you won’t miss the dessert that replaces the pasta and prosciutto later in the night. Who could resist, really?
Other than exploring the many variations on aperitivi in the region, my life has been absolutely crazy for the past two weeks or so, filled with a whirlwind weekend in Rome (pictures hopefully coming soon), university classes and protests, Eurochocolate 2008 in the underground part of the city of Perugia (capital of Umbria), midterms, bus strikes, and one mean home cooked ossa buco (which literally means “bone with a hole”). Today, my art history class spent about four hours running about the city-like six little ducklings scurrying after our sideburned yellow corduroy wearing professor-exploring various churches and looking for paintings of saints and martyrs. (All topped off with a side trip to the best gelateria in the Santa Croce neighborhood of course.)
Anyway, it’s only 12 days until the election so go vote early or send in your absentee ballot NOW. I have every intention of finally filling out my ballot and sending it tomorrow and then pulling a Sarah Palin and going to buy some designer boots.
