Antonia & Cooking

Part 17:  Antonia and Cooking:

Friday October 4^th

Antonia Lanza, a local guide, led us through the streets of Florence this morning.  She deserves special mention.  Our Steves tour guide, Rozanne Stringer, told us that Antonia is simply the best guide she knows of.  We believe her.  Antonia was born in England, came to Florence as a young woman, married an Italian, and became an Italian citizen.  She is a walking encyclopedia of Florentine history and culture.  If you get to Florence and want a guide, look up Antonia.

 We met her at the Piazza della Republica under the Colonna dell'Abbondanza (Column of Abundance) which is considered the center of the city, and where she gave us a short history of Florence.

Lounging at the Colonna dell'Abbondanza

This piazza was originally the forum during the Roman Empire.  But by the 19^th century it had become an overbuilt clutter, and when Italy united in the 1860’s and Florence was proclaimed its capital much of it was cleared away.  

Since then refined palaces, luxury hotels, department stores and elegant cafes have sprung up around it, and is “the” place for artistic expression, protesting, and conversation among the literati.

This is the patio of Caffe Giubbe Rosse on the Piazza.  It has a long-standing reputation as a gathering place for literati and intellectuals.

We followed Antonia along the arcade of the Via Pellicceria past old renaissance buildings.

Thanks to Gary Ong for this picture

Into the Pallazzo Davanzati, a 14^th century palazzo, owned by the Davanzati family from the 16^th into the 19^th century.
 

In 1951 the Italian government bought the Palazzo and kept it open as a museum.  They closed it from 1995 to 2005 for major restoration.  Now all of it is open to the public.  But no photography is allowed.  Here is a link to the site Museums of Florence which has some good pictures.

                http://www.museumsinflorence.com/musei/palazzo_davanzati.html

The door to the front courtyard was state of the art early renaissance security.  If an unwanted intruder broke through the doors he would find himself standing under a kettle of hot oil which was tipped on his head.

Then we were off and across the River Arno – rather muddy – to the Santo Spiritu Church.

Downstream from where we crossed the Arno is the Ponte Vecchio, Florence’s oldest, most important and most crowded bridge.  There has been a bridge at this spot since Roman times.  This version dates from the 14^th century.  It has always been lined with shops, originally butcher shops which used the river as dumping grounds.  But in the 16^th century the Medici decreed that gold and silver merchants should replace the butchers.  Why?  Because the Medici built the Vasari Corridor across the bridge as a safe and private passage between the Pitti Palace and the Pallazzo Vecchio on opposite sides of the river.

 

Here is a beautiful picture of the bridge courtesy of Wikipedia

We have crossed the river to go to our last destination with Antonia:  The Basilica of Santa Maria dei Santo Spiritu, or more simply, Santo Spiritu.  It is in Oltrarno (across the Arno).  The interior is a fine example of renaissance architecture and was designed by Brunelleschi in the mid 1400s.  But no photography allowed.
But the exterior is very simple and reminded me of a California mission.
 

 

At this point Antonia left us – because we were off to cooking school.

Our group of 28 divided into 4 teams of 7.  Goal:  to make from scratch (including the pasta) and eat a fine Italian meal.  On the “A TEAM” were Alan and Marybeth Fentriss from Hawaii, Bruce and Erin Wagner from Orange, California, Rozanne Stringer from the U of Kansas, and Bonnie and Mitch from Portland.  And Alessandro Rotta - Executive chef, Saucier, Pasta Super, and comedian.
The menu:

.    Bruschette al Pomodoro,

.    Pasta Fresca all’Uovo

.    Salsa Mediterránea Fresca

.    Bocconcini de Pavo con Hierbas

.    Tiramisu

Chopping the  greens

Stirring the sauce, 

Making the pasta, 

The finished pasta,

 The crostini

Alessandro, Executive Chef

Consuming the product 

We made every bit of it and we ate every bit of it.

   *     *     *     *     *     *

The rest of the afternoon was free.  So Bonnie and I spent it at the Laundromat where we learned to make change from the machines, operate the machines (Instructions in Italian), and washed and dried one load of clothes.  All for 10 euros.  That’s $13.50.  Yikes!!