Fawning Over Firenze For a Day

You gotta love the streets of Firenze...

I love it so much, after over 24 hours of being on planes and in transit to get to Europe, the first thing we did after unloading our bags at our hotel was to purchase a Trenitalia ticket from Roma to Firenze that very same day. 

Here is ToT's bro getting all excited just thinking of going back to his motherland for a very memorable summer.

ZaZa is for Steak (Bistecca Fiorentina, that is!)

 Let's retrace the steps...

 

Back in the day, 2003 to be exact, when my brother still had long locks, he took a few months off to live in Firenze for summer school. He learned a lot, did a lot, and the next year when I was off to fly myself to Florence for the same program, he imparted one very wise piece of advice:

 

Eat at Trattoria Za Za's and get sloshed and noshed with their Bistecca Fiorentina.

Italia-mania at C's

Being a temporary resident of a foreign country exposes you to so many different aspects of their culture: language, lifestyle and cuisine. Obviously, the latter is my favorite of all even though the others are still on my shortlist.

When mi studiare a Firenze, I made sure that no meal was left uneaten, no vino left uncorked, no cappuccino unsipped, no cured meat untouched, and no gelato unenjoyed. And here's proof!

Gelato craze

Pizza from Napoli

Fave meat shop for some Prosciutto

Ristorante Ciak for some Pasta Ciak

Cafe Liberta's signature cappuccino

Trattoria Za Za's mouthwatering Bistecca FiorentinaLimoncello shots at SpleenAcqua Al Due's Trio Di Bistecca Fiorentina: Balsamic, Blueberry and Filetto

The crap part about being exposed to such authenticity is the sheer frustration and withdrawal syndrome that follows suit when, upon returning to the motherland, one finds herself faced with faux-talian food that is reminiscent of 3M pizza or kiddie spaghetti with ketchup as base. I like them and still crave for them when I'm on children's party mode. But still... you can't mess with Italian!