You can find real Florentines, not just those catering to the tourists, at the Dolce Vita Bar on Piazza Del Carmine. Here adults meet to mingle and socialize. The bar is filled with professionals, artists and craftsmen who gather to relax and see friends. Hint: the cheapest meal in town can be had by ordering one drink and munching on their delectable tapas provided for free.
If you want an unparalleled treat, walk down the street to Club Ristorante Canapone (via Mazzetta 5). The owner, Antonella, opened the restaurant just three years ago after she decided a career in software design was not for her. To eat at the club you must be a member. Not to worry, anyone is a member who pays 5 Euro for the year (notice the trend?).
In Florence, the liquor laws are strict and governed by a small group of insiders who make opening a restaurant as difficult as you can imagine. In order to work around these constraints, Cultural Associations were formed. For a mere 5 Euro, you can eat and drink to your heart’s delight. The polizza do have the right to enter the establishment and ask for your card often held at the front desk of the Cultural Association. If you do not have one, the restaurant faces serious fines.
The food at Canapone is better than many of the finest meals I have had in my hometown of San Francisco. Simple, fresh, heaven in every bite; Antonella is clearly another Alice Waters devotee. Fusion is what she calls her creations but delicious is what they were. I had a fish stew that as so named does not do it justice.
My dessert of cheesecake was light, fluffy with a hint of anise. The “club” is small with room for only 10 or so tables. The walls are watermelon pink and boast creations by local art students. The clientele is a cultural hodgepodge of gay, straight, American, Italian, models and architects; the common link is that they are all in the know.
