Today the gorgeous (and rarely crowded) galleries showcase a remarkable collection of mediaeval and Renaissance masterpieces (admission from 15 euros, or around S$21). Admire Lorenzo Ghiberti’s gilded Baptistery doors, Donatello’s haunting Penitent Magdalene carved in wood and a full-scale reproduction of the cathedral’s original, unfinished facade. Most compelling is the luminous Bandini Pieta, one of Michelangelo’s final sculptures, whose white marble gleams anew after a two-year restoration that was completed in 2021.
6pm: Imbibe Italian spirits
Wander down narrow back streets in the historic centreto Piazza di San Pancrazio, where aperitivo has just begun at Manifattura. At this classy cocktail bar, the shelves are stocked exclusively with Italian spirits, and jovial servers in crisp white jackets are quick to offer advice on the menu of inventive concoctions, all inspired by Italian luminaries.
An appropriate one to try is the Conte Camillo (12 euros), a riff on the classic Negroni named after the Florentine count who supposedly invented the drink, here swapping out Campari for lesser-known Italian bitters – Bitter Fusetti and Operarossa – and served with taralli crackers and olives.
8.30pm: Taste the future
Expect something far more interesting than the typical Tuscan standards at Dalla Lola, a tiny Oltrarno trattoria opened in 2021 by Matilde Pettini, a fourth-generation chef whose family runs the long-standing Trattoria Cammillo a few streets away.
Here the ever-changing, handwritten menu is inspired by, but not yoked to, tradition. The restaurant embraces foreign flavours – za’atar, curry, sriracha – and reimagines local ingredients, like using lampredotto (a Florentine specialty made from the fourth stomach of a cow) in a pasta instead of a panino. Highlights of a recent meal in the homey, cheerful space were tender beef-heart meatballs and buttery, umami-rich gnocchi with miso. Dessert is a must, and mine was a teacup of the most delicious housemade tiramisu, made with cardamom-spiced cream. Dinner for two, with wine, about 60 euros.
Source: CNA
