Alright, so soon, I'll switch over to sights... but in the meantime, indulge me a little! I want to tell you about a great restaurant we ate in when we visited Florence, Italy.
The recommendation for this place came from my friend Raul. I know Raul from my undergraduate school-- RPI.
Here's an excerpt from Raul's e-mail:
i shared your itinerary with my dad, here are some suggestions:
places to eat
in Florence: Cafe Concerto (you can ask for Gabrielle, the owner, and the tell him that my dad, Raul Alvarez Sr., sends you);another place that is not very touristy but very typical is "Da Quinto" that is in a basement near the Santa Croce church (the owner is this guy Quinto who used to sing opera and some times he sings to entertain the patrons). Another place of interest might be Harris Bar, which is where American writers/intellectuals in Florence hang out.
So, with all that in mind, we set out to meet Gabrielle. Gabrielle turned out to be a great guy who spoke English fluently and served a tasty fare right next to the river.
He told us that Raul's father (Raul Sr.) had been trying to convince him to move his entire business to Florida, but that he had a small daughter in Italy and therefore, chose to stay in Florence. I did notice a Florida license plate hanging on the wall though, so I wonder if he's totally convinced. :-)
His place would do great in the US... Although I'm not sure how you could conjure up the entire Florence / next to a river / Italian speaking staff sort of feeling...
Here are a couple of photos. One of the group and one with me and Gabrielle - Thanks Raul! :)
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