We caught up with SAI Ambassador Sophia, who gives us a glimpse of what she ate in Florence.  

The word amazing can describe Florence in many ways. Amazing scenery. Amazing architecture. Amazing art. Amazing people. And my favorite, amazing food. There’s so much culture and perspective in Italian food to make trying it all the more rewarding. While abroad I did not eat out for every meal, because it would not be cost effective. However, when I did eat out I always made sure to try new things to dive deeper into my abroad experience. I developed my favorite spots quickly and went frequently. I loved walking around just to discover tasty smells and to stop and pop my head in. My favorite breakfast place was Ditta Artigianale where I discovered my love for cappuccino. This quant restaurant was located on Via die Neri, conveniently near one of my classes at FUA.

Brunch at Ditta Artigianale

As lunch rolled around I loved getting fresh food at the Sant’Ambrogio Market or stopping by one of my favorite panni places Antico Noe. It was a small spot with a vast sandwich menu. They were great for on the go or to enjoy in their outside seating. The owner was always there working and is so friendly. On my first visit there he was telling me and my friends about his trip to the US and from there on he always knew I would order my number 7.

Gobbi 13 Cheese Rigatoni

Dinner was my favorite meal of the day because I liked to treat myself to good pizza or pasta. Gusta Pizza was my go to, but when I wanted a nice sit-down meal Gobi 13 was where you would find me. The first time I went I got their famous rigatoni pasta, which has the most delicious melted cheese throughout the whole plate, and their chocolate cake. From there on out that is what I always got.

Gobbi 13 Chocolate Cake

Venchi Gelato

It wasn’t a complete day in Florence without my gelato. Every time I went to a new gelato place I would always get pistachio, because that is my favorite flavor and after trying what seemed like every gelato place in Florence I must say that Venchi was my favorite for pistachio flavor. I discovered that depending on the flavor I wanted I would go to different places. And that is just another thing to add to how amazing Florence is because there are so many places right at your fingertips. After all that food there is nothing like a night walk around Florence. I loved to walk around the Piazza del Republica to see all the store fronts, the carousel and all the street performers.

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Sophia was a fall 2017 SAI Florence student from Lasell College.