Verde Vita Toscana in Hoboken, NJ

When Choco-Pain opened downtown Hoboken, it was like bringing a bit of France to the city: delicious bread, pastries and viennoiseries, made traditionally and tasting like it should. I hate when I buy a croissant and it is not buttery! So, we were wondering when they would open Uptown. But no, it did not happen yet. Instead, Verde Vita Toscana, an Italian café opened few month ago, replacing a beauty salon, with the great idea to get its bread from Choco-Pain!

It is a great place with a very European feel and a relaxed atmosphere: ceramic tables, brick walls and a long counter where one can sip a delicious espresso with a croissant. 

Besides this, they sell different olive oil

My trip to Europe: Gelato in Florence, Italy

You cannot go in Italy and not eat Gelato! We had gelato probably every day, but not at Eataly that was there, Via dei Martelli.

And not in the multiple gelateria we saw while walking in the street, some of them with a spectacular presentation...

One of the gelateria we found was in the opposite side of Eataly. It was called Caffè Del Battistero.

There, we simply ordered our flavors and the guy serving us (I wonder if he ever smiled in his life), gave us a huge gelato that ended up on our hands, the ice cream melting fairly quickly because of the outside temperature. Jodi got the coconut gelato:

My trip to Europe:Trattoria Sostanza, communal dining in Florence, Italy

After few days in Florence, it was time to go back home. Florence is such a beautiful city, that even people who don't like art would appreciate it.

So for our last dinner, we went to Trattoria Sostanza that was, after Trattoria Mario, our second experience with a restaurant that serves food on communal table. We heard about this restaurant after doing some research on the good places to eat in Florence. One of the recommended dishes was the buttered chicken. I was for sure going to try it!

For dinner, they have two sittings: 7:30pm and 9pm. We decided to go to the earlier one and showed up 10 minutes before, just in case they opened the door in advance to hungry customers. As we arrived, there was already a small group of people waiting. 

7:30pm, they opened their doors. We did not have a reservation and I was scared they would not have any availability. But, luckily, after just a couple if minutes, they brought us to a table where there was seated an American Family, as well as a Belgian couple. 

7:50pm: all tables are taken (they sit approximately 35 guests).

Few minutes after, they brought us some bread; no bread basket: they simply put it in front of you with their bare hands, making the family next to us talk...

As the menu was in Italian and Jodi and I do not speak the language, I asked for an English version: they did not have any, forcing them to describe dishes to tourists. But hey, this is part of the experience!

To start, I decided to try one of their Italian beers.

My trip to Europe: Osteria Santo Spirito in Florence, Italy

For our last day in Florence, we decided to walk around the city and check the Piazzale Michelangelo where one can admire the panorama of Florence, as well as a second replica of The David. 

I admit that I was disappointed in a way, as I was expecting a square with a park and the statue in the middle, and not a parking lot and small shops for tourists...

It was a nice walk though and from there, we went back to Piazza Di Santo Spirito where we dined the second day in Florence. Our restaurant of choice was Osteria Santo Spirito that Jodi's friend, Missy, recommended.

It was a nice place, with a neighborhood feel, and the service was very good.

Right after we sat, they brought us some bread and tapenade.

The bread being unsalted, it was perfect with the tapenade.

My trip to Europe: Caffè Scudieri in Florence, Italy

After our dinner at Trattoria ZàZà, we decided to stop at Caffè Scudieri, to check their pastries. It is a big place with a large terrace and plenty of pastries to try.

We chose to sit inside instead of at the terrace.

We decided to order couple of pastries, as well as a tea for Jodi

And a macchiato for me.

My trip to Europe: Trattoria ZàZà in Florence, Italy

We decided to go back to the Piazza del Mercato Centrale after our meal at Trattoria Mario, as we saw that there were plenty of restaurants, thinking that they probably source their ingredients from there. At that time, the market was closing down and the market crowd was gone, replaced by tourists looking for some amazing food.

We looked around and noticed a very crowded place called Trattoria ZàZà. That place, opened in 1977 by Stefano Bondi, is huge. They sat us in a small, quiet area, away from the noise.

We were ready for a feast and were not disappointed. Problem was: what do we order? The menu had so many mouth watering dishes that we were not sure...

So we started with the San Lorenzo "Tagliere", a plate of prosciutto, salami, stracchino (so good and creamy) and pecorino cheese, olives. This was a big plate for sure, but so good, especially the cheese.

We also tried a sampler of three traditional soups:

My trip to Europe: Il Salimbecco in Florence, Italy

As Pisa is close to Florence (approx. 1h20 minute bus drive), we decided to book a tour and go there an afternoon. For sure, we could not miss seeing the leaning tower.

This construction that was built over 199 years starting in 1173 is impressive with its tilt that makes you wonder how in the world it is still standing.

So, before the tour that left at 1:30pm, we had to find a restaurant. We ended up at Il Salimbecco, located across the Capelle Medicee.

We sat outside, at the terrace, as the weather was pretty nice.

We started off our lunch with bruschetta e fettunta con extra vergine Toscano or bruschetta with tomato, garlic and olive oil:

My trip to Europe: Mamma Gina in Florence, Italy

Finding a restaurant in Florence is not a problem. The question is where to find a good one. There are of course guide books or sites like Trip Advisor, but the best is to get it either from locals, or from people who lived there. That is what happened with Mamma Gina: it was recommended by Jodi's friend Sabrina, who used to live there. 

Mamma Gina is located few steps from the Ponto Vecchio, the famous arch bridge re-built in 1345 across the Arno river, that was in fact the only bridge not destroyed in WWII.

It has interesting architecture, with its shops built along the arch; shops that use to be occupied by butchers, and now by expensive jewelers.

So, here we are at Mamma Gina. I originally thought that this place was small, but it is fairly big. I counted three different rooms: a small one at the entrance.

My trip to Europe: Trattoria Mario, communal dining in Florence, Italy

We went to trattoria Mario thanks to a recommendation from Jodi's friend, Missy. This place, that is only open for lunch and does not take any reservations, is located near the Mercato Centrale or Central Market, where one can either buy food (inside) or bags and souvenirs, outside. 

We arrived twenty minutes before and there were already people waiting outside.

Few minutes later, they opened the door and told us to get seated at specific spots, mentioning that the kitchen would only open at 12pm.

My trip to Europe: Italian desserts at Caffè Gilli in Florence, Italy

After our average dinner at Borgo Antico, we decided to treat ourselves for some good Italian pastries and tried Caffè Gilli, a cafe opened in 1733 by the Gilli family, that moved since then in different part of the city.

Caffè Gilli is a beautiful place that combines a patisserie and a tea room that had a very elegant decor.

Jodi decided to order a tea

While on my side I ordered a latte macchiato