A Glimpse of the Florentine Spring

The Florentine Spring of 2018 may be recorded as one of the shortest in recent history.  A very cold and wet winter sparked what has been an early start to summer. One was fortunate to experience some magnificent days of this season of the soul if at the right place at the right time.

An explosion of color bathed the city. Here we have the wisteria, or glicine path at Villa Bardini:

And wild flowers carpeted the hills:

Roses bloomed early in the season, a sign of the early summer to come:

Trips to the local markets provided more than food for thought:

Baccelli, or Fava beans are one of the signs of Spring here, and creating a salad using the fresh beans from the pod, pears and pecorino cheese drizzled with olive oil is a spring ritual, that will have you returning for more.

Artichokes or carciofi:

Fried, steamed with herbs, or eaten raw, thinly sliced with slithers of Parmesan cheese, these artichokes are like none other you have tasted anywhere else on the planet!

Eggplants provide inspiration for many dishes throughout spring and summer:

And looking at the flowers on the zucchini are a real sign that summer has indeed arrived:

and once you see “Fiori di zucca fritti” or fried zucchini flowers on the menu you know it’s time for the beach!!!

Happy Summer everyone!