Parma, Italy - La Greppia

I recently spent a lovely Sunday afternoon in the Italian city of Parma. After a stroll around the town, I ducked into La Greppia for a long, lazy, decadent lunch that lasted several hours. La Greppia is interestingly headed up by an all-female kitchen. This old-fashioned restaurant with just 16 tables and a glass walled kitchen prides itself on impeccable service and local dishes. The most notable feature being the two trolleys that wheel around each table, one filled with the most sinful desserts you've ever seen, and another that carries a wheel of aged parmigiano cheese. 

I was excited to find one of my favorite wines on the menu, which I first discovered in 2003, while living and writing my thesis in Castelfranco Veneto for the MIB School of Management in Trieste, Italy. 

How could we not start the meal off with a plate of local prosciutto di parma:

A side of zucchini is dressed right at your table:

First pasta courses (all entirely handmade) consisted of a spinach and ricotta ravioli in butter and sage with a grating of parmigiano:

And a classic tagliatelle bolognese:

We skipped the meat course and had them trolley over the local parmigiano cheese, matured for 36 months:

The cheese course was followed by a truly formidable dessert cart that had me foaming at the mouth with anticipation. My hardest decision of the day was picking only two desserts, though eating them was considerably easier! 

I landed on a pear crostata with warm chocolate sauce:

... and a zuppa inglese, literally 'English soup', which resembles a trifle and is made with layers of pudding, cream and booze drenched cake:

Some biscuits arrived at the end with our bill:

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Florence, Italy - All'Antico Vinaio

Having taken a noontime train to Florence and immediately walking around the city for several hours, it all of a sudden hit us that we had skipped lunch and had worked up a considerable appetite. (Ok, fine, I admit it, I ate a massive gelato for lunch). Stomachs rumbling, we tried to find a restaurant, only to come to the realization that 4pm was the in between lunch/dinner hour and everything was closed. Not being overly familiar with Florence, I kept weaving down little side streets, not knowing where I was going, and just before I hit hunger delirium, I stumbled upon the Mothership: All'antico Vinaio (via dei Neri, 65). 

This hole in the wall is just about the best damn sandwich shop on the planet. You choose your meat, your cheese, a variety of sauces and toppings (artichokes, eggplant spread, mushrooms, rucola, tomatoes, you name it) and its all smothered in between two slices of hot fresh focaccia bread. Can't make up your mind? No problem. The gregarious and accommodating men behind the counter will make up a combination for you. Max price for this amazingness: 5 euro. 

Go early or go late to avoid the lines, as I'm told this place is no secret ...

The sandwiches are the size of your head; if you're two people you might want to split one. (I got my own, and due to my competitiveness, even with inanimate objects, felt the need to polish it off. Yes so, needless to say, I skipped dinner that night). 

If you're lucky enough to grab one of only a handful of stools on the sidewalk, this is the pretty view of the street:

Just when you thought it couldn't get any better, it does: self-serve wine from the sidewalk for 2 euro a glass. Just pop your change in the box, take a glass, pour yourself some local wine, and wash down that panino. 

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Florence, Italy - Caffe Gilli

Every time I arrive in Florence I go directly to caffe Gilli as my first stop. Period. 

This bar/caffe/pasticceria/chocolate shop has been around since 1733. For 280 years Gilli has been serving the likes of Florentine nobility to Emilio Pucci, and now present day locals, tourists and Hollywood celebrities. Gilli personifies the European caffe culture that I wish existed in the US. Imagine having a caffe like this to go to in your neighborhood? Sigh. 

The most difficult part of a visit to Gilli is deciding what to order. They hand make all of their own chocolates and pastries, each one more delicious than the next. Talk about an embarrassment of riches...

Who am I to say no to someone who has been producing chocolate for over 250 years?!!?

One thing I always marvel at is how beautiful the packaging is in Italy. Gilli has beautiful gift boxes allowing you to bring treats home to very lucky friends ...

Around the corner from the pastry counter is the bar, which is the perfect spot for an aperitivo, and in addition to a fully stocked liquor cabinet, serves some of the finest whiskies alongside an extensive wine collection looked after by their sommelier. 

I decided to take my aperitivo outside last week and enjoy the last days of beautiful weather... 

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