Trattoria del Pennello - Tasty Tuscan Comfort Food

Another restaurant we enjoyed in Italy in July was Trattoria Casa di Dante "del Pennello," also known as Ristorante il Pennello (http://www.ilpennello.it). In particular, I really enjoyed a couple of dishes unique to Tuscany. My choice of this restaurant was based on Trip Advisor reviews.

Trattoria del Pennello

Our grandson and granddaughter both had ravioli with ricotta, spinach, butter, and sage for €9 each.

Our daughter had spaghetti alla carbonara for €7.

Those were dishes that are available in many parts of Italy. However, I had two terrific Tuscan dishes.

First I had La Carabaccia Soup. It was wonderful. The ingredients include onions, carrots, celery, vegetable broth, extra virgin olive oil, toasted bread, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper. (Toasted bread is used in many Tuscan soup recipes as a way to use day-old bread. It works great.) This dish cost €6. I intend to try making it.

As a second course, I had a Tuscan version of pork and beans - Salsicce e Fagioli all'Uccelletto - sausage and cannellini beans "little bird style." Several Internet sources indicate that "little bird style" may refer to the fact that the seasonings used are similar to those used in dishes using small birds. In Italy, Tuscans are sometimes referred to as "Mangiafagioli" (Bean eaters.) This dish was very tasty and cost €12. I also want to try cooking this dish.

Inside Trattoria del Pennello

For dessert, we all had Tuscan desserts. Three had tiamisu and I had Zuppa Inglese, which is similar to English trifle. Each dessert cost €5.

The wine I chose was a 2009 Brolio Chianti Classico from Barone Ricasoli for €24. It was very nice. The Ricasoli winery is where the modern recipe for Chianti wine was created in the 19th Century by Baron Bettino Ricasoli, the "Iron Baron" who was the second Prime Minister of a reunited Italy. The castle where the winery is located has been owned by the Ricasoli family since 1141 AD. It is the oldest winery in Italy, and the second oldest in the world.

My daughter and I were each given a free glass of limoncello.

Unlike many other local restaurants, there was no cover charge.

Our total bill for four was €90.

The restaurant is located at Via Dante Aleghieri 4, about 3 blocks north of Piazza della Signoria.

Florence's Trattoria Le Mossacce, Ordinary Food, Reasonable Prices

Our first meal during our trip to Italy this month was at Trattoria Le Mossacce, Via del Proconsolo 55/R, in Florence. Most of our meal was very ordinary. However, Spezzatino alla Fiorentina, the only Tuscan dish any of us chose, was terrific. Prices at Le Mossacce were very reasonable.

Meals we had elsewhere in Florence were much better, so I would not recommend Le Mossacce.

The night we were there, all of the diners were foreign tourists - primarily Americans and Asians. The restaurant was completely full.

My daughter and granddaughter each had ravioli stuffed with spinach and ricotta for €6. My grandson had rigatoni with meat ragu for €6.50.

I started with tagliatelle with meat ragu for €6.50. I then had the Spezzatino alla Fiorentina (Florentine-Style Spezzatino). Spezzatino is a beef stew. Every bite was fantastic. (I did not notice any vegetables in stew.)

My daughter and I shared a bottle of 2008 La Braccesca Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, from the Tuscan town of Montepulciano, for €22. It was very nice.

Small bottles of mineral water were €1.30, and the cover charge for small baskets of bread was 1.50.

Service was acceptable and the atmosphere unexciting.

La Casa del Garbo - Great B&B in the Heart of Florence

During our stay in Florence, Italy earlier this month, we spent 5 nights at Casa del Garbo (http://www.casadelgarbo.it), a wonderful bed and breakfast in what I consider to be the best location in Florence - Piazza della Signoria in the very heart of Florence’s historic city center.  As usual, I had used TripAdvisor to identify the lodging that I thought best met my criteria.

Looking toward Casa del Garbo behind the Statue

Casa del Garbo offers comfortable, well-equipped rooms, a fantastic location, nice and helpful staff, a nice view from some rooms, an excellent price, and a decent, if unexciting breakfast. The only downside for some guests might be the lack of an elevator. I did not mind because the exercise was useful. I would stay there again in a heartbeat and would recommend it wholeheartedly.

Looking Toward Casa del Garbo at Night

We had two rooms, which were located next to one another on the third floor, and whose prices included breakfast:

1. The Lorenzo Suite at a special rate of €145 ($183) per night, instead of the standard high season rate of €160. This room had a small kitchen and dining area, as well as a sofa. One great feature of this room was its view onto the Piazza della Signoria. I never tired of this view.

2. The Cosimo double standard room at a special rate of €110 per night instead of the usual rate of €125 per night. This room did not have a view.

Bed in the Lorenzo Suite

The excellent staff people with whom we dealt were Marcello and Natalia in the front office and Virgilio, who served breakfast and helped with our luggage.

Breakfast can be served in a guest’s room or in the breakfast room. We preferred to eat it in our room because it had a small dining area where all four of us could eat while looking out onto the piazza. We also chose the time breakfast was served to us. The typical breakfast we were served consisted of:

- choice of coffee. My daughter and I had the delicious cappuccino.

- a small bottle of juice

- choice of a slice of bread or croissant (with butter and preserves)

- fruit, usually strawberries, cherries, watermelon.

Dining Table in the Lorenzo Suite

 This is a part of Florence where it is inadvisable to bring a car. There are very strict regulations against driving in this part of Florence; the streets are very narrow; and the hotel does not have parking. The hotel can arrange parking.

Like most hotels and B&Bs these days, Casa del Garbo offers free, secure WiFi.

There are twoATM machines ("bancomat" in Italian) on the next block. I used one of them several times. There are a number of restaurants, gelato shops, a pharmacy, and other shops around the piazza and on nearby streets.

Transportation between Florence's Peretola Airport and Downtown Florence

There are a variety of ways to travel the relatively short distance between Florence (Firenze), Italy's Peretola Airport and downtown Florence. (The airport is also known as Amerigo Vespucci Airport, and is fairly small.)

The Vola in Bus shuttle goes from the airport to Santa Maria Novella Train Station, which is located a few blocks from the historic center of town. Bus tickets are €4.50 per person and can be purchased on board the bus. However, you would still have to get from the train station to your hotel.

A taxi to the center of Florence would cost about €15. (Make sure to use a taxi with a meter or to negotiate a price.) If I were only with my wife or on my own, I would us a taxi.

On our trip earlier this month, I chose to use a private van operated by Metroline Tours and Transfers (http://www.metroline.it) at a cost of 50. I chose that approach because there were four of us with lots of luggage. We would have needed two taxis. It was nice to have a driver waiting for us to take us to our hotel immediately. The cost was €50. I made reservations in advance via email (info@metroline.it) with Alessandro Ramalli of Metroline. I was very happy with the service.

Metroline provides other services such as tours in Tuscany.