A Taste of Tuscany - Florence's Mercato Centrale
Italy is a feast for all the senses. To truly experience the culinary
delights of Florence, make sure to visit one of the more notable Florence
markets, the Mercato Centrale San Lorenzo. It is located in the shadow of
the church of San Lorenzo, who is the Catholic patron saint of cooks.
This charming market is a haven for the new and experienced food aficionado. It is the largest of Florence's produce markets and sells just about every kind of fresh food including fish, cheese, fine fruits, vegetables and much, much more.
While visiting the Mercato Centrale, I had the pleasure of stopping by the Conti booth. Owned by Stefano and Grazia Conti, these delightful Florentines offer some of the best fresh and preserved food products from Tuscany. Together with their children Manuel and Stella, the family has more than 60 years experience of providing tourists and locals alike the best of Tuscany flavors. In 1900, Giuseppe Conti opened the family's store on Via Nationale and in 1929 the family moved the store inside Mercato Centrale.
Conti's products include seasonal fruits and vegetables that are vividly displayed in the front of the booth, fresh and dried porcini mushrooms, preserved truffles, organic honey, pasta, jams and dried spices, to name just a few.
To the delight of my palate, I had the opportunity to sample a wide array of Tuscan olive oils, including the Conti family's own special oil. Delizioso! In addition, I sampled the most incredible balsamic vinegars that were aged for 6, 12 and 30 years. Once you have sampled balsamic vinegars such as these you will be hard pressed to ever use the store-bought variety again! For more than two hours, I experienced a cultural excursion that tempted my taste buds and showed me a taste of Tuscany that I will long remember.
The Conti family is friendly, helpful and will surely make your visit to Florence's Mercato Centrale very memorable. American tourists also will soon have the opportunity to experience all the Conti family has to offer with the opening of its premiere store in San Francisco, California, later this year. Visit Tuscany Flavors for more information.
Buon appetito!
Comments
Monica,
Very nice article. Wouldn’t be great if you could travel and write for a living. Glad to hear that your trip is going well.
Patrick
I loved the article. I agree with Patrick….your dream job. Love you. Ann
Great article..Hey, Italy looks good on you..keep it up and keep the articles coming..are you sure you aren’t related to the Conti’s..took me a minute to pick which person didn’t belong in the picture..
Enjoyed your article! Bet you are enjoying eating all those fresh fruits and vegetables. Would love to be there to help you enjoy the food and wines, etc.! Take care!
I would recognize those teeth anywhere. Enjoyed the article, send more.
I am enjoying these peeks into Italy and you sure look like you are having fun. Keep them coming!
I knew you’d manage to be in the photo. Looking good, girlfriend!
I appear to be the only person who isn’t personally acquainted with the author. My family and I also visited Conti in Florence, and we also had our picture taken with the proprietors. We are returning to Tuscany this summer, and I found the article through an online search.