"There is no end. There is no beginning. There is only the passion of life."

~ Federico Fellini, Italian film director


Last week Food, Culture and Society was arguably the best class that I have ever attended. Instead of our usual half hour of instruction followed by two hours of cooking we set off on a walking (food) tour. As per usual, I didn't have my camera so I'm directing you to Mollie's blog (http://molliefashionfirenze.blogspot.com/2012/02/how-sweet-it-is.html) for some amazing photos to see in conjunction with my entry!

Our first stop was Il Re Gelato where we were able to witness the production of strawberry gelato. Antonio, the mastermind behind the wide array of flavors on display, ushered us into his workshop where we all found a place around a table set with 2 bowls. He began rattling off in Italian as his hands delicately placed first the bowl of beautiful strawberries and then the bowl of clear liquid (a combination of 3 simple sugars) on a small scale in front of him. Though we had our cooking instructor there to translate what he was saying, watching his precision and the fluidity of his trained movements was enough to know that he was describing the importance of every detail of this production.

After adding one blood orange to the bowl of strawberries and blending them, Antonio poured the fruit into a machine to heat the substance. While we waited, he soundlessly passed one piece of chocolate to each of us and motioned us to suck on it and with an emphatic wave of his finger and gnashing of his teeth as a warning not to chew it.

I love chocolate. Specifically, dark chocolate so there are few types that are too bitter for me but the chocolate that he gave us had only the slightest hint that it was even chocolate at all. Informing us that Antonio wanted us to "prepare our mouth" for the sweetness of the fruit sorbet, Cecilia (our cooking teacher) watched as each of our faces morphed into the War Head pucker that I haven't felt since the fourth grade.

Mixing the strawberry/orange mixture with the simple sugars, (that's all that is in this gelato!!) Antonio again poured the liquid into the same machine but this time to freeze it into the proper consistency. We watched as he scraped the inside of the metal bowl into swoops of fluffy pink waves, listening as Cecilia translated that if the consistency of the mixture is exactly right there should not be even the slightest clumping in the metal barrel.

With the gelato ready to be served, we all waited anxiously for our taste but Antonio did not reflect any of our eagerness. Swiping melted chocolate on a plate he removed from the freezer, Antonio explained that this is the proper foundation so that the gelato neither melts too quickly nor slides around on the plate. He then continued to slowly scoop out one rolling spoonful of gelato and then sliced a strawberry on top before adding the final touch of shaved chocolate. Presenting the plate to our teacher, he immediately reeled it back in and retreated to his cupboard where he pulled out green sugar crystals to sprinkle on the plate, making sure to have Cecilia explain to us the importance of utilizing 3 different colors with each serving of gelato. Dessert is this man's art.

Needless to say, it was one of the best gelatos that I have ever had and that is saying a lot coming from someone who always opts for some variation of chocolate for dessert. I don't know if it was the freshness and simplicity of the ingredients or witnessing the production that made it so divine but watching Antonio's passion for his work was most definitely my favorite part of the tour.

Making another stop to try some aperitivos at the quaintest hole in the wall that I have been to yet, we missed turning down the right street because Cecilia was so absorbed in telling Mollie and me her favorite restaurants in Florence. The way that Italians have a passion that dictates time is the most refreshing thing to witness and has been my favorite aspect of the pace of life here.

Full and content with our food tour of Florence, I went home to change into my sneakers and go for a run along the Arno just in time to watch the sun set. In a matter of 15 minutes the sky had changed into the most exquisite shades of purple and blue and I kept tripping on the uneven cobblestones to look up at it.

As "Be Still" by the Fray came on my shuffle I started to skip to a song better suited for running but instead stopped and decided to be still, to sit and to embrace the beauty of Florence at sunset.