Simply Divina- I Latini – San Gimignano

Where does a cook go when hungry?

We are really lucky to have a great family restaurant near by, I Latini, on the road from Certaldo to San Gimignano.

Chiara Latini runs this small hotel and restaurant, grand daughter of Narcisso Latini, who opened the original I Latini restaurant in Florence. Times change and families get larger and larger. Chiara’s parents now own Da Giovanni in Florence, just around the corner from the original restaurant which is now run by her uncle.

What I adore about going back again and again to the same place, is that you don’t even look at a menu.
They just tell you what is special that day, as you already know the traditional dishes.

Today she had a carton of fresh fava beans sitting in the front room and was serving baskets of beans in the shell and some pecorino cheese.

She said, ” If I’d known you were coming I would have made up some of a new salad I created.”

I offered to shell the beans at the table and she brought out the rest of the ingredients from the kitchen to create the salad.

Fresh fave beans with tiny cubes of salami and fresh pecorino cheese.

Lightly drizzle with extra virgin olive oikl a sprinkle of salt and she also suggested a tiny drizzle of a light balsamic vineger ( the grocery store kind) which has a light tartness.

A perfect spring salad for a picnic or a party.

I Latini
hotel and restaurant
via dei platani, 1
badia a elmi, San gimignano

My next project is putting together some Divine Days Itineraries. My suggestions for fun food itineraries, with visits to villages, a great place for lunch and an afternoon town too.

Things that I like to do myself.