Divina Cucina

Your Best Friend in Italy

  • About Judy
  • Video Classes
  • Journal
  • Culinary Guides
  • Recipes
  • Cookbook

Rosso Carpaccio

Carpaccio Where do names of dishes come from? Well, This is a painting by Vittorio Carpaccio, Venice, 1465-1525. Look at those vibrant reds. Red was a color depicting wealth. It was derived from a small bug which lives in a cactus, the cocciniglia, Dactylopius Coccus.In Florence, it is also used to color the liquore Alkermes which…

Read More »

Taste Chianti | Divine Daytrips- Giotto

Now that we can drive around and move more freely, Andrea and I have been taking some daytrips. It’s great to visit some of our favorite spots, but also pure joy in discovering new places. Years ago, I created the Taste Chianti app to share my tips on where to eat, drink, shop and stay…

Read More »

Taste Chianti | Gelateria Dondoli – San Gimignano

I moved out to Certaldo around 2002 and am only 14km from San Gimignano. We don’t tend to go very often as it is such a popular tourist destination. But I know how to time visits and often can arrive at my favorite gelato place and not find a line, which is rare. The man…

Read More »

Taste Florence – Osteria Vini e Vecchi Sapori

  When you ask a Florentine where to go to eat great food, usually like with chef, they say their mom’s. If you aren’t lucky enough to have a mamma in Florence, don’t worry, there are still some places you can eat just like at a Florentines mom’s kitchen, with mom’s rules. My husband Andrea,…

Read More »

Happy New Year- Another Trip Around the Sun

Happy New Year? I think we all love to celebrate and as an expat, I discovered new holidays to celebrate in Italy. We all have December31/January 1st as New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. My mom was raised in Shanghai, we although we are not Chinese, Chinese New Year’s was always big in our…

Read More »

Cookbook Review: Florentine, The True Cuisine of Florence by Emiko Davies

I recently received a copy of Emiko Davies ‘s cookbook, Florentine, The True Cuisine of Florence. It is filled with her favorite recipes from living in and around Florence. Like me, she got some of her inspiration for the local trattoria’s, pizza places and friends. Marrying a Italian also helps for quality control! I first saw…

Read More »

Divine Days- Livorno

There is nothing I love more than a food festival except perhaps being by the sea. When the two worlds collide, I am ecstatic! I  saw that one of my favorite towns on the Tuscan Coast was having a 3 day celebration for the local specialty, Caccuccio, the fish soup. In San Francisco, we have…

Read More »

Day Tripping from Florence- Prato- #eatPrato

The Medici family always knew a good thing. 300 years ago, they created the wine producing region of Carmignano. Carmignano is part of the province of Prato, just outside of Florence. I have several favorite restaurants and bakeries, shops and wine producers in the area I love visiting in Carmignano, but the town of Prato…

Read More »

Next Page »

Judy Witts Francini

Originally from California; Tuscany has been my home since 1984. I found the city of Florence to hold all my passions, food, wine, art all in one place. When I am not in Tuscany, I am often found in Sicily, my other favorite place to be. Always searching for recipes to share and exploring for the guides I write to my favorite cities for food and wine.

Follow Me

Sign up for newsletter

Join me on Patreon!

buy my cookbook

buy my cookbook

Visit Tuscany | Kitchenmate

Visit Tuscany | Kitchenmate

Cibò So Good Ambassodor

All Categories

  • Press
  • Contact Me

© Copyright 2023 Simply Divina, Inc. · All Rights Reserved